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
Aganaspis Lin, 1987
Remarks.
Rare.
Aganaspis
has been widely confused with
Trybliographa
; superficially strikingly similar morphologically, but not closely related (
Fontal-Cazalla et al. 2002
,
Buffington et al. 2007
). On the other hand, it remains uncertain how to delineate
Aganaspis
from
Ganaspis
.
Diagnosis.
Large, strongly built, black or darkly brown eucoilines. The genus was originally erected (
Lin 1987
) for Oriental species with a very large scutellar plate
reaching
the posterior end of the scutellum, and a high pronotal plate with an emarginate (bilobed) dorsal rim protruding well over the pronotal-mesoscutal suture. But the exploration of apparently closely related forms, especially in South America, has made the genus far more difficult to circumscribe in terms of unambiguous diagnostic characters, and indeed, blurred the boundaries towards the heterogenous
Ganaspis
. Most
Aganaspis
, however, are large and resemble
Trybliographa
in general habitus, but are easy to distinguish from the latter based on the distinct hairtuft on the metapleural corner, the small and shallow subalar pit, and the modified antennal F1 in males. The posterior metapleural margin is uninterrupted (but sometimes depressed in the middle) and usually somewhat oblique in the ventral part; the metacoxae usually have semi-long hairlines (but sometimes only small tufts); the sctutellar plate is usually very large and the scutellar foveae usually large (but sometimes far more normal sized).
Figure 29.
Aganaspis
species (Central African Republic). A habitus lateral view B head and mesosoma dorsal view C head, anterior view.
Distribution.
Widespread, but primarily East Asian and Neotropical. Afrotropical records: Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Reunion, South Africa, Tanzania (here).
Biology.
Attacks
Tephritidae
and other fruit-infesting flies (
Wharton et al. 1998
,
Guimaraes
et al. 2003
).
Species richness.
Aganaspis daci
(Weld, 1951) (
Trybliographa
) (widely distributed species, synanthropically spread with an assumed origin in the Oriental region).
Several undescribed species in the region.