Subfamily Cheloninae

Adeliinae Viereck 1918(1)

~183 spp. in 7 genera and 3 tribes in our area;(2)(3) over 500 spp.(4) in 20 extant genera and 4 tribes worldwide(1)

Adeliini Viereck, 1918

[!] homonymy with the coleopteran Adeliini Kirby, 1828 yet to be resolved by ICZN; alternatively treated under Chelonini

1. Adelius (3 spp.)(5)

2. Paradelius (2 spp.)(5)

Chelonini Foerster, 1863

3. Ascogaster (12 spp.)(6)(7)

4. Chelonus (~139 spp.)(2)

5. Leptodrepana (4 spp.)(6)

Phanerotomini Baker, 1926

6. Phanerotoma (~22 spp.)(2)(8)

7. Pseudophanerotoma (1 sp.)(8)

Key to New World genera in (9)

                       

         Adelius                       Ascogaster                         Chelonus                     Phanerotoma             Pseudophanerotoma

See also: Paradelius      See also: Leptodrepana

Worldwide

Leptodrepana and Ascogaster tend to be found more often in shrubby areas and forested habitats. Chelonus are found most often in meadows, prairies, and grasslands, while Phanaerotoma seem to prefer arid regions and to be active during dry seasons(4)

hosts: Lepidoptera larvae. All except Adelius and Paradelius feed especially on Pyraloidea and Tortricoidea that feed in concealed situations. Many hosts are borers in stems, fruit, or buds of plants. Others use a cryptic feeding strategy by rolling, folding, or tying leaves with silk. Adelius and Paradelius attack larvae of Nepticulidae.(4)

koinobiont egg-larval endoparasitoids except for Adelius and Paradelius which are koinobiont larval endoparasitoids. Some chelonids with long ovipositors attack eggs concealed deep in plant tissue; others with shorter ovipositors attack eggs which are exposed(4)