Anacharis Dalman, 1823

Vogel, Jonathan, Forshage, Mattias, Bartsch, Saskia B., Ankermann, Anne, Mayer, Christoph, von Falkenhausen, Pia, Rduch, Vera, Müller, Björn, Braun, Christoph, Krammer, Hans-Joachim & Peters, Ralph S., 2024, Integrative characterisation of the Northwestern European species of Anacharis Dalman, 1823 (Hymenoptera, Cynipoidea, Figitidae) with the description of three new species, Journal of Hymenoptera Research 97, pp. 621-698 : 621-698

Anacharis Dalman, 1823

Anacharis Dalman, 1823 - Type species: Cynips eucharioides Dalman, 1818 .

Megapelmus Hartig, 1840 - Type species: Megapelmus spheciformis Hartig, 1840 (= Anacharis eucharioides (Dalman, 1818 )) .

Synapsis Förster, 1869 - Type species: Synapsis aquisgranensis Förster, 1869 (= Anacharis immunis Walker, 1835 ), homonymous with beetle genus Synapsis Bates, 1868 .

Prosynapsis Dalla Torre & Kieffer, 1910 - Type species: Prosynapsis aquisgranensis (Förster, 1869) (= Anacharis immunis Walker, 1835 ) - replacement name for Synapsis Förster, 1869 , due to the aforementioned homonymy.

Diagnosis.

The genus Anacharis is characterised by an elongate, smooth petiole (sometimes with some vague longitudinal striae, but never sculptured as in Aegilips Walker, 1835 and Xyalaspis Hartig, 1843 ). The mesoscutellum does not overhang the propodeum (as sometimes in Aegilips and always in Xyalaspis ). The mesoscutellum is posteriorly rounded, never extended apically (usually pointed in Aegilips , pointed or extended into a spine in Xyalaspis ). The mesoscutellum always possesses a posterior carina that separates the mesoscutellum into a dorsal and posterior surface (circumscutellar carina absent, indistinct or present in Aegilips and Xyalaspis ). The circumscutellar carina is sometimes posteriorly flanged upwards, appearing tooth-like in lateral view (never flanged upwards in Aegilips and Xyalaspis , if carina is present). The mesopleural line is exhibited as a rugose and / or striate furrow, often extending from the anterior to close to the posterior margin of the mesopleuron (mesopleural sculpture in Aegilips and Xyalaspis not concentrated in any sort of furrow but equally spread out along anterior margin, sometimes reduced to the anterior half of mesopleuron or totally absent). The metasoma is apically pointed, especially in females (metasoma apically ending more abruptly in Aegilips and Xyalaspis ). The occiput is either smooth, striolate, or striate (smooth in Aegilips and Xyalaspis ). The upper face has a usually shallow to sometimes more distinct median dent (Fig. 4 C , usually absent in Aegilips and Xyalaspis Fig. 4 D ).

Etymology and grammatical gender.

Derived from Greek “ Ana (ἀνά, up, back, against, above, across, throughout, again, counter) ” and “ charis (Χάρις, grace, beauty, favour, loveliness) ”. Dalman describes Anacharis as looking similar to eucharitids ( Dalman 1823) and arguably wanted to emphasise them as at least a “ counterbeauty ” to the eucharitids.

The grammatical gender of Anacharis is female (as used in Westwood 1833 and discussed in Reinhard 1860).

Remarks.

The most recent diagnoses of the genus are presented in van Noort et al. (2015) and Mata-Casanova et al. (2016). The differential diagnosis presented here is a complemented version of the previous diagnoses. It aims to characterise the genus in the Western Palaearctic fauna by differentiating it against Aegilips and Xyalaspis , which are the only other anacharitine genera known from the Western Palaearctic. The added characters have not been evaluated as to their diagnostic value for the anacharitine fauna outside the Western Palaearctic.

Figures

Figure 4. SEM images of the heads of Anacharis typica: ZFMK - HYM- 00039676 (left: A, C, E) and Aegilips sp.: ZFMK - HYM- 00039677 (right: B, D, F) with the specifications used for the SEM imaging shown at the bottom of each image (A – D) A, B overview of the head in frontal view C, D Upper face, frontal, showing the median dent typical for Anacharis (C) and its absence in Aegilips sp. (D) E, F the compound eyes with scattered setae (cropped images from A and B respectively).