What is Lyrcus (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae)?

Lyrcus Walker (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea) is one of the more speciose genera of North American Pteromalidae and many of its species are important parasitoids of various agricultural pests, mostly Coleoptera and Diptera. However, concept and membership of Lyrcus has changed over time through synonymy and no single suite of features is sufficient to distinguish all included species from those classified in other genera. This has resulted partly from inaccurate knowledge of true character state distribution as well as misinterpretation or uncertainty over the identity of some other genera by authors. A new generic classification is proposed within the "Lyrcus-group" of genera to reflect a reanalysis of observed character state distribution, though the monophyly and exact relationships of Lyrcus with such genera as Eurydinoteloides Girault and Mesopolobus Westwood remains problematic.