Monday, December 10, 2007 - 9:41 AM
0272

Species and relationships of the Afrotropical genus Oreiscelio Kieffer (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae)

Elijah Talamas, talamas.1@osu.edu and Norman F. Johnson, johnson.2@osu.edu. The Ohio State University, Entomology, 1315 Kinnear Road, Columbus, OH

Oreiscelio Kieffer is a small group of egg parasitoids endemic to sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar. The genus is classified within the tribe Scelionini, the members of which, as far as is known, all attack the eggs of grasshoppers and locusts (Orthoptera: Acrididae). The species concepts are reviewed and revised. The relationship of Oreiscelio with the closely related genera Heptascelio, from the Afrotropical and Oriental regions, and the Neotropical Acanthoscelio are analyzed. This work is part of the Platygastroidea Planetary Biodiversity Initiative, and the collaborative taxonomic methods developed for this international project are outlined.


Species 1: Hymenoptera Scelionidae Oreiscelio turneri
Species 2: Hymenoptera Scelionidae Oreiscelio rugosus
Species 3: Hymenoptera Scelionidae Oreiscelio sechellensis