Acaenitinae

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Acaenitinae Förster, 1869

Overview

Taxonomy

Key (species)

Coleocentrus excitator

Description

Acaenitinae is a small subfamily of medium to large sized Ichneumonids. Females are in all genera except Leptacoenites and Procinetus (none of which occur in northern Europe) easily recognized by the unusually long and pointed hypopygdium which sometimes begin almost at the middle of the metasoma. Males are significantly more difficult to recognize but some useful characters include: clypeus often with a median tooth; the labrum often widely exposed; hind wing with nervellus intercepted above the center; fore and mid claws sometimes with subapical tooth; hind coxae and trochanters usually quite long; propodeum rather flat (without distinct dorsal and posterior slopes); ovipositor long and without notch. While universal characters are rare, most species are readily recognized as Acaenitines by their general shape.

Biology

Saproxylic beetles make up the vast majority of host records. However, there are also documented instances of rearing from xylophagous Hymenoptera and Lepidoptera, although the credibility of these reports varies. The lifecycles of Acaentines are often poorly understood, but at least one species is known to be a koinobiont endoparasitoid.

Distribution

Many species are likely threatened or extinct in northern Europe. Only about half of the reported species have recent records, and several of those are single isolated finds in diminishing environments. Since most species are large and easily recognized it is unlikely that they would remain unnoticed for extended periods of time. Two species, Coleocentrus excitator and Phaenolobus terebrator , listed as LC and NT respectively in Finland, seem to be doing well.

Acaenitinae has a near cosmopolitan distribution.

Identification

A key to northern European species is provided here. For a tradional key, see Zwakhals (1989) or Medvedev (1981).

References

Bischoff, H. 1915. Eine neue deutsche Ichneumonide. (Hym.) Coleocentrus soldanskii. Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift, 1915(1), 75–76.

Broad, G. R., Shaw, M. R., & Fitton, M. G. 2018. Ichneumonid wasps: (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae): their classification and biology. Handbooks for the identification of British insects. Vol. 7, part 12. Royal Entomological Society.

Finlands Artdatacenter 2024. LAJI.FI: Acaenitinae. https://laji.fi/sv/taxon/MX.308519[2024-07-03]

Medvedev, G. S. 1978. Keys to the insects of the European USSR (Opredelitel nasekomykh Evropeiskoi chasti SSSR). Vol: 3 Hymenoptera. Part 3. Akademiia nauk SSSR Zoologicheskii Institut.

SLU Artdatabanken 2024. Artfakta: Acaenitinae. https://artfakta.se/taxa/1000026[2024-07-03]

Varga, A. 2013. A review of the subfamily Acaenitinae Förster, 1869 (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae) from Ukrainian Carpathians. Biodiversity Data Journal, 1, e1008. https://doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.1.e1008

Yu, D.S.K., van Achterberg, C. & Horstmann, K. 2016. Taxapad 2016, Ichneumonoidea 2015 (Biological and taxonomical information), Taxapad Interactive Catalogue Database on flashdrive. Nepean, Ottawa.

Zwakhals, C. J. 1989. The Acaenitinae from the Netherlands and the host of Acaenitus dubitator (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae). Entomologische berichten 49(2), 21–25.

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