Ismarus Haliday, 1835

Liu, Jing-xian, Chen, Hua-yan & Xu, Zai-fu, 2011, Notes on the genus Ismarus Haliday (Hymenoptera, Diapriidae) from China, ZooKeys 108, pp. 49-60 : 50-51

Genus Ismarus Haliday, 1835

Ismarus Haliday 1835, Entomological Magazine 2: 467. Type: Cinetus dorsiger Haliday, by monotypy.

Entomia Herrich-Schäffer 1840, Nomenclator Entomologicus 2: 127. Type: Entomia campanulata Herrich-Schäffer, 1840, by monotypy.

Entomius Haliday 1857, Nature History Review 4: 169. Emendation.

Agonophorus Dahlbom 1858, Öfversigt af Kongliga Ventenskaps-Akadamiens Förhandlingar 14: 289. Synonymized by Dessart (1967). Type: Ismarus rugulosus Foerster, designated by Muesebeck (1972).

Ismarus Haliday, 1835: Masner 1976, Canadian Entomologist 108: 1251.

Ismarus Haliday, 1835: Johnson 1992, Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute 51: 259.

Description.

Body stout; body colour usually black, but brown in a few species. Head transverse in dorsal view, with sparse setae on face, frons and occiput; labrum exposed and sclerotized; mandible bidentate; palpal formula 4-3 or 5-3; antennae inserted low on face, close to clypeus; face with a distinct transverse carina below antennal sockets; antennal shelf not prominent; antenna of female 15-segmented, of male 14-segmented; modified male sex-segment is second flagellomere, rarely both first and second flagellomeres modified; eyes bare; occipital carina complete; pronotum dorsally and along anterior margin with long setae; mesoscutum convex, smooth; notauli reduced to anterior pits; humeral sulcus developed; anterior scutellar pit with a weak but distinct median longitudinal carina; scutellum posteriorly raised, with posterior margin truncate or round; metanotum crenulated, with median carina distinct; propodeum with distinct transverse and longitudinal carinae; metapleuron reticulate rugose, with dense setosity; fore wing with radial cell closed; fore tibia with regular spur and one false spur, hind tibia strongly incrassate; petiole short and transverse; base of second tergite with longitudinal furrows; sutures between tergites distinct or absent; sternite with fine setae.

Biology.

Some species of the genus are hyperparasitoids of Dryinidae (Hymenoptera). Ismarus flavicornis (Thomson, 1859) was reared from Anteon flavicorne (Dalman, 1818), Ismarus halidayi was reared from an Anteon sp. and Ismarus dorsiger was recorded to attack an Aphelopus sp. ( Chambers 1955; 1981; Nixon 1957; Jervis 1979).

Distribution.

Palaearctic, Oriental, Ethiopian, Nearctic, Neotropical and Australian regions.

Discussion.

Masner (1976) divided Ismarus into four species groups: Ismarus rugulosus -, Ismarus halidayi -, Ismarus rex - and Ismarus dorsiger -groups. The species of the present study belong to the Ismarus halidayi - and Ismarus dorsiger -groups. Compared to the diagnosis of Ismarus given by Masner (1976), we found that all species from China have the labrum exposed and possess a transverse carina on the lower face just below the antennal sockets.