J. HYM. RES. Vol. 14(1), 2005, pp. 92-95 Cenocoelius hitggerti, the First Record of the Subfamily Cenocoeliinae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) from Africa Kevin M. Pitz and Michael J. Sharkey S-225 Agricultural Science Center North, Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky 40546, USA; email:
[email protected] — Abstract. A new species of cenocoeliine braconid, Cenocoelius huggerti Pitz and Sharkey sp. n. is described from a single specimen collected in the Gambia, Africa. This represents the first species of Cenocoeliinae described from the Afrotropical region. The subfamily Cenocoeliinae is relative- key, diagnoses, and descriptions must be ly small with approximately 65 described used to understand his generic concepts. species (Achterberg 1997, Braet and Ach- Preliminary phylogenetic analyses (Pitz, terberg 2001). The few cenocoeliines with in prep.) suggest other genera within the known biologies are koinobiont endopar- subfamily, though morphologically dis- asitoids of xylophagous Coleoptera larvae, tinct, render Cenocoelius and Capitonius mainly in the Cerambycidae and Curcu- paraphyletic. We place the African species lionidae (Scolytinae) but to a lesser extent in Cenocoelius based on the lack of char- in the Buprestidae and other Curculioni- acteristics that would place it in Capitonius dae (Saffer 1982, Shaw and Huddleston (vertex depressed medially and ratio of 1991). Species of cenocoeliines had been veins M + Cu:l-M of hind wing 1.2-2.1) or recorded from all continents of the world any of the other small, morphologically with the exception of Africa (Achterberg distinct genera of Cenocoeliinae. 1994) until the of Cenocoelius discovery MATERIALS AND METHODS huggerti Pitz and Sharkey sp.