Pelecinellidae is a small family of chalcidoid wasps, formerly treated as the subfamily Leptofoeninae within Pteromalidae. They, like many small chalcidoids, are brilliantly metallic.
| Pelecinellidae | |
|---|---|
| |
| Leptofoenus rufus (female) | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Suborder: | Apocrita |
| Infraorder: | Proctotrupomorpha |
| Superfamily: | Chalcidoidea |
| Family: | Pelecinellidae Ashmead, 1895[1] |
| Genera | |
The subfamily contains three genera, Nefoenus, Doddifoenus (with four species[2]) and Leptofoenus (with five extant species).[3] The species Doddifoenus wallacei is the largest known chalcidoid wasp, reaching nearly 5 cm (2.0 in) in length (including ovipositor).[4]
The first pelecinellid species known from the fossil record, Leptofoenus pittfieldae, was described in 2009 by Michael S. Engel from a specimen discovered in Dominican amber.[5]
References
edit- ^ Ashmead, W.H. (1895) On the genus Pelecinella, Westwood, and its position among the Chalcididae. Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington 3: 230–233. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/19642#page/272/mode/1up
- ^ Gupta, A., Gowda, H.K.H.M. & Sankararaman, H. First report of the genus with first host record and description of an enchanting new species of Doddifoenus Bouček (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae: Leptofoeninae) from India. Biologia 77, 2581–2592 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11756-022-01133-4
- ^ Roger A. Burks; Mircea-Dan Mitroiu; Lucian Fusu; et al. (20 December 2022). "From hell's heart I stab at thee! A determined approach towards a monophyletic Pteromalidae and reclassification of Chalcidoidea (Hymenoptera)". Journal of Hymenoptera Research. 94: 13–88. doi:10.3897/JHR.94.94263. ISSN 1070-9428. Wikidata Q115923766.
- ^ Krogmann, L., Burks, R.A. (2009) Doddifoenus wallacei, a new giant parasitoid wasp of the subfamily Leptofoeninae (Chalcidoidea: Pteromalidae), with a description of its mesosomal skeletal anatomy and a molecular characterization. Zootaxa 2194: 21-36.
- ^ Engel, M.S. (2005). "The first fossil leptofoenine wasp (Hymenoptera, Pteromalidae): A new species of Leptofoenus in Miocene amber from the Dominican Republic". ZooKeys (13): 57–66. doi:10.3897/zookeys.13.159. hdl:1808/5595.