Cheloninae


Cheloninae is a cosmopolitan subfamily of braconid parasitoid wasps.

Description

Most Cheloninae are small and uniformly colored. They have a characteristic metasomal carapace formed from the fusion of the first three tergites.

Biology

They are solitary koinobionts which parasitize Lepidoptera, especially Pyraloidea and Tortricoidea, but also other taxa whose larvae bore in stems, buds or fruits. Chelonines are egg-larval parasitoids, meaning they oviposit into a host egg, but the wasp larvae do not complete development until the caterpillar has hatched and matured. Chelonines carry polydnaviruses which aid in overcoming their hosts' immune system.

Taxonomy and phylogeny

The tribe Adeliini previously was thought to belong to the Adeliinae, but is now confirmed to be nested within Cheloninae.

Genera

Genera placed in Cheloninae include:

Tribe Adeliini">Adeliini (wasp)">Adeliini

Adelius Haliday, 1834Carinadelius Ranjith & van Achterberg, 2021Paradelius de Saeger, 1942Sinadelius He and Chen, 2000Sculptomyriola Belokobylskij, 1988

Tribe [Chelonini]

Ascogaster Wesmael, 1835 Austroascogaster Kittel and Austin, 2014Chelonus Panzer, 1806†Diodontogaster Brues, 1933†Eobracon Cockerell, 1920Leptodrepana Shaw, 1990Megascogaster Baker, 1926

Tribe [Odontosphaeropygini]

Odontosphaeropyx Cameron, 1910

Tribe [Phanerotomini]

Dentigaster Zettel, 1990Huseyinia Koçak and Kemal, 2008Leptochelonus Zettel, 1990Phanaustrotoma Kittel and Austin, 2014Phanerotoma Wesmael, 1838Phanerotomella Szépligeti, 1900Phanerotomoides Zettel, 1990Pseudophanerotoma Zettel, 1990Siniphanerotomella He et al., 1994Wushenia Zettel, 1990