Leptospathiini, Belokobylskij, Sergey A., 2011

Belokobylskij, Sergey A., 2011, Review of the genus Stephanospathius Belokobylskij, 1992 (Hymenoptera, Braconidae), with discussion of their tribal position, ZooKeys 118, pp. 1-17 : 3-4

Tribe Leptospathiini nom. n.

Stephaniscini Enderlein, 1912: 1 (type genus Stephaniscus Kieffer, 1904, junior homonym of Stephaniscus Haeckel, 1884), invalid name ( Yu et al. 2005); Shenefelt and Marsh 1976: 1372, Fischer 1981a: 44, 1981b: 122, Belokobylskij 1992: 918.

Type genus.

Leptospathius Szepligeti, 1902.

Description.

Head subcubical in dorsal view, weakly transverse. Occipital carina mainly present. Malar suture absent or sometimes very shallow. Maxillary palpi very long or (in apterous form) short. Scape of antenna wide and short, without apical lobe or basal constriction. First segment of antennal flagellum usually shorter than second segment, sometimes almost equal to it, rarely longer than second one. Mesosoma elongate, sometimes weakly depressed, but strongly transformed in apterous or micropterous forms. Notauli present, usually shallow posteriorly. Prepectal carina present; postpectal carina absent. Sternaulus (precoxal suture) present or absent. Propodeum usually without delineated areas, with distinct propodeal bridge (heavy sclerites between coxal and metasomal foramens). Fore wing. Radial cell not shortened. Both radiomedial veins present. Position of recurrent vein variable. Discoidal cell anteriorly usually shortly petiolate. Parallel vein not interstitial. Brachial cell closed in distal posterior margin by brachial vein. Transverse anal veins absent. Hind wing with 4 hamuli. Medial cell large, distinctly widened towards apex. Radial cell widened apically, sometimes with transverse medial vein. Submedial cell usually short, but sometimes long. Hind wing of male without stigma-like enlargement. Sometimes wings absent or scale-shaped. Fore tarsus often long or very long. Hind coxa long, often (but not always) without basal tooth. All femora rather slender and elongate. First metasomal tergum long and narrow, much longer than its apical width, dorsope absent or very small, acrosternum distinctly or strongly elongated. Second tergum with basal subtriangular area more or less distinctly delineated by furrows, but sometimes with divergent long lateral furrows; apterous and micropterous forms without furrows. Laterotergites maximum separated in second and basal half of third tergites. In fully-winged taxa, terga behind second one entirely covered by very dense, rather short and pale setae. Ovipositor sheath long, longer than metasoma.

Distribution.

Afrotropical, Oriental, Australasian and Neotropical Regions.

Contents. Tribe includes five genera: Austrospathius Belokobylskij, Iqbal & Austin, 2004; Leptospathius Szepligeti, 1902; Oroceguera Seltmann & Sharkey, 2007; Schlettereriella Szepligeti, 1904; Stephanospathius Belokobylskij, 1992.

Diagnosis.

Leptospathiini is related to the tribe Spathiini characterised by elongate acrosternum of the first metasomal tergum. The main and unique apomorphic character of Leptospathiini is the presence of distinct and usually wide propodeal bridge (heavy sclerites between coxal and metasomal foramens); the feature is unknown in other doryctine groups (including similar subtribe Trigonophasmina of the tribe Spathiini : Belokobylskij 1992). Additional but not comprehensive diagnostic features of this tribe separating it from the tribe Spathiini are: the second tergum often with furrows, the parallel vein of fore wing always not interstitial and arising from the posterior one-third of the distal margin of brachial cell, and the propodeum usually without delineated areas.

Key to genera of the tribe Leptospathiini