Revision of the European species of Omphale Haliday (Hymenoptera, Chalcidoidea, Eulophidae)

Download or read book Revision of the European species of Omphale Haliday (Hymenoptera, Chalcidoidea, Eulophidae) written by Christer Hansson and published by PenSoft Publishers LTD. This book was released on 2012-10-25 with total page 166 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The European species of Omphale are revised, including 37 species, of which 11 are new. All species are described, thoroughly illustrated, and included in gender-specific identification keys. Two new morphological character-sets are introduced for the classification, male genitalia and wing interference patterns (WIPs). Both sets are used to identify species, and the former is also useful for classification of species-groups. Hosts are known for 14 species and all are primary endoparasitoids of immature stages of gall-midges (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae). Host preferences are unique for each species, suggesting host specialization as a driving force for speciation. Several of the species are known only from females or have a strong female-biased sex-ratio, indicating thelytokous parthenogenesis. Distributional data point to a pan-European distribution for most species. New synonyms and combinations affect the nomenclature in subfamily Entedoninae.