Rhoophilus Mayr, 1881

Noort, Simon van, Buffington, Matthew L. & Forshage, Mattias, 2015, Afrotropical Cynipoidea (Hymenoptera), ZooKeys 493, pp. 1-176 : 14-16

Taxon classification Animalia Hymenoptera Cynipidae

Rhoophilus Mayr, 1881

Remarks.

Rhoophilus is morphologically similar to the Holarctic inquiline genera Synergus , Saphonecrus , and Synophrus , all of which typically attack oak cynipid galls. The transverse ridges of the mesoscutum, and a mesopleuron sculptured with longitudinal ridges in Rhoophilus closely resemble characters in several species of the Synergus / Saphonecrus complex. A sister group relationship between Rhoophilus and these three oak inquiline genera was hypothesized by Ronquist (1994) and Liljeblad and Ronquist (1998).

Diagnosis.

Rhoophilus has a closed marginal cell, a character shared with Qwaqwaia . The areolet is triangular as in Phanacis , but larger and more distinct, whereas it is elongate rhomboidal in Qwaqwaia . Rhoophilus lacks an occipital carina as in Phanacis (present in Qwaqwaia ), but has tergites 2 and 3 fused, whereas these are free in Phanacis .

Distribution.

South Africa: Western, Eastern and Northern Cape Provinces.

Biology.

Inquiline forming secondary cells in galls induced by Scyrotis moths ( Cecidosidae ) on Searsia (formerly Rhus ) ( Anacardiaceae ) shrubs and trees. The larval cells expand into the hollow interior of the host gall resulting in death of the gall inducing moth larva ( van Noort et al. 2007).

Species richness.

Rhoophilus loewi Mayr, 1881 (South Africa)