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Miotropis Thomson, 1878 comparative info return to: prev home
4 funicular segments. Notauli complete to scutellar margin or ending in axillae near the scutellar margin; sublateral grooves of scutellum apparently incomplete or absent under normal (up to 50x) magnification, extending as distinct grooves no further than sockets of posterior pair of scutellar setae [but can be seen to be complete under high magnification with careful observation]. Propodeum in some species with irregular rugae; median carina present, simple or with a short anterior split; plicae absent; costula absent. Compare with: Elachertus, Diglyphomorpha.

Miotropis mesosoma

Biology: Parasitoids of Lepidoptera.

Comments: 15 described species. Very similar to Elachertus, and difficult to separate from it in some cases. It is often difficult to determine degrees of "faintness" of the sublateral scutellar grooves, and in reality there is no specimen of either genus with truly incomplete grooves. Careful examination with a high-resolution microscope or electron microscope can show signs of the groove along the posterior scutellar margin and the lateral margins immediately posterior to the setal sockets. There are also some species of Nearctic Elachertus with legitimately "incomplete" sublateral grooves. These species may more rightly be placed in Miotropis, but transferring the species is difficult to recommend due to the confused state of the taxonomy of genera near Elachertus. I strongly doubt that faint sublateral grooves are homologous in all occurrences in this group. It is likely that the genus is polyphyletic and that each monophyletic portion of it renders Elachertus paraphyletic in turn. Nearctic species identifiable as Miotropis using this key may be currently placed in either genus, and this should be kept in mind by researchers needing a correct identification of such specimens.

Comparative information:

Elachertus: Scutellar grooves in most species distinctly complete, meeting at posterior margin of scutellum. Some species of Miotropis, formerly in Cirrospiloideus, have a propodeum with rugulose median panels (the rugulose areas often marked by a different color from the rest of the propodeum), which never occurs in Elachertus.

Diglyphomorpha: Scutellar grooves complete, meeting posteriorly. Plicae present and complete. Scutellum with a sometimes faint median groove.

References

Askew, R.R. 1968. Hymenoptera 2. Chalcidoidea section (b). Handbooks for the Identification of British Insects. 8(2)b.

Boucek, Z. 1959. A study of central European Eulophidae, 1: Eulophinae (Hymenoptera). Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae. 33: 117-170.

Boucek, Z. 1977. Descriptions of two new species of Neotropical Eulophidae (Hymenoptera) of economic interest, with taxonomic notes on related species and genera. Bulletin of Entomological Research. 67(1): 1-15.

LaSalle, J. & M.E. Schauff. 1992. Preliminary studies on Neotropical Eulophidae (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea): Ashmead, Cameron, Howard, and Walker species. Contributions of the American Entomological Institute 27.

Schauff, M.E., J. LaSalle, & L.D. Coote. 1997. Chapter 10. Eulophidae. in "Annotated Keys to the Genera of Nearctic Chalcidoidea (Hymenoptera)". G.A.P. Gibson & J.T. Huber, eds. NRC Research Press, Ottawa.

Image credits: 1a: Schauff, et al. (1997).