Genus Hypocampsis Förster, 1856

(junior synonym of Platygaster Latreille, 1809)

Hypocampsis Förster, 1856: 108, 115. Type species Hypocampsis hyalinata Thomson, 1859 by subsequent designation by Ashmead 1903: 98. Junior synonym of Platygaster Latreille, 1809 – Fouts 1920: 67.

Triplatygaster Kieffer, 1913: 178 . Type species Platygaster contorticornis Ratzeburg, 1844 by monotypy.

Triplatygaster Kieffer, 1913 – Szelényi 1938: 100, 101.

Remarks

Förster describes the principal character of Hypocampsis to be the “widely turned edges of the metasoma”. Presumably, this refers to the laterotergites, which are relatively broad. Additionally, the female antenna is filiform and the clavomeres are not expanded in diameter. The original description does not include any species, but specimens were reared from “ Cecidomyia strobi in Abies cones”. Based on the current taxonomy of the midges and the tree, this is probably Kaltenbachiola strobi (Winnertz, 1853) on Picea abies (L.) H.Karst., which according to Kieffer (1926) is also the host of Platygaster contorticornis Ratzeburg, 1844, the type species of Triplatygaster Kieffer, 1913 . Fouts (1920, 1924) synonymized Hypocampsis with Platygaster, based on Förster’s description. Later, Szelényi (1938) treated Triplatygaster as a junior synonym of Hypocampsis .

The type specimen of Pl. contorticornis is almost certainly destroyed, presenting an obstacle to species identification and casting uncertainty on the species group that MacGown (1979) based on Pl. contorticornis . The contorticornis group is associated with conifers and characterized by coarse microsculpture, complete notauli, a strongly flattened metasoma, and a wedge-shaped male antennal plate organ. There are two specimens in Förster’s collection identified as Pl. contorticornis . However, their provenance is unknown and they do not resemble the prevailing concept of Pl. contorticornis .