Labeninae

The Labeninae is a subfamily within the parasitoid wasp family Ichneumonidae. The family is divided into 12 extant genera grouped within four tribes.

Distribution

Labeninae are predominantly found in Australia and South America. A few species of Labena and Grotea are found in North America. Research suggests that the family originated on Gondwana before the break-off of Australia.

Biology

Some species from the tribe Labenini have been reared from wood-boring beetles of the Coleopteran families Buprestidae, Cerambycidae, and Curculionidae. Members of the tribe Groteini parasitize solitary bees; Labium wasps are known to parasitise ground-nesting, solitary bees, while Grotea are known parasitoids of cavity-nesting, solitary bees. Species of Poecilocryptus are thought to be phytophagous, due to adaptations of the larval head capsule. However, as with much of the Ichneumonidae, knowledge of many labenine species' ecology, biology, and evolution is extremely limited or completely lacking.

Genera

These genera belong to the subfamily Labeninae:

Tribe Groteini

• Grotea <small>Cresson, 1864</small><span style="color:gray">^{c g b}</span>
• Labium <small>Brullé, 1846</small><span style="color:gray">^{c g}</span>
• Ozlabium <small>Gauld & Wahl, 2000</small><span style="color:gray">^{c g}</span>

Tribe Labenini

• Apechoneura <small>Kriechbaumer, 1890</small><span style="color:gray">^{c g}</span>
• Certonotus <small>Kriechbaumer, 1889</small><span style="color:gray">^{c g}</span>
• Gauldianus <small>Lanfranco, 2000</small><span style="color:gray">^{c g}</span>
• Labena <small>Cresson, 1864</small><span style="color:gray">^{c g b}</span>
• Torquinsha <small>Gauld & Wahl, 2000</small><span style="color:gray">^{c g}</span>

Tribe Poecilocryptini

• Alaothyris <small>Gauld, 1984</small><span style="color:gray">^{c g}</span>
• Poecilocryptus <small>Cameron, 1901</small><span style="color:gray">^{c g}</span>
• Urancyla <small>Gauld, 1984</small><span style="color:gray">^{c g}</span>

Tribe Xenothyrini

• Xenothyris <small>Townes, 1969</small><span style="color:gray">^{c g}</span>

<small>Data sources: i = ITIS, c = Catalogue of Life, g = GBIF, b = Bugguide.net</small>

References

Further reading

• Townes, H.K. (1969) Genera of Ichneumonidae, Part 1 (Ephialtinae, Tryphoninae, Labiinae (=Labeninae), Adelognathinae, Xoridinae, Agriotypinae). Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute 11: 1–300.