Xyalophora Kieffer, 1901

Noort, Simon van, Buffington, Matthew L. & Forshage, Mattias, 2015, Afrotropical Cynipoidea (Hymenoptera), ZooKeys 493, pp. 1-176 : 125

Taxon classification Animalia Hymenoptera Figitidae

Xyalophora Kieffer, 1901

Remarks.

Rare. Recently revised by Jimenez et al. (2008) and van Noort et al. (2014).

Diagnosis.

Xyalophora shares the presence of a scutellar spine with Neralsia , absent in Figites and Lonchidia . Xyalophora can be separated from Neralsia by the presence of transversely striate notauli (smooth in Neralsia ), and an often slightly smaller scutellar spine; this second character, however, is often linked to adult body size and should be used with caution. As in the case of Neralsia , species of Xyalophora can be superficially similar to Prosaspicera ( Aspicerinae), but can be separated from that taxon by the lack of a facial impression on the head, as well as the lack of a ligulate metasomal T2. All three African species have the occipital carinae directed towards the ocellar area and separated in the middle by a smooth surface as well as a smooth interocellar area.

Distribution.

Probably worldwide, but no records from the Oriental region are published. Afrotropical records: Burkina Faso ( Jiménez et al. 2008c); Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali, Namibia, South Africa ( van Noort et al. 2014).

Biology.

Parasitoids of calyptrate Brachycera larvae in decomposing substrates ( Ionescu 1969).

Species richness.

Xyalophora tedjoansi van Noort, Buffington & Forshage, 2014 (Mali)

Xyalophora provancheri Jiménez & Pujade-Villar, 2008 (Burkina Faso)

Xyalophora tintini van Noort, Buffington & Forshage, 2014 (Democratic Republic of Congo, Namibia, South Africa)