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