Genus Taeniogonalos Schulz, 1906

Taeniogonalos Schulz, 1906: 212 . Type species (by monotypy): Trigonalys maculata Smith, 1851

Labidogonalos Schulz, 1906: 207 . Type species (by monotypy): Trigonalys ornata Smith, 1851

Poecilogonalos Schulz, 1906: 212 . Type species (by monotypy): Trigonalys thwaitesii Westwood, 1874

Nanogonalos Schulz, 1906: 211 . Type species (by monotypy): Nanogonalos enderleini De Santis, 1980

Ischnogonalos Schulz, 1907: 11 . Type species (by monotypy): Trigonalys dubia Magretti, 1997

Lycogastroides Strand, 1912: 129 . Type species (by original designation): Lycogastroides gracilicornis Strand, 1912

Lycogonalos Bischoff, 1913: 155 . Type species (by original designation): Lycogonalos flavicincta Bischoff, 1913

Taiwanogonalos Tsuneki, 1991: 35 . Type species (by original designation): Taiwanogonalos alishana Tsuneki, 1991

Diagnosis

Antenna filiform with 21–26 segments, male with linear tyloids on 10th–16th or 11th–16th antennomeres; supra-antennal elevations reduced, well separated; temple usually punctate; fore wing often with subapical dark patch; second metasomal sternite expanded, often with armature; third metasomal sternite with armature in T. subtruncata .

Biology

Reared as hyperparasitoids of parasitoid wasps ( Ichneumonidae and Braconidae) and parasitoid flies ( Tachinidae) in caterpillars, but some species are primary parasitoids of pergid sawflies ( Pergidae) in Australia (Raff 1934; Carne 1969; He and Chen 1986; Weinstein and Austin 1995; Carmean and Kimsey 1998; Chen et al. 2014). Interestingly, two species, Taeniogonalos henicospili (Rohwer) (= T. kerala (Ayyar)) and T. gestroi (Schulz), attack the same host, Enicospilus rufus (Brullé, 1846) ( Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae), even after being strikingly congeneric.

Distribution

Taeniogonalos is the most widely distributed of all trigonalid genera, and is found everywhere trigonalids occur, except Europe. Most species are from eastern Asia and South America.

Key to Indian species of Taeniogonalos Schulz

1. Scutellum unicoloured yellow-orange or yellow (Figure 5b); second sternite of ♀ produced medio-posteriorly (Figures 5d and f); [middle lobe of mesoscutum bicoloured] ..................................................................................................... T. fulvoscutellata (Ayyar)

– Scutellum bicoloured (Figures 2b, 7b and 10b); second sternite of ♀ truncate medioposteriorly (Figures 2e, 2h, 7d, 10d, 10f, 12h and 15e) ........................................................ 2

2. Vertex and frons sublaterally with large shiny interspaces wider than fine punctures (Figures 8b and 9d); ocelli comparatively small (Figures 8b and 9d); [middle lobe of mesoscutum tricoloured] .................................................................................. T. kerala (Ayyar)

– Vertex and frons laterally with small and less shiny interspaces narrower than coarser punctures (Figures 1d, 6d and 6e), but about equal in T. thwaitesii (Figure 14c); ocelli comparatively large (Figures 1d, 6d and 6e) ............................................................................ 3

3. Apex of metasoma of ♀ conspicuously setose (Figure 2f); middle lobe of mesoscutum tricoloured (Figure 2b); pale apical band of second metasomal sternite narrow medially (Figure 2h); laterally frons white anteriorly and remainder mainly black (Figure 1d); [second metasomal tergite with limited yellow pattern (Figure 1g); antenna brown or yellow-brown basally (Figures 1a and 1b)]................................................ .................................................. T. ayyari Binoy, van Achterberg and Girish Kumar, sp. nov.

– Apex of metasoma of ♀ normally less setose (Figures 7d, 15b and 15e), but moderately setose in T. latae sp. nov. (Figure 12f); middle lobe of mesoscutum bicoloured (Figures 7b, 12b and 14d); pale apical band of second metasomal sternite comparatively wide (Figures 7f and 15e); laterally frons yellow (Figures 6d and 14c) ............. 4

4. Yellow band of second tergite broad centrally (Figure 15d); antenna basally yellow/ pale brown (Figures 14a and 14b); head and body tricoloured: dark brown-black/midbrown/yellow (Figures 14a–e and 15a–e) ................................. T. thwaitesii (Westwood)

– Yellow band of second tergite narrow medially (Figures 7e and 12h); antenna basally brown (Figure 11b) or black touched with yellow (Figures 6b and 6e); head and body bicoloured: dark brown/yellow (Figures 11a–e and 12a–h) or black/yellow (Figures 6a–e and 7a–f)........................................................................................................................................ 5

5. Second tergite finely longitudinally striate/aciculate, matt (Figure 7e); antenna black with yellow fleck on scape (Figures 6b and 6e); frons and vertex with extensive yellow areas (Figures 6d and 6e) ................................................................................ T. gestroi (Schulz)

– Second tergite punctate, glossy (Figure 12g); antenna entirely brown (Figure 11b); frons and vertex entirely dark (Figures 11d and 11e)................................................................. ................................................................................................ T. latae Polaszek and Binoy, sp.nov.

Notes

Taeniogonalos thwaitesii (Westwood) from Sri Lanka possibly occurs in South India (Smith and Tripotin 2015), but there are no recorded observations of its occurrence in India. In this key we include this species to facilitate future recognition.