Eucharitidae

Ovipositing Orasema, photographed by Alex Wild.

Belongs within: Perilampidae.
Contains: Eucharitinae.

The Eucharitidae are a group of wasps parasitic on ants. Like the closely related Perilampidae, eggs are not laid directly on the host; instead, they are laid amongst vegetation and hatch into mobile planidium larvae that then actively seek out a suitable host.

Synapomorphies (from Heraty et al. 2013): Axillae fused, forming a united transverse band such that scutellum is separated from trans-scutal articulation; transepimeral division absent; metascutellar arm less than half length of lateral panel but forming a convex flange and not reduced to a carina; propodeal spiracle circular; metapleural–propodeal supracoxal flange absent; uncus of fore wing absent; apex of protibial spur without a cleft; fore basitarsus without a comb of setae; petiole surface completely fused ventrally with no suture present; cercus flattened and button-like; ovipositor valvulae expanded.

Eucharitidae [Eucharidae, Eucharidinae] MH11
    |--Akapala Girault 1934 HB13, B88 [Akapalinae]
    |    |--A. astriaticeps (Girault 1926) (see below for synonymy) B88
    |    `--A. rudis (Westwood 1874) [=Schizaspidia rudis] B88
    `--Gollumiellinae HB13
         |--Gollumiella Hedqvist 1978 MH11, B88
         |    |--*G. longipetiolata B88
         |    |--G. antennata MH11
         |    `--G. buffingtoni HB13
         `--+--Anorasema Bouček 1988 HB13, B88
            |    `--*A. pallidipes (Cameron 1909) [=Eucharis pallidipes] B88
            `--+--Eucharitinae HB13
               `--Oraseminae HB13
                    |--Parasemora B88
                    `--Orasema Cameron 1884 (see below for synonymy) B88
                         |  i. s.: *O. stramineipes B88
                         |         O. assectator B88
                         |         O. gemma Girault 1932 B88
                         |         O. palgravei Girault 1922 B88
                         |         O. purpureoventris (Cameron 1909) (see below for synonymy) B88
                         |         O. theocles (Walker 1839) (see below for synonymy) B88
                         |         O. valgius (Walker 1839) (see below for synonymy) B88
                         |         ‘*Eucharomorpha’ worcesteri Girault 1913 B88
                         |--O. glabra MH11
                         |--+--O. synempora MH11
                         |  `--Orasemorpha Bouček 1988 MH11, B88 [=Eucharomorpha Girault 1913 non Girault 1913 B88]
                         |       |--*O. viridis (Girault 1913) [=*Eucharomorpha viridis] B88
                         |       |--O. bidentata (Girault 1940) [=Eucharomorpha bidentata] B88
                         |       |--O. dubia (Girault 1913) [=Eucharomorpha dubia] B88
                         |       |--O. eribotes (Walker 1839) (see below for synonymy) B88
                         |       |--O. fuscipes (Girault 1913) [=Eucharomorpha fuscipes] B88
                         |       |--O. goethei (Girault 1934) [=Eucharomorpha goethei] B88
                         |       |--O. partiglabra (Girault 1940) [=Eucharomorpha partiglabra] B88
                         |       |--O. pyttalus (Walker 1846) [=Eucharis pyttalus] B88
                         |       |--O. tridentata (Girault 1915) [=Eucharomorpha tridentata] B88
                         |       |--O. varidentata (Girault 1936) [=Eucharomorpha varidentata] B88
                         |       |--O. wheeleri (Brues 1934) [=Eucharomorpha wheeleri] B88
                         |       `--O. xeniades (Walker 1839) [=Eucharis xeniades] B88
                         `--+--+--+--O. communis MH11
                            |  |  `--Timioderus HB13
                            |  |       |--T. acuminatus HB13
                            |  |       |--T. peridentatus MH11
                            |  |       `--T. refringens MH11
                            |  `--Indosema indica HB13
                            `--+--+--O. simulatrix HB13
                               |  `--O. texana MH11
                               `--+--O. coloradensis MH11
                                  `--+--O. delicatula (Walker 1862) MH11, B88 (see below for synonymy)
                                     `--O. simplex MH11

Akapala astriaticeps (Girault 1926) [=Kapala astriaticeps; incl. *Akapala astriaticeps Girault 1934 non Kapala astriaticeps Girault 1926] B88

Orasema Cameron 1884 [incl. Eucharomorpha Girault 1913, Semora Cameron 1910, Semorata Strand 1947, Semorella Ghesquière 1946] B88

Orasema delicatula (Walker 1862) MH11, B88 [=Eucharis delicatula B88, Psilogaster delicatula B88]

Orasema purpureoventris (Cameron 1909) [=Eucharis purpureoventris, Gollumiella purpureoventris; incl. Parapsilogaster laeviceps Gahan 1940, Losbanus laeviceps, Psilogaster nishidai Ishii & Nagasawa 1958, L. nishidai, L. peterseni Hedqvist 1978] B88

Orasema theocles (Walker 1839) [=Eucharis theocles, Psilogaster theocles; incl. Orasema emma Girault 1934] B88

Orasema valgius (Walker 1839) [incl. Eucharis valgius, Epimetagea valgius, Parapsilogaster valgius, Psilogasteroides valgius; incl. Orasema pheidolophaga Girault 1913] B88

Orasemorpha eribotes (Walker 1839) [=Eucharis eribotes, Epimetagea eribotes, Psilogasteroides eribotes] B88

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[B88] Bouček, Z. 1988. Australasian Chalcidoidea (Hymenoptera): A biosystematic revision of genera of fourteen families, with a reclassification of species. CAB International: Wallingford (UK).

[HB13] Heraty, J. M., R. A. Burks, A. Cruaud, G. A. P. Gibson, J. Liljeblad, J. Munro, J.-Y. Rasplus, G. Delvare, P. Janšta, A. Gumovsky, J. Huber, J. B. Woolley, L. Krogmann, S. Heydon, A. Polaszek, S. Schmidt, D. C. Darling, M. W. Gates, J. Mottern, E. Murray, A. D. Molin, S. Triapitsyn, H. Baur, J. D. Pinto, S. van Noort, J. George & M. Yoder. 2013. A phylogenetic analysis of the megadiverse Chalcidoidea (Hymenoptera). Cladistics 29: 466-542.

[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.