ICHNEUMON-FLIES, PART 2 1 EPHIALTINAE 281 



Key to the Nearctic genera of Ephialtini 



1. Inner margin of eye weakly concave above antennal socket (fig. 299,a); face of 



male black; tarsal claws of female without a basal tooth. 



3. Coccygomimus (p. 311) 



Inner margin of eye rather strongly concave at antennal socket (fig. 298,a,b) ; 



face of male white, yellow, or black; front tarsal claws of female usually with 



a large tooth 2 



2. Ovipositor straight; face and orbits of both sexes entirely black (at least in the 



Nearctic species) 1. Itoplectis (p. 281) 



Ovipositor hooked downward at tip (fig. 298,b) ; face of male largely or entirely 

 white or yellow; orbit of female narrowly whitish in front. 2. Ephialtes (p. 302) 



1. Genus Itoplectis 



Figure 298,a 



Itoplectis Foerster, 1868, Verh. Naturh. Ver. Rheinlande, vol. 25, p. 164. Type; 



Ichneumon maculator Fabricius; designated by Morley, 1913. 

 Nesopimpla Ashmead, 1906, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., vol. 30, p. 180. Type: 



Nesopimpla naranyae Ashmead; monobasic. 

 Exeristesoides Uchida, 1928, Journ. Fac. Agr. Hokkaido Univ., vol. 25, p. 51. 



Type: (Pimpla spectabilis Matsumura) = alternans spectabilis Matsumura; 



original designation. 



Front wing 2.5 to 12.5 mm. long; front tarsal claws of female usually 

 with a tooth, the middle and hind claws of female and all claws of 

 male simple. Similar otherwise to Ephialtes except as stated in the 

 key. 



This genus is almost worldwide but has relatively few species. 

 They are parasitic mostly on lepidopterous pupae but some (e. g., I. 

 conquisitor) are sometimes secondary parasites on ichneumonoids 

 and some (e. g., I. fustiger and I. clavicornis) seem to be normally 

 secondary parasites. Adults occur among herbage, shrubbery, or trees. 

 Unlike Coccygomimus and Ephialtes, most species of Itoplectis do not 

 give off a strong odor when disturbed. 



There are eight Nearctic species, as treated below. Some of these 

 are among our most important general parasites of Lepidoptera. 



Walkley (1958, U. S. Dep. Agr., Agr. Monogr., no. 2, 1st. suppl., 

 p. 38) has recorded the establishment of the European Itoplectis 

 maculator (Fabricius) 1775, in Marion Co., Oreg. Her record is 

 based on an introduction to control Cnephasia longana. According to 

 communications from Miss Walkley and Dr. R. G. Rosensteil, the 

 main facts are as follows: Specimens of Cnephasia longana parasitized 

 by I. maculator were received from Europe at Albany, Calif. The 

 parasites were reared and adults released by Dr. Rosensteil at Salem, 

 Oreg., in 1952 and at Canby, Oreg., in 1954. In 1955, Dr. Rosensteil 

 reared 7 specimens of /. maculator from field collected larvae of 

 C. longana. Identifications were made by Miss Walkley. 



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