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We review the genera of Phanacidini and provide updated diagnoses for each genus and a new key to the four genera. We also redescribe the enigmatic herb gall wasp Diakontschukia saussureae Diakontschuk, 2001 (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae: Phanacidini), based on a specimen collected in Haopingsi Nature Reserve, China. This is the first record of the tribe Phanacidini in China. Lastly, we provide extensive commentary on the validity of diagnostic characters that have been used for Phanacidini relative to other herb gall wasp tribes. We carried out a survey of Aulacideini, Aylacini, and Phanacidini to identify whether the length of F1 relative to F2 was of diagnostic value at the tribal level, finding that F1 was always conspicuously longer than F2 in Phanacidini and Aylacini but at most subequal to F2 in Aulacideini, suggesting that this is indeed a valuable character for diagnosing herb gall wasp tribes. Other characters discussed are the closure of the marginal cell and the dimensions of the mesopectus.
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This content will become publicly available on January 1, 2026
Review of Herb Gall Wasp Tribes (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae: Aylacini Sensu lato), with an Updated Key to Cynipid Tribes and a Checklist of World Species
We review the tribes of Cynipidae that are known to contain gall inducers on herbaceous plants, which are presently classified in four tribes: Aulacideini, Aylacini, Diastrophini, and Phanacidini. We provide a revised key to these tribes, diagnostic characters for each tribe, and an updated key to brachypterous and apterous Cynipoidea including the inclusion of brachyptery in Phanacidini. We propose the replacement name Eubothrus Förster, 1869 for the genus Isocolus Förster, 1869 (Aulacideini) as the latter is a homonym of the trilobite genus Isocolus Angelin, 1854 (Trilobita: Isocolidae). We also provide a checklist of world herb gall wasp species including host plant and geographic distribution data. Overall, we report 166 species of herb gall wasps, finding 96 species in 11 genera in Aulacideini, 6 species in 3 genera in Aylacini, and 39 species in 4 genera in Phanacidini, as well as 25 gall-inducing species in 3 genera in Diastrophini, of which 11 are or probably are associated with herbaceous plants. Online Lucid identification keys and images of all the taxa treated herein are available at: http://www.waspweb.org.
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- PAR ID:
- 10644202
- Publisher / Repository:
- BioOne Digital Library
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington
- Volume:
- 127
- Issue:
- 1
- ISSN:
- 0013-8797
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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