Hemistephanus
Revision of the genus Hemistephanus End.
(Hymenoptera: Stephanidae), with methodological considerations.
CONCLUSIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS
Hemistephanus is a distinct and monophyletic genus.
Hemistephanus is composed of 21 valid species, restricted to Costa Rica, Panama and
South America, except Chile and south Argentina.
Only 14 males of the 21 valid Hemistephanus species are known.
Eleven of the 18 species of Hemistephanus in the last revision
12 are synonyms.
Microsculpture is very important in delimiting species in Stephanidae, and special attention
must be given to observational techniques if accurate identifications are to be made.
The nature of the variation of the external morphology of males is strongly different from
that of females in the genus Hemistephanus.
Males of Stephanidae are more difficult to characterize than the respective females,
and are not recommended to serve as holotypes.
Very small Hemistephanus specimens tend to be much less characteristic than very large
ones, and should be considered with extra caution in taxonomic work.
Some biometric ratios are very accurate in delimiting and/or grouping species in
Hemistephanus, and should be considered for taxonomic work with other Stephanidae as well.
| INTRODUCTION
| MATERIAL & METHODS
| RESULTS & DISCUSSION |
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This page last updated: November 21, 1997.
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| Alexandre Pires Aguiar |