Trichoscelia Westwood, 1852

Ardila-Camacho, Adrian, Calle-Tobón, Arley, Wolff, Marta & Stange, Lionel A., 2018, New species and new distributional records of Neotropical Mantispidae (Insecta: Neuroptera), Zootaxa 4413 (2), pp. 295-324 : 298-299

Genus Trichoscelia Westwood, 1852

Type species: Mantispa (Trichoscelia) fenella Westwood, 1852: 269 .

This genus comprises small mantispids (forewing length ± 15 mm) distributed from Mexico to Argentina, perhaps with the noteworthy exception of Chile. With 15 representatives, it is the mantispid genus with the greatest diversity in the Neotropics so far ( Ardila-Camacho & García 2015). The broadened distal article of labial palp and the lack of a sub-basal spine of fore femur are distinctive traits of this genus ( Willman 1990). Penny (1982) and Penny & da Costa (1983) revised the species from the Amazon basin, where two species groups were recognized, the T. varia group with three species and the T. fenella group with six species. Three additional unplaced species were also listed by these authors. Then, Ohl (2004) transferred T. zikani to the genus Plega , while Ardila-Camacho & García (2015) transferred T. remipes to the genus Anchieta . In the revision of Colombian Mantispidae , Ardila- Camacho & García (2015) described three new species that were placed in the T. fenella group.

The biology of the group is poorly known, but the available literature cites some species of Polybiini ( Vespidae ) as host of their larvae ( Penny 1982; Dejean & Canard 1990).