Scientific name

Callocleonymus Masi, 1940

Callocleonymus Masi, 1940: 289-290. Type species: Callocleonymus pulcher Masi; by original designation.

The genus Callocleonymus was established by Masi in 1940 with the type species Callocleonymus pulcher. The species of the genus Callocleonymus are parasitic on wood-boring beetle larvae of family Buprestidae, Scolytidae (Yang, 1996), and Curculionidae (Boucek, 1988).

The genus is represented by eight species around the world- Callocleonymus beijingensis Yang; Callocleonymus bimaculae Yang; Callocleonymus chuxiongensis Yang; Callocleonymus ferrierei Kerrich; Callocleonymus ianthinus Yang; Callocleonymus pulcher Masi; Callocleonymus swezeyi (Yoshimoto & Ishii) and Callocleonymus xinjiangensis Yang. Gibson (2003) mentioned unknown number of undescribed species from the Old World. Herein, the first record from India is illustrated.

Taxonomic position

Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea: Pteromalidae: Cleonyminae

Diagnosis

Body with bright metallic luster. In female- antenna 13 segmented; formula 11173; inserted slightly below level of lower margin of eyes; with spine like, narrow preclaval process and a similar one on the clava (projecting subapically on opposite side from preclaval process, hidden in collapsed area). Dense and deep reticulation on mesoscutum and scutellum, and axillae shiny. Forewing distinctly infumated in the middle (behind marginal and stigmal veins); basally bare, speculum usually absent; costal cell narrow. Postmarginal vein much shorter than marginal vein and only slightly longer than stigmal vein. Mesepimeron entirely bare posteriorly; metapleuron bare and with very distinct, meshlike sculpture defined by impressed lines. Metasoma petiolate; petiole transverse and pale yellow in colour.

 Head
 Antenna
 Wings

Image

 Female - lateral view

Distribution

The genus is distributed in Africa, Australia, southern Asia from the Causasus through Afghanistan and China to New Guinea (Boucek, 1988), also in southern United States of America which is suspected a natural rather than accidental introduction to the New world (Gibson, 2003).

Remarks

This species does not match with any of the earlier known species but is not formally described in this paper being singleton. In anticipation of any variation in this species the formal description is kept in abeyance until good series of specimens are examined to determine variation.

References

  • Bouček Z. 1988. Australasian Chalcidoidea (Hymenoptera). A Biosystematic Revision of Genera of Fourteen Families, with a Reclassification of Species. CAB International, Wallingford, U.K. 832 pp.
  • Gibson, G. A. P. 2003. Phylogenetics and classification of Cleonyminae (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea: Pteromalidae). Memoirs on Entomology, International 16: 83.
  • Gupta, A., Rameshkumar, A. and Naveen V. 2015. First record of the genus Callocleonymus Masi (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea: Pteromalidae: Cleonyminae) from India. Journal of Biological Control 29 (1): 1-2.
  • Masi, L. 1940. Descrizioni di Calcididi raccolti in Somalia dal Prof. G. Russo con note sulle species congeneri. Bollettino del R. Laboratorio di Entomologia Agraria di Portici 3: 291.
  • Yang, ZQ. 1996. Parasitic wasps on bark beetles in China (Hymenoptera). Science Press, Beijing. 363 pp.