Afrotropical Cynipoidea (Hymenoptera)
Author
Noort, Simon van
Author
Buffington, Matthew L.
Author
Forshage, Mattias
text
ZooKeys
2015
493
1
176
http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.493.6353
journal article
http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.493.6353
1313-2970-493-1
1FBFFA4CA71F495CAD22F2EB680FEF95
Taxon classification Animalia Hymenoptera Figitidae
Leptopilina
Foerster
, 1869
Remarks.
Very common throughout Africa.
Diagnosis.
Usually medium-sized and rather stout eucoilines, with a more or less reduced hairy ring. Often superficially similar to
Ganaspis
. Easily separated from the former in males, since
Leptopilina
males have antennal F1 hardly modified and F2 moderately modified, while
Ganaspis
have F1 distinctly modified and F2 not at all; but for females (or males with antennae not visible) it is important to examine the metapleural corner: in
Leptopilina
it is oblique and hairless, in
Ganaspis
rectangular and hairy. Many
Leptopilina
which have a narrow marginal cell may be confused with
Rhoptromeris
, which have the male F2 more strongly modified and only rarely have a reduced hairy ring, and which are easy to separate by having lateral bridges on the pronotum (open in
Leptopilina
, closed in
Rhoptromeris
).
Species groups have been suggested by
Nordlander (1980)
and
Allemand et al. (2002)
, but these have little consequence for the identification of the genus as such.
Figure 26.
Leptopilina
species (Kenya). A habitus lateral view B head and mesosoma dorso-lateral view C pronotal plate.
Distribution.
Worldwide. Afrotropical records: Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Madagascar, Nigeria, Seychelles, South Africa, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe (
Quinlan 1986
), St Helena (
Notton 2008
), Benin, Comoros, Gambia, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Mauritius, Republic of Congo, Reunion, Sao
Tome
(
Allemand et al.
2002
), Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Central African Republic, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Yemen (here).
Biology.
Well-known for attacking
Drosophilidae
in various habitats (
van Alphen et al. 1991
,
Buffington 2007
;
Buffington et al. 2012
,
Lee et al. 2009
,
Novkovic et al. 2011
), including in Africa (
Allemand et al. 2002
,
Nordlander 1980
).
Species richness.
Leptopilina africana
(Kieffer, 1911b), comb. n. (
Eucoila
) (replacement name for
Eucoila afra
Kieffer, 1910d nec Kieffer, 1904) Type ZMBH seen by MF (Rwanda)
Leptopilina apella
Quinlan, 1988 (Democratic Republic of Congo, Madagascar)
Leptopilina atraticeps
(Kieffer, 1911b) (
Ectolyta
) (Nigeria, Seychelles)
Leptopilina
boulardi
(Barbotin, Carton & Kelner-Pillault, 1979) (
Cothonaspis
) (Democratic Republic of Congo, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Madagascar, Republic of Congo, Seychelles, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe; worldwide distributed species)
syn
Charips mahensis
Kieffer, 1911c, a secondary homonym in
Leptopilina
Leptopilina cavernicola
(Kieffer, 1913b), comb. n. (
Eucoila
) Type not found, apparently missing in MNHN, placement tentative based on original description (Tanzania)
Leptopilina drosophilae
(Kieffer, 1913c), comb. n. (
Eucoila
) Type not located (possibly in coll Silvestri), placement based on original description (Guinea)
Leptopilina dulcis
(Quinlan, 1988), comb. n. (
Cothonaspis
) (Democratic Republic of Congo, Madagascar)
Leptopilina fannius
Quinlan, 1988 (Democratic Republic of Congo)
Leptopilina faunus
Quinlan, 1988 (Democratic Republic of Congo)
Leptopilina fenerivae
(Kieffer, 1910c), comb. n. (
Psilosema
) Type in ZMUH seen in 1980s by
Goeran
Nordlander and generic placement assessed by him (pers. comm.), but not found upon more recent enquiry (Ralph Peters pers. comm.) (Madagascar)
Leptopilina fimbriata
(Kieffer, 1901a) (
Eucoela
) (Palearctic species, also recorded from Afrotropical region)
Leptopilina freyae
Allemand & Nordlander, 2002 (Benin, Gambia, Kenya)
Leptopilina guineaensis
Allemand & Nordlander, 2002 (Benin, Cameroon, Republic of Congo, Reunion, South Africa, Sao
Tome
)
Leptopilina heterotoma
(Thomson, 1862) (
Eucoila
) (Democratic Republic of Congo, Madagascar, St Helena; worldwide distributed species)
syn
Pseudeucoila bochei
Weld, 1944
Leptopilina itys
Quinlan, 1988 (Democratic Republic of Congo, Zimbabwe)
Leptopilina mahensis
(Kieffer, 1911c) (
Erisphagia
) (Seychelles)
Leptopilina misensus
Quinlan, 1988 (Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda)
Leptopilina orientalis
Allemand & Nordlander, 2002 (Comoros, Madagascar, Reunion)
Leptopilina pisonis
Quinlan, 1988 (Democratic Republic of Congo)
Leptopilina syphax
Quinlan, 1988 (Democratic Republic of Congo)
Leptopilina thetus
Quinlan, 1988 (Democratic Republic of Congo, South Africa)
Leptopilina vesta
Quinlan, 1988 (Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo)
Leptopilina victoriae
Nordlander, 1980 (Democratic Republic of Congo, Ivory Coast, Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles, South Africa, Uganda)