Tetracampidae

This is a small family, comprising less than 10 genera. It is virtually unknown from the Ethiopian region: only two genera, each with a few species, have been described (Prinsloo 1980).

Specific Geographic Areas

NEARCTIC (CANADA).-- Yoshimoto (1984) noted that "This is a small, rare family in North America, though it appears to have been abundant in central North America during the Cretaceous period (Yoshimoto 1975). The only native species of this family is Epicterus nearcticus, described by Yoshimoto (1978) from Canada. One other Canadian species is Dipriocampe diprioni (Ferričre), which was introduced in 1936 from Europe to control the European pine sawfly, Neodiprion sertifer (Geoffroy) (Hymenoptera). The above two species can be distinguished from each other by the characters given by Yoshimoto (1978). Recently, additional species of Platynocheilus Westwood from Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta, and Tetracampe Förster from Carleton Place, Ontario, were collected."

"The members of Tetracampidae exhibit characters intermediate between the Pteromalidae and Eulophidae. They are recognized by the following characters: Antenna 11-12 segmented, with single anellus. Tarsus in both sexes 5-segmented. In some groups of this family tarsus in females 5-segmented, in males 4-segmented; fore tibial spur short, straight. Fore wing with or without speculum, entirely pubescent, with postmarginal vein three times as long as stigmal vein (except in males of Platynocheilinae, which have a shorter vein). Propodeum partially or entirely pilose. The pilosity of the propodeum distinguishes the Canadian Tetracampinae from both the Pteromalidae and Eulophidae."

There are two subfamilies, Platynocheilinae and Tetracampinae (Boucek). Yoshimoto (1984) provides a key to separation. Platynocheilinae consists of one genus, Platynocheilus Westwood, and two species (Boucek & Askew 1968). The characters of the subfamily are given in the key to subfamilies of Tetracampidae. Species parasitize Agromyzidae (Diptera) and Pteromalidae (Hymenoptera) (Boucek & Askew 1968).

The Tetracampinae consist of 7 genera and 21 species in the world (Boucek & Askew 1968). Species are egg and larval parasitoids of Chrysomelidae (Coleoptera), Diprionidae (Hymenoptera) and Agromyzidae (Diptera) (Boucek & Askew 1968).

Platynocheilinae.-- There is one genus, Platynocheilus Westwood, with 2 species (Boucek & Askew 1968). Species are parasitoids of Agromyzidae and Pteromalidae (Boucek & Askew 1968).

Tetracampinae.-- There are 7 genera and 21 species in the world (Boucek & Askew 1968). Species are parasitoids of eggs and larvae of Chrysomelidae and Agromyzidae (Boucek & Askew 1968).

PALEARCTIC (EUROPEAN former USSR).-- Nikol'skaya & Trjapitcyn (1978/1987), as translated from the Russian, described this family as "Pronotum more or less long and conical; shield of pronotum comparatively short, with complete parapsidal grooves. Forewings usually with long marginal vein. Tarsi with four to five segments. Recovered from puparia of dipteran miners (Diptera) and eggs of some beetles (Coleoptera) and sawflies (Tenthredinoidea). World fauna includes 13 genera with 32 species; 5 genera with 6 species have been found in the European part of the USSR."

AFRICA.-- Prinsloo (1980) gives accounts of African Tetracampidae as follows:

Relationships & Diagnosis.-- "The Tetracampidae are closely related to the Eulophidae, but some species also share a number of characters with certain pteromalids. In fact, members of the Tetracampidae have been placed in both the pteromalids and the eulophids at one stage or another. The African tetracampids differ from the Eulophidae in that the tarsi of the females have five segments, not four, and in that the antennae have more than 10 segments. From the pteromalids they differ mainly in the distinctive shape of the pronotum and setation of the scutellum."

"Small to moderate in size, usually 1-2 mm in length, but also larger; body more or less slender; integument more or less smooth, usually highly refringent; antenna eleven- or twelve-segmented, the club with three segments, the septa sometimes difficult to distinguish; thorax with pronotum large, bell-shaped, its hind margin usually indistinct, closely joined with mesoscutum; mesoscutum with parapsidal sulci complete; scutellum devoid of setae, but with two long pairs of bristles; fore wing with marginal vein long, much longer than stigmal, the postmarginal long; marginal vein in males of subfamily Platynocheilinae unusually thickened and broadened, sausage-shaped; abdomen with gaster distinctly constricted at junction with propodeum, the petiole never very long; tarsi five-segmented except in males of subfamily Tetracampinae which have the tarsi four-segmented."

Biology.-- "Little is known about the biology of the tetracampids except that the species are parasitic on insects mining in plants, such as certain Diptera; a few species have also been recorded as egg parasitoids of other insects. This is also indicated by the occasional African species which have been obtained through rearing: a species of Cassidocida has been reared from the egg of a cassidid beetle, and a species of Epiclerus from Madagascar is reported to parasitize the puparia of Diptera mining in the leaves of Plectronia species."

African Tetracampidae.-- "The two genera recorded from Africa namely, Epiclerus and Cassidocida belong to the Tetracampinae and the other subfamily, the Platynocheilinae, is represented in this region only by unpublished records. In the Platynocheilinae the antennae have twelve segments in both sexes, whereas the antennae are eleven-segmented in the Tetracampinae. The males of the two subfamilies are easily separated: in the Platynocheilinae the tarsi are five-segmented and the marginal vein of the fore wing characteristically thickened and sausage-shaped; in the tetracampines, the tarsi have four segments and the marginal vein is not modified." (Also see Boucek 1958 & Boucek & Askew 1968).

INDIA & ENVIRONS.-- Subba-Rao (1988) noted that "This is a small family comprising of only a few genera and these were considered as belonging to the family Eulophidae. Some of the morphological characters found in these genera are intermediate between Pteromalidae and Eulophidae. Tetracampidae can be defined as species with a 12-segmented antenna, with an anellus which may be very short or almost indistinct, but may also be long; notaular grooves deep and complete; marginal vein very long; females with pentamerous tarsi and males mostly tetramerous. Species of tetracampids are known to be parasitoids of eggs of other species of insects. Very little is known of this family of insects, particularly from the Oriental region. Only two genera are known from the Indian subcontinent."

History.-- "Early workers like Thomson, Dalla Torre and Ashmead treated Tetracampe Foerster as a eulophid and placed the genus in the tribe Tetracampini of the subfamily Tetracampinae. However, Schmiednecht, who treated the whole of Chalcidoidea as a family Chalcididae, placed the genus in the subtribe Tetracampina. Mani (1938) also placed the genus under his Tetracampariae Tribe. It was Novitzky (1953) who elevated Tetracampinae to the status of family Tetracampidae. This was accepted by Boucek (1958) and since, well recognised by recent Chalcidologists."

"Boucek (1958) revised the European Tetracampidae and erected a new subfamily Platynocheilinae to receive Platynocheilus Westwood. He also catalogued the world species of this family. Recently, Sugonjaev (1971) erected the subfamily Mongolocampinae."

"The family Tetracampidae is represented in the Indian subcontinent by two genera, namely, Cassidocida Crawford and Epicleris Haliday. Both belong to the subfamily Tetracampinae which may be defined as follows: Forewing uniformly hairy; marginal vein in male normal, not unusually broadened; tarsus in female with five and in male with four segments; antenna with 11 segments, the anellus not apparent."

AUSTRALASIA.-- Boucek (1988), discussing this family, stated that "This group was first distinguished by Förster (1856: 79), as family 'Tetracampoidae.' Later it was mostly classified as a group equal to the present subfamilies of Eulophidae or even as a part of Entedoninae of that family. The family rank was used again by Domenichini (1953: 83) and then in the revision of the European species by Boucek (1958a). This was followed by Yoshimoto (1975), who found that tetracampids were well represented already in the forests of the Cretaceous period in what is now North America."

"The family is not easy to delimit. In at least one genus, Platynocheilus Westwood, the tarsi are 5-segmented in both sexes, but in other genera (Tetracampinae, Baeomorphinae) the males have the tarsi 4-segmented. In this respect the group has been regarded as intermediate between Pteromalidae and Eulophidae. That view is strengthened by several other characters. The antennae have 11 or 12 segments, the last three may be fused into an undivided clava and there may be a minute anellus (included in the number of segments), the funicle is 6-segmented (7-segmented in females of the extralimital Platynocheilus, if the elongate anellus is included, and 5-segmented in male of a Papual Foersterella...) The wings are extensively hairy and the forewing venation includes a very long marginal vein and a very short stigmal vein and the submarginal vein mostly weak at the distal end, all this resembling the situation in Entedontinae (Eulophidae). The parastigma contineus proximally as a shaded but conspicuous, curved basal vein. The frons mostly bears diverging, finely groove-like, scrobal lines extended towards outer margins of the lateral ocelli and connected by a cross-groove above the antennal toruli; probably a groundplan character in common with Eulophidae. The occipital carina is present, except in Niticampe; this character is found in some Pteromalidae, but not in Eulophidae. The scutellum frequently bears only 2 pairs of conspicuous bristles, again similar to many Eulophidae. The mandibles are small, mostly narrow and 2-toothed (except Cassidocida); this aspect, together with the extensive wing pilosity, is reminiscent of Herbertiinae, Pteromalidae, but that surely is only a convergency. Another feature still to be explored more extensively is the form of the fore-tarsal spur. Eulophidae (belonging to Microcentri; Thomson, 1878) have a simple spur whilst this was found bifid in Tetracampidae (Boucek, 1958a)."

"Boucek (1958a) divided Tetracampidae in subfamilies Tetracampinae and Platynocheilinae. Sugonjaev (1975) added Mongolocampinae which, however, seem to be misplaced here, probably belonging to Aphelinidae as a plesiomorphic sister-group of all the other forms traditionally classified in that family. Yoshimoto (1975) added 3 more subfamilies based on fossil forms: Distylopinae, Bouceklytinae and Baecomorphinae."

"The knowledge of the non-European genera and species is still poor, but the accumulated data show that the world catalogues published by Boucek (1958a) and by Boucek & Askew (1968b) need several corrections, especially in the taxa which were known then only by their descriptions. Also a number of species still await descriptions."

"In the region 5 genera are found, all belonging to Tetracampinae. The Australasian species develop as parasites of leaf miners or as parasites in eggs of leaf-eating (or needle-eating) larvae."

"Two genera were misplaced in Tetracampinae: Platytetracampe Girault belongs to Eulophidae; Tetracampoides Dodd belongs to Pteromalidae, as a junior synonym of Herbertia Howard. The latter genus can be confused with tetracampids but differs especially in having a convex, non-collapsing gaster, with the first tergite covering more than half of the oval gaster."