Nomenclatural spring cleaning: tidying Aphelinidae of taxa that do not spark joy, and a new species of Prococcobius Hayat (Aphelinidae: Coccophaginae)
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Family, tribal and generic concepts of some taxa within, or historically associated with, Aphelinidae are revised. At the family level, we transfer Noyesaphytis from Aphelinidae to Azotidae, and we remove Encarsia gallicola and Encarsia metallica from Encarsia and place them in Galeopsomyia (Eulophidae: Tetrastichinae) as nomina dubia. At the subfamily level, we synonymise Eriaphytinae with Coccophaginae and retain Eriaphytini as a tribe therein. At the tribal level, we revive the status of Prospaltellini and establish the tribes Euxanthellini trib. n. and Prococcophagini trib. n. all within Coccophaginae. At the generic level, we revive the status of Euxanthellus stat. rev. and Prococcophagus stat. rev. In addition, we propose the following new generic synonymies: Allomymar syn. n. as a junior synonym of Encarsia, Prophyscus syn. n. as a junior synonym of Coccobius, and Metanthemus syn. n. as a junior synonym of Eretmocerus. Additionally, Coccobius desantisi, Oenrobia kinabaluensis and Timberlakiella applanatonervus are redescribed, and the holotype of Eretmocerus aureus comb. n. is photographed for the first time. Phtuaria and Verekia are treated as incertae sedis within Chalcidoidea, and Encarsia orangae is regarded as a nomen nudum due to the lack of an original description or type depository. Encarsia taitae is treated as a nomen dubium. A new species, Prococcobius platycephala sp. n. is described from South Africa.http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:E03B39C4-275E-4BA2-9FAC-654A3C35844A
Source: Journal of Natural History
Language: English
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W4407416909