Cheiloneurus Westwood

Manickavasagam, S., Mehrnejad, M. R. & Noyes, John S., 2008, Cheiloneurus pistaciae sp. nov. (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) a facultative hyperparasitoid of Kermania pistaciella Amsel (Lepidoptera: Tineidae), a pest of pistachio trees in Iran, Zootaxa 1958, pp. 61-64 : 61

Cheiloneurus Westwood

Cheiloneurus Westwood, 1833: 343 . Type species: Encyrtus elegans Dalman, 1820 by monotypy. Aulonops Timberlake, 1922: 158 . Type species: Aulonops bifasciata Timberlake , by original designation and monotypy. Bekilyia Risbec, 1952: 40 . Type species: Bekilyia metallica Risbec , by monotypy. Blatticida Ashmead, 1904: 305 . Type species: Blatticida pulchra Ashmead , by monotypy. Cheiloneurus (Paracheiloneurus) Girault, 1915: 119 . Type species: Cheiloneurus perpulcher Girault , original designation and monotypy. Chilonevrus Aggasiz, 1848: 231 . Unjustified emendation of Cheiloneurus Westwood. Chrysopophagus Ashmead, 1894: 246 . Type species: Chrysopophagus compressicornis Ashmead , by monotypy. Chrysopophagoides Girault, 1915: 90 . Type species: Chrysopophagoides westwoodi Girault , original designation and monotypy. Cristatothorix Girault, 1911: 169. Type species: Cristatothorax pulcher Girault , original designation and monotypy. Echthrogonatopus Perkins, 1906: 256 . Type species: Echthrogonatopus exitiosus Perkins , by subsequent designation of Gahan and

Fagan (1923). Epicheiloneurus Girault, 1915: 173 . Type species: Epicheiloneurus albicoxa Girault , original designation and monotypy. Eusemionella Girault, 1915: 78 . Type species: Eusemionella cristata Girault , original designation and monotypy. Eusemionopsis Girault, 1918: 3 . Type species: Eusemionopsis centaurus Girault , original designation and monotypy. Hypergonatopus Timberlake, 1922: 142 . Type species: Echthrogonatopus hawaiiensis Perkins , original designation. Cheiloneurus (Lepidoneurus) Hoffer, 1957: 340 . Type species: Chiloneurus kollari Mayr , original designation. Metacheiloneurus Hoffer, 1957: 336 . Type species: Metacheiloneurus moestus Hoffer , by monotypy. Procheiloneurus Girault, 1920: 39 . Type species: Procheiloneurus triguttatipennis Girault , original designation and monotypy. Saronotum Perkins, 1906: 248 , 259-290. Type species: Saronotum australiae Perkins , original designation.

Cheiloneurus is a moderately large, cosmopolitan genus that currently includes about 130 valid species with many species yet to be described. As the generic synonymy suggests, it is morphologically diverse. It is best characterised by a marginal vein that is at least 3X as long as a very short stigmal vein, and an almost exclusively hyperparasitic habit. Other diagnostic characters for the genus include a dorsally flat scutellum with a distinct subapical tuft of setae, the fore wing with a naked proximal area in the basal cell, an infuscate area from below the parastigma to wing apex, or nearly so and a naked, hyaline line connecting the apex of stigmal vein to the anterior wing margin adjacent to apex of postmarginal vein, and the hypopygium not reaching more than two-thirds to the apex of the gaster. Unfortunately, most included species exhibit at least one exception to these last named characters. The new species described below is provisionally placed in Cheiloneurus on the basis of the long marginal and short stigmal veins, infuscate fore wing, short hypopygium and hyperparasitic habit, although it lacks other characters that are normally associated with the genus (see discussion below).