Oriental chalcid wasps of the genusEpitranus

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The species of Epitraninae, a subfamily of Chalcididae, parasitic Hymenoptera, are taxonomically revised, from an area including India in the west and New Guinea in the east. Over 500 specimens were studied, including all accessible types. Only one genus, Epitranus Walker, is recognized and its synonymy is corrected. A key is given to 29 spp. of which 17 are described as new. [The new species are: E. ater, E. nitens, E. obsoletus, E. nigriceps, E. pilosipennis, E. bifasciatus, E. vicinus, E. gauldi, E. crassicornis, E. hassani, E. sedlaceki, E. dorsiplanus, E. subplanus, E. malaicus, E. atripennis, E. umbripennis and E. oxytelus.] Among the earlier names 30 are junior synonyms (and some more are probable synonyms, among the names the types of which were not examined). The treated and illustrated valid species include 2 from Australia and notes and a figure of another species, E. evanioides, from Mauritius. Two Oriental species were widely distributed in Africa: E. observator and E. clavatus. The latter was also recorded in the New World, probably having been inadvertently introduced. One Oriental species, E. erythrogaster, is not only widely distributed but has an unusual range of variation and may prove to be a composite aggregate when more information is available. Little help could be drawn from the biological data because definite host records are available for only 4 spp.