| Gnamptopelta obsidianator | |
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| Species: | G. obsidianator |
| Binomial name | |
| Gnamptopelta obsidianator (Brullé, 1846) | |
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Gnamptopelta obsidianator is a species of wasp in the family Ichneumonidae and the only species in the monotypic genus Gnamptopelta. [2]
The genus name Gnamptopelta is derived from the Greek γναμπτός (gnamptós) meaning bent or curved plus the Greek πέλτη (péltē) meaning shield. This refers to the concave shape of the clypeus found in this genus. [3]
G. obsidianator can be distinguished from allied genera by the concave structure of the clypeus. They are large wasps with a body length of 20 to 23 millimetres (13⁄16 to 7⁄8 in). The scutellum is high and conical. Typically, the body is almost entirely black, including the wings, except for the fore and mid legs, of which the tibiae and tarsi are yellowish-brown. In some specimens, the orbits may be yellow. The antennae are orange-yellow, sometimes with the tips blackish. Specimens from the southern extent of the species' range may have parts of the head and thorax more or less ferruginous. [4] [5]
This species is very similar in appearance to Conocalma brullei but can be distinguished by the lack of an elevated structure on the petiole of the abdomen and by the shape of the clypeus. [5]
This species was originally described by Gaspard Auguste Brullé in 1846 as Trogus obsidianator. Trogus austrinus was later described as a separate species by Cresson in 1868 to represent southern specimens that differed from Brullé's Trogus obsidianator by having the head and parts of the thorax ferruginous rather than black. A new genus, Gnamptopelta, was described for the two genera by Hopper in 1939 based on differences in clypeal structure. Henry and Marjorie Townes later re-evaluated the genus in 1951 and considered the two to represent a single species with two differently-colored subspecies. Further revision by Karen Sime and David Wahl in 1998 placed even these subspecies into synonymy. [2]
G. obsidianator is found across eastern North America from Quebec south to Florida and as far west as Manitoba and New Mexico. [1]
Adults fly in the spring from March to May. Females are associated with grapevines and parasitize caterpillars of the subfamily Macroglossinae that feed on Vitis aestivalis . Known hosts include Darapsa myron , Amphion floridensis , and Eumorpha achemon . Eggs are laid inside third through fifth instars. [2]
This species is parasitized by Aleiodes texanus , a species of braconid wasp. [2]
The Ichneumonidae, also known as ichneumon wasps, ichneumonid wasps, ichneumonids, or Darwin wasps, are a family of parasitoid wasps of the insect order Hymenoptera. They are one of the most diverse groups within the Hymenoptera with roughly 25,000 species currently described. However, this likely represents less than a quarter of their true richness as reliable estimates are lacking, along with much of the most basic knowledge about their ecology, distribution, and evolution. It is estimated that there are more species in this family than there are species of birds and mammals combined. Ichneumonid wasps, with very few exceptions, attack the immature stages of holometabolous insects and spiders, eventually killing their hosts. They thus fulfill an important role as regulators of insect populations, both in natural and semi-natural systems, making them promising agents for biological control.
Cryptinae is a subfamily of wasps in the family Ichneumonidae. The family has also been called Gelinae, Hemitelinae, and Phygadeuontinae by various authorities, though the Phygadeuontinae have since been elevated to a separate subfamily.
The Braconidae are a family of parasitoid wasps. After the closely related Ichneumonidae, braconids make up the second-largest family in the order Hymenoptera, with about 17,000 recognized species and many thousands more undescribed. One analysis estimated a total between 30,000 and 50,000, and another provided a narrower estimate between 42,000 and 43,000 species.
Ichneumoninae is a worldwide subfamily of the parasitic wasp family Ichneumonidae.
The Labeninae is a subfamily within the parasitic wasp family Ichneumonidae . There are 12 extant genera, grouped within four tribes, that exhibit a predominantly Gondwanan distribution - most genera and species are found in Australia and South America. A few species of Labena and Grotea are found in North America, with hypotheses suggesting that the group radiated on Gondwanaland prior to the separation of Australia but after the separation of Africa/India/Madagascar.
Gerd Hermann Heinrich was a German entomologist and ornithologist known for his studies of parasitic Hymenoptera of the Ichneumonidae family and for the description of several bird species in Celebes, Dutch East Indies.
Idiogramma comstockii is a species of wasp.
Trogus is a genus of parasitoid wasp found in the Holarctic and Neotropic regions. It is placed in the subfamily Ichneumoninae and the tribe Ichneumonini. Trogus species are parasites of larvae and pupae of the swallowtail butterfly family, Papilionidae. The genus consists of twelve extant and one extinct species.
Mesoleptus is a genus of parasitic wasp in the family Ichneumonidae with a wide geographic distribution.
Ichneumonini is a tribe of ichneumon wasps in the family Ichneumonidae. There are more than 350 genera and thousands of described species in Ichneumonini.
Limonethe is a genus of ichneumon wasps in the family Ichneumonidae. There are about five described species in Limonethe. They can be distinguished from similar genera based on the nearly square-shaped areolet and the large and dense punctures on the post-petiole. Many also have infuscated wings, a red abdomen, black head and mesosoma with narrow white markings along the inner eye margins. Limonethe occurs in the New World from Canada to Argentina.
Notosemus is a genus of parasitoid wasps belonging to the family Ichneumonidae. There are about eight described species in Notosemus, found in Europe.
Macrojoppa is a genus of Ichneumonidae wasp.
Abzaria is a genus of ichneumon wasps in the family Ichneumonidae. There are at least two described species in Abzaria.
Eurylabus is a genus of ichneumon wasps in the family Ichneumonidae. There are about 11 described species in Eurylabus.
Alomyini is a tribe of ichneumon wasps in the family Ichneumonidae. There are two genera in Alomyini.
Phaeogenini is a tribe of ichneumon wasps in the family Ichneumonidae.
Joppa is a genus of Neotropical parasitoid wasps in the family Ichneumonidae.