Pelecinellidae Explained

Pelecinellidae is a small family of chalcidoid wasps, formerly treated as the subfamily Leptofoeninae within Pteromalidae. They, like many small chalcidoids, are brilliantly metallic.

The subfamily contains three genera, Nefoenus, Doddifoenus (with four species^[1]) and Leptofoenus (with five extant species).^[2] The species Doddifoenus wallacei is the largest known chalcidoid wasp, reaching nearly 5cm (02inches) in length (including ovipositor).^[3]

The first pelecinellid species known from the fossil record, Leptofoenus pittfieldae, was described in 2009 by Michael S. Engel from a specimen discovered in Dominican amber.^[4]

Notes and References

1. Gupta, A., Gowda, H.K.H.M. & Sankararaman, H. First report of the genus with first host record and description of an enchanting new species of Doddifoenus Bouček (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae: Leptofoeninae) from India. Biologia 77, 2581–2592 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11756-022-01133-4
2. free.
3. Krogmann, L., Burks, R.A. (2009) Doddifoenus wallacei, a new giant parasitoid wasp of the subfamily Leptofoeninae (Chalcidoidea: Pteromalidae), with a description of its mesosomal skeletal anatomy and a molecular characterization. Zootaxa 2194: 21-36.
4. Engel . M.S. . 2005 . The first fossil leptofoenine wasp (Hymenoptera, Pteromalidae): A new species of Leptofoenus in Miocene amber from the Dominican Republic . ZooKeys . 13 . 57–66. 10.3897/zookeys.13.159. free . 1808/5595 . free .