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Entedon Dalman, 1820 comparative info return to: prev home
Body relatively large, strongly raised-reticulate. Mandibular formula 2:2. Facial grooves often greatly reduced or absent, not forming lines of collapse, transverse frontal groove V-shaped when present (traceable as such even when absent); scrobal grooves uniting before reaching transverse groove. Antenna with 5 postanellar flagellomers, with at least 2 as funicular segments and at least 1 as a claval segment. Pronotum usually with lateral lobe present postero-dorsal to pronotal scrobe [not unique], bearing 1 bristle; dorsal surface of collar comprised mostly of a shiny strip in most species, carinate in some; mesoscutal midlobe with 2 pairs of tiny setae; scutellar pair of setae tiny, scutellum very large, often with a distinct transverse constriction anterior to setae; scutellar-axillar border without large pit (sometimes with a vague pit associated with the axillular border); posterior border of prepectus slightly overlapped by broad extension of mesepisternum in some species; metapleuron weakly to strongly convex, with or without pointed projections. Postmarginal vein and stigmal vein very short, subequal in length; speculum present, open posteriorly. Propodeum with single narrow median carina placed in a sunken channel; plicae absent; median panels smooth to reticulate; channel between median panels and supracoxal flange always crossed by distinct costulae. Petiole subquadrate to broader than long in females, sometimes distinctly longer than broad in males. Compare with: Chrysocharis, Pediobius, Paracrias.

1a: Entedon dorsal view

2a-b: Entedon anterior part of mesosoma with lateral pronotal lobe indicated (left), and face (right)

3a-b: Entedon propodea

Biology: Primary parasitoids of Coleoptera.

Comments: Very large genus, easily recognized by propodeal features and general body form. The longitudinal groove that the median carina is placed in may be weak, but recognizable by an experienced observer. The median carina placed in a sunken channel is remotely reminiscent of the raised median strip flanked by sunken channels in Horismenus, Paracrias, and similar genera.

Comparative information:

Chrysocharis: Propodeum usually without a distinct median carina, seldom with a straight and regular one, and never with one placed in a longitudinal groove; median panels never separated from supracoxal flange by costulate channel; plicae present in some species.

Pediobius: Propodeum in most species with 1 median carina splitting posteriorly or with 2 submedian carinae diverging posteriorly, anterior portion of median carina without cup-shaped structure, but sometimes with tooth-like extension (which becomes diverging carinae posteriorly); some species with rased median strip instead of median or submedian carinae; plicae present. Petiole stout, with dorsal flange embracing propodeal nucha, with ventrally-projecting tooth. Gt1 usually covering 0.5x or more of gaster. Usually easily distinguished based on propodeal features. The median propodeal carina of Pediobius branches posteriorly, while that of Entedon may branch anteriorly (very rarely forming a mildly Y-shaped carina), if at all.

Paracrias: Propodeum without median carina, with broad, smooth, raised median strip flanked by sunken channels; nucha roughly sculpted and elongate or posterior half of propodeum rugulose. Seldom confusable with Entedon, in all cases clearly distinguishable by propodeal features.

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References

Boucek, Z. 1988. Australasian Chalcidoidea (Hymenoptera). A biosystematic revision of genera of fourteen families, with a reclassification of species. CAB International, Wallingford, UK.

Schauff, M.E. 1988. The species of Entedon (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) in America North of Mexico. Journal of the New York Entomological Society. 96: 30-62.

Schauff, M.E. 1991. The Holarctic genera of Entedoninae (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae). Contributions of the American Entomological Institute 26.

Image credits: 1a: Boucek (1988). 2a: Schauff (1991). 2b, 3a-b: Schauff (1988).