Subfamily Cheloninae

Adeliinae Viereck, 1918, accepted as tribe Adeliini(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 by Kittel et al.(9)

Comparison of wing venation:

                       

          Adelius                      Ascogaster                         Chelonus                     Phanerotoma             Pseudophanerotoma

World wide. Found wherever lepidoperan hosts are found. Chelonus and Ascogaster seem to be more diverse in temperate North America, while Phanaerotoma and Leptodrepana are more commonly encountered in Central and South America.(Shaw, S.R. 1997. Subfamily Cheloninae. in:(4))

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.(Shaw, S.R. 1997. Subfamily Cheloninae. in:(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. (Shaw, S.R. 1997. Subfamily Cheloninae. in:(4)). Adelius and Paradelius feed especially, and perhaps solely, on larvae of Nepticulidae. (Whitfield, J.R. 1997. Subfamily Adeliinae. in: (4)

koinobiont egg-larval endoparasitoids except for Adelius and Paradelius which are koinobiont larval endoparasitoids. (Whitfield, J.B. 1997. Subfamily Adeliinae. In:(4)) Some chelonids with long ovipositors attack eggs more deeply concealed in plant tissue; others with shorter ovipositors attack eggs which are exposed.(Shaw, S.R. 1997. Subfamily Cheloninae. in:(4))