A new synonym for Enicospilus grammospilus (Enderlein, 1921) (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae: Ophioninae)
Shimizu, S.
Zootaxa 4486(1): 93-95
2018
ISSN/ISBN: 1175-5326 PMID: 30313771 Document Number: 696080
The megadiverse genus Enicospilus Stephens, 1835 (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae: Ophioninae) comprises over 700 valid species worldwide (e.g. Gauld Mitchell, 1981; Broad Shaw, 2016; Shimizu, 2017). Species of this genus are koinobiont endoparasitoids of moderately large sized lepidopteran larva (e.g. Gauld, 1985b; Broad Shaw, 2016). Members of this genus usually have "ophionoid facies", characterized by an orange-brown body, extremely large ocelli, long antennae, etc. (Gauld Huddleston, 1976). Ophionoid facies wasps including Enicospilus are attracted to light and considered to be crepuscular or nocturnal (e.g. Short et al., 2006; Shimizu Maeto, 2016; Shimizu Lima, 2018). These wasps usually exhibit a very limited number of diagnostic characters and as a consequence the delimitation and recognition of species is very difficult, and causes many taxonomic confusions including synonyms, homonyms and misidentifications.