Hemichoma Enderlein, 1920

Type species.

Hemichoma fenestratum Enderlein, 1920.

Diagnosis.

Hemichoma shares diagnostic morphological characters with Zelomorpha except: notauli absent, mesoscutum lacking distinct lobes; gena greatly produced posteroventrally.

Biology.

Members of Hemichoma are, like Zelomorpha, koinobiont endoparasitoids of late instar lepidopteran larvae. The solitary wasp larva emerges from the prepupal larva after it has spun its cocoon, and spins its own cocoon inside the host cocoon next to the cadaver.

Distribution.

Restricted to the New World, known from Mexico to Argentina.

Species richness.

Including the three species described here, there are eight described species of Hemichoma .