Aphelinus

Female Aphelinus ovipositing into aphid, photographed by Denis Crawford.

Belongs within: Chalcidoidea.

Aphelinus is a genus of minute wasps that are parasitic as larvae on aphids.

Characters (from Hayat 1983): Antenna six-segmented; axillae slightly to strongly projecting forwards, usually extending caudad beyond anterior pair of scutellar setae; mesopleurum divided by an oblique suture into epimeron and episternum; distance between posterior pair of scutellar setae equal to or greater than that between anterior pair; forewing with linea calva; tarsal claws equal in length; spur of middle tibia densely setose; female with hypopygium prominent, extending to apex of gaster or beyond.

<==Aphelinus Dahlman 1820 GM79
    |--A. asychis C81
    |--A. brevipennis Girault 1917 G17
    |--A. columbi Girault 1932 G32
    |--A. damoni Girault 1922 GM79
    |--A. flaviceps (Foerster 1841) GM79
    |--A. fuscipennis Howard 1885 GM79
    |--A. gossypii M83
    |--A. haeckeli Girault 1913 GM79
    |--A. keatsi Girault 1919 G19
    |--A. kurdjomovi MH11
    |--A. mali (Hald. 1851) GM79 [incl. A. niger Girault 1913 G25, GM79]
    |--A. ovidii Girault 1919 G19
    |--A. ruskini Girault 1915 GM79
    |--A. semiflavus Howard 1908 GM79
    |--A. stellaris Girault 1933 G33
    |--A. subauriceps Girault 1929 G29
    |--A. taurus Girault 1932 G32
    |--A. uncinctiventris Girault 1932 G32
    `--A. wallumbillae Girault 1924 G24

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[C81] Caltagirone, L. E. 1981. Landmark examples in classical biological control. Annual Review of Entomology 26: 213-232.

[G17] Girault, A. A. 1917. Descriptiones stellarum novarum. Privately published (reprinted Gordh, G., A. S. Menke, E. C. Dahms & J. C. Hall. 1979. The privately printed papers of A. A. Girault. Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute 28: 80-101).

[G19] Girault, A. A. 1919. Hymenoptera Chalcidoidea nova Australiensis. Privately published (reprinted Gordh, G., A. S. Menke, E. C. Dahms & J. C. Hall. 1979. The privately printed papers of A. A. Girault. Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute 28: 153-156).

[G24] Girault, A. A. 1924. Homo perniciosus and new Hymenoptera. Privately published (reprinted Gordh, G., A. S. Menke, E. C. Dahms & J. C. Hall. 1979. The privately printed papers of A. A. Girault. Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute 28: 178-181).

[G25] Girault, A. A. 1925. An essay on when a fly is lovable, the ceremony of baptizing some and unlovely hate. Privately published (reprinted Gordh, G., A. S. Menke, E. C. Dahms & J. C. Hall. 1979. The privately printed papers of A. A. Girault. Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute 28: 187-190).

[G29] Girault, A. A. 1929. Description of a case of lunacy in Homo and of six-legged articulates. Privately published (reprinted Gordh, G., A. S. Menke, E. C. Dahms & J. C. Hall. 1979. The privately printed papers of A. A. Girault. Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute 28: 262-265).

[G32] Girault, A. A. 1932. New lower Hymenoptera from Australia and India. Privately published (reprinted Gordh, G., A. S. Menke, E. C. Dahms & J. C. Hall. 1979. The privately printed papers of A. A. Girault. Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute 28: 293-298).

[G33] Girault, A. A. 1933. Some beauties inhabitant not of commercial boudoirs but of Nature’s bosom, notably new insects. Privately published (reprinted Gordh, G., A. S. Menke, E. C. Dahms & J. C. Hall. 1979. The privately printed papers of A. A. Girault. Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute 28: 299-303).

[GM79] Gordh, G., A. S. Menke, E. C. Dahms & J. C. Hall. 1979. The privately printed papers of A. A. Girault. Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute 28: 1-400.

Hayat, M. 1983. The genera of Aphelinidae (Hymenoptera) of the world. Systematic Entomology 8: 63-102.

[M83] Martin, N. A. 1983. Miscellaneous observations on a pasture fauna: An annotated species list. DSIR Entomology Division Report 3: 1-98.

[MH11] Munro, J. B., J. M. Heraty, R. A. Burks, D. Hawks, J. Mottern, A. Cruaud, J.-Y. Rasplus & P. Jansta. 2011. A molecular phylogeny of the Chalcidoidea (Hymenoptera). PLoS One 6 (11): e27023.