Agrostocynips Diaz

Buffington, Matthew L., 2004, The description of Preseucoela Buffington, new genus, with notes on the status of Nearctic species of Agrostocynips Diaz (Hymenoptera: Figitidae: Eucoilinae), Zootaxa 408 (1), pp. 1-11 : 9

Notes on Nearctic species of Agrostocynips Diaz

To this point, two species have been recognized as belonging to Agrostocynips , A. clavatus Diaz and A. enneatoma (Diaz) ; A. clavatus is the type species, by original designation (Diaz, 1976.)

Upon examination of the types of Chrestosema robusta Ashmead and Ganaspis diastrophi Ashmead (housed in the USNM), it was clear that these species possessed the diagnostic features of Agrostocynips , such as: wide pronotal plate; lack of mesoscutal keel; broad scutellar plate with several dorsal tubercles; lack of orbital furrows; incomplete genal carina (only present ventrally). Hence, these two species are moved into Agrostocynips . The importance of this is underscored by the fact that the holotype and paratype of Ganaspis diastrophi were collected in West Point, Nebraska, extending the range of Agrostocynips well into the Nearctic Region. This range is remarkable considering how few members of the Zaeucoila group of genera (of which Agrostocynips is a member) can be found north of Mexico (Buffington, pers. obsv.). The holotypes of A. clavatus and A. enneatoma have not been made available for my examination; the characterization of Agrostocynips used here is based on 38 specimens (female and male) collected in Argentina and determined by N. Diaz as Agrostocynips clavatus (specimens provided by A. Salvo).