HomeWasp classificationExpeditionsLinksFigWebBiodiversity ExplorerPermits

Nixoniidae Masner

Nixoniid wasps of the World

(Life: Kingdom: Metazoa (animals); Phylum: Arthropoda; Class: Hexapoda; Order: Hymenoptera; Superfamily: Platygastroidea)

Nixoniini Masner, 1976: 11 (original description; diagnosis).
Type genus. Nixonia Masner, 1958.

ClassificationIdentification keys

Nixonia Masner, 1958

Distribution

Afrotropical, Indo-Australasian, Oriental and Palaearctic regions.

Biology

Egg parasitoid of armoured ground cricket, Acanthoplus discoidalis (Walker) (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae, Hetrodinae).

Comments

The classification presented here follows Chen et al. 2021. Finally a comprehensive phylogenetic assessment based on both morphological and molecular data to formulate a revised classification of Platygastroidea has been completed. Murphy et al. (2007) conducted a molecular phylogenetic analysis of the entire Platygastroidea in which the Platygastridae was supported as a monophyletic group nested within Scelionidae. As a result the Scelionidae were retrieved as polyphyletic, but the classification was not revised because of low support for many of the deeper nodes in the cladogram, and inadequate taxon sampling (less than a quarter of the valid genera in the superfamily were included in their analyses). Based on the results of Murphy et al. (2007), Sharkey (2007) formally synonymised Scelionidae with Platygastridae. Subsequently McKellar & Engel (2012) raised the tribes Sparasionini and Nixonini to family level and recognized four families: Nixoniidae, Sparasionidae, Scelionidae and Platygastridae, but in Ortega-Blanca et al. (2014) they treated placement of these two tribes within the Platygastroidea as incertae sedis recognizing only two families: Scelionidae and Platygastridae. These higher classification changes made by Sharkey (2007) and McKellar & Engel (2012) were largely not accepted (Talamas & Buffington, 2015; Popovici et al. 2017). With a revised classification having recently been published supported by robust phylogenetic data (Chen et al. 2021) this latest classification schema is now followed.

References

Chen H-Y, Lahey Z, Talamas EJ, Valerio AA,  Popovici OA, Musetti L, Klompen H, Polaszek A, Masner L, Austin AD, Johnson NF. 2021. An integrated phylogenetic reassessment of the parasitoid superfamily Platygastroidea (Hymenoptera: Proctotrupomorpha) results in a revised familial classification. Systematic Entomology 46(4): 1088-1113.

https://doi.org/10.1111/syen.12511

Johnson, N.L. & Masner, L. 2006. Revision of World Species of the Genus Nixonia Masner (Hymenoptera: Platygastroidea, Platygastridae). American Museum Novitates 3518: 1-32.

Masner, L. 1958. An interesting new genus of Platygastridae from S.W. Africa (Hymenoptera: Proctotrupoidea). Proceedings of the Royal Entomological Society of London (B) 27:101-104.

Masner, L. 1970. A new  species of Nixonia Masner from Rhodesia. Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington 72:90-93.

van Noort, S. 2008. South African survey reveals further Nixonia gems. Skaphion 2(13): 1-3.

van Noort, S. & Johnson, N. 2009. New species of the plesiomorphic genus Nixonia (Platygastridae, Hymenoptera) from South Africa. Zookeys 20: 31-51.

Credits

Photographs © Simon van Noort (Iziko Museums of South Africa).


Web author Simon van Noort (Iziko South African Museum)

 

Citation: van Noort, S. 2024. WaspWeb: Hymenoptera of the World. URL: www.waspweb.org (accessed on <day/month/year>).

Copyright 2004-2024 Iziko Museums of South Africa

customisable counter