Psilomastax, TISCHBEIN, 1868

Sime, Karen R. & Wahl, David B., 2002, The cladistics and biology of the Callajoppa genus-group (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae, Ichneumoninae), Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 134 (1), pp. 1-56 : 43

PSILOMASTAX TISCHBEIN, 1868

Psilomastax Tischbein, 1868: 255 . Type-species: Psilomastax pyramidalis Tischbein. Monotypic. Cercodinotomus Uchida, 1940: 9 . Type-species:

( Psilomastax pictus Kriechbaumer ) = Psilomastax pyramidalis Tischbein. Original designation.

Synonymized by Townes (1957). Autapomorphies. Epicnemial carina present only on mesothoracic venter (#19–2); S2-5 divided (#55–5). Species and distribution. There is one described species, Psilomastax pyramidalis , distributed from western Europe to Japan. Biology. Reports of P. pyramidalis attacking Apatura iris (L.) date back over 100 years (e.g. Tischbein, 1868). It is a larval–pupal parasitoid, attacking all instars ( Mell & Heinrich, 1931), and specializes on apaturine nymphalids throughout its range. In the western Palearctic, P. pyrimidalis is reported almost exclusively as a parasitoid of A. iris . Although three species of Apatura occur in this region, we have just one record from A. ilia (Denis & Schiffermüller) (National Museum of Scotland; M. Shaw pers. comm.). This apparent preference for a single host species could be an artifact of the rarity of rearings: for example, from over 1300 A. iris collected in the field and reared to pupation, Friedrich (1977) reared just one P. pyrimidalis. In the east, P. pyrimidalis has been reliably reported as a parasitoid of Hestina assimilis (L.) ( Mell & Heinrich, 1931) and H. japonica (C & R Felder) ( Iwata, 1961).

Morley (1915) reports viewing a specimen labelled as a parasitoid of Psilogramma (Dicranura) increta (Sphingidae) in Taiwan. Weighing this single report against the number of apaturine records, we consider it unlikely that Psilomastax routinely, if ever, parasitizes Sphingidae .