POLYNEMA Haliday, 1833

(Figs 812–850)

Polynema Haliday, 1833a: 269 . 1833b: 347. Type species: Ichneumon flavipes Walker, 1846, by subsequent designation by Huber & Bouček, 2001: 281.

Eutriche Nees, 1834: 196 . Type species: Eutriche gracilis Nees, 1834, by monotypy. Synonymy by Foerster, 1847: 7, 218.

Doriclytus Foerster, 1847: 226 . Type species: Doriclytus vitripennis Foerster, 1847, by monotypy. Synonymy by Schauff, 1984a: 52.

Callitriche Agassiz, 1848: 173 . Unjustified emendation.

Cosmocoma Foerster, 1856: 117, 120. Unnecessary replacement name for Polynema, not Polynemus Gronovius (Gahan & Fagan, 1923: 39) .

Maidliella Soyka, 1946b: 178 . Type species: Maidliella neofuscipes Soyka, 1946, by original designation. Synonymy by Annecke & Doutt, 1961c: 36.

Novickyella Soyka, 1946b: 179 . Type species: Novickyella gracilior Soyka, 1946, by original designation. Synonymy by Soyka, 1956b: 32.

Barypolynema Ogloblin, 1946: 282 . Type species: Barypolynema reticulatum Ogloblin, 1946, by original designation. Synonymy by Schauff, 1984a: 53.

Barypolynema (Notopolynema) Ogloblin, 1960b: 77 . Type species: Barypolynema pallidiventre Ogloblin, 1960, by original designation. Synonymy by Schauff, 1984a: 53.

Polynema (Dorypolynema) Hayat & Anis, 1999a: 318 . Type species: Polynema mendeli Girault, 1913, by original designation.

Restisoma Yoshimoto, 1990: 68 . Type species: Restisoma howdeni Yoshimoto, 1990, by original designation. Synonymy under Polynema (Doriclytus) by Triapitsyn & Fidalgo, 2006: 57.

Formicomymar Yoshimoto, 1990: 80 . Type species: Formicomymar venezuelaensis Yoshimoto, by original designation. Synonymy under Polynema (Doriclytus) by Triapitsyn & Fidalgo, 2006: 57.

Diagnosis. Body length 545–2250 μm. Body dark brown or black (Figs 812, 827) but often with antenna, petiole and legs lighter, sometimes yellow; body sculpture shallow and body appearing mostly fairly smooth and shiny; clava 1-segmented; face with (Fig. 828) or without (Fig. 813) pits between toruli; vertex without pits outside ocelli (Figs 816, 831); fore wing without lobe (Fig. 826) so wing not or barely narrowing beyond venation, the wing posterior margin straight or almost so behind venation, and fore wing usually without distinct brown bands, sometimes with faint band(s) in some P. ( Doriclytus) (Fig. 827); propodeum with (Fig. 839) or without (Fig. 818) median carina of varying length but without V- shaped median carinae.

Discussion. Among the nine other Nearctic genera of the Polynema group ( Acmopolynema, Caraphractus, Cnecomymar, Eustochus, Kalopolynema, Mymar, Neomymar, Palaeoneura, Stephanodes), Polynema is identified by elimination, i.e., by not having the features of eight other genera in the group. The only genus it is easily confused with is Palaeoneura (itself not well defined, see above). The two subgenera of Polynema are distinguished from Palaeoneura by different features. Polynema (Polynema) is separated from Palaeoneura by the propleura not abutting medially anterior to the prosternum (Figs 820, 837); in Palaeoneura the propleura abut medially, albeit narrowly in Nearctic species at least, anterior to the prosternum (Figs 762–764, 786, 787). Polynema (Doriclytus) has the propleura abutting medially, as in Palaeoneura but for a greater part of their length (Fig. 836) but has pits between the toruli (Fig. 828) unlike in Palaeoneura (Figs 754, 778). Polynema is by far the most commonly collected genus of the Polynema group and is usually easily separated from several other genera of the Polynema group by the generally dark brown or black body colour.

Nearctic hosts. Hemiptera: Cicadellidae, Flatidae, Membracidae, Miridae, Nabidae . Odonata: Aeshnidae, Lestidae .

Important reference. Girault (1929 [428]).