| Banchinae | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Unidentified Lissonota species from entomart.be | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Ichneumonidae |
| Subfamily: | Banchinae |
| Tribes | |
Banchinae is a subfamily of ichneumonid parasitoid wasps containing about 1,500 species; the genera Glypta and Lissonota are very large. The three tribes (Banchini, Glyptini and Atrophini) are all distributed worldwide. [1] [2]
In biological classification, a subfamily is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end subfamily botanical names with "-oideae", and zoological names with "-inae".
The Ichneumonidae are a parasitoid wasp family within the order Hymenoptera. Unlike other parasites, parasitoids kill their hosts. Ichneumonids are important parasitoids of other invertebrates; common hosts are larvae and pupae of Coleoptera (beetles), Hymenoptera, and Lepidoptera. About 25,000 species have been described worldwide. Estimates of the total species range from 60,000 to over 100,000 – more than any other hymenopteran family.
Parasitoid wasps are a large group of hymenopteran superfamilies, with all but the wood wasps (Orussoidea) being in the wasp-waisted Apocrita. As parasitoids, they lay their eggs on or in the bodies of other arthropods, sooner or later causing the death of these hosts. Different species specialise in hosts from different insect orders, most often Lepidoptera, though some select beetles, flies, or bugs; the spider wasps (Pompilidae) exclusively attack spiders.
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In older treatments, the Lycorininae, Neorhacodinae and Stilbopinae are often included in the Banchinae; newer works usually consider them separate families. [3]
All banchines are koinobiont endoparasites of Lepidoptera. The Glyptini parasitise Tortricoidea. Atrophini parasitise a wider range of small moths. Species of Lissonota have long ovipositors able to reach deep wood-boring Lepidoptera such as Cossidae. [4] Banchinae and Campopleginae are the only subfamilies of Ichneumonidae known to have polydnaviruses. [5]
Lepidoptera is an order of insects that includes butterflies and moths. About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera are described, in 126 families and 46 superfamilies, 10 per cent of the total described species of living organisms. It is one of the most widespread and widely recognizable insect orders in the world. The Lepidoptera show many variations of the basic body structure that have evolved to gain advantages in lifestyle and distribution. Recent estimates suggest the order may have more species than earlier thought, and is among the four most speciose orders, along with the Hymenoptera, Diptera, and Coleoptera.
The ovipositor is a tube-like organ used by some animals for the laying of eggs. In insects, an ovipositor consists of a maximum of three pairs of appendages. The details and morphology of the ovipositor vary, but typically its form is adapted to functions such as transmitting the egg, preparing a place for it, and placing it properly. For insects, the organ is used merely to attach the egg to some surface, but for many parasitic species, it is a piercing organ as well.
The Cossidae, the cossid millers or carpenter millers, make up a family of mostly large miller moths. This family contains over 110 genera with almost 700 known species, and many more species await description. Carpenter millers are nocturnal Lepidoptera found worldwide, except the Southeast Asian subfamily Ratardinae, which is mostly active during the day.
Most Banchinae have a stalked diamond-shaped areolet. A lobe of the propodeum projects over the middle coxae. The propodeum has few ridges (carinae), and the face is described as goat-like.
The propodeum or propodium is the first abdominal segment in Apocrita Hymenoptera. It is fused with the thorax to form the mesosoma. It is a single large sclerite, not subdivided, and bears a pair of spiracles. It is strongly constricted posteriorly to form the articulation of the petiole, and gives apocritans their distinctive shape.
