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Superfamily PELECINOIDEA
Family PELECINIDAE

The relationships of this family have not been satisfactorily established. More commonly,
although with some reservations, the group has been treated as a family of the Proctotrupoidea.
Until its affinities are better understood it seems best to follow Handlirsch (1933) and consider
it as representing an independent superfamily.

Ta.\onomy: Ashmead, 1900. U. S. Natl. Mus., Proc. 23: 3. -Ashmead, 1902. N. Y. Ent. See,
Jour. 10: 242-243. -Schulz, 1903. Bayer. Akad. der Wiss., Math.-Phys. Kl. Sitzber. 33:
435-440.

Biology: Clausen, 1962. Entomophagous Insects, pp. 270-271 (This author suggests that
although the Pelecinidae have been recorded as internal parasites of ground-inhabiting
scarabaeid larvae the principal hosts may actually be coleopterous larvae living in
decaying wood.).

Genus PELECINUS Latreille

Peleciniis Latreille, 1800. Bui. Sci. Soc. Philom., Paris, 2(44): 155.

Type-species: Ichneumon polycerator Fabricius. Desig. by Latreille, 1810.
Epicenastes Gistel, 1848. Naturgesch. Thierr. f. hob. Schul., p. X, col. 1. N. name,

unnecessarily proposed for Pelecinus Latreille, thought to be preocc. by Pelecinus

Moench in Botany.

This genus, which comprises the family Pelecinidae, appears to be represented in North
America by a single variable species that ranges from Canada far down into South America. It is
quite possible that a critical study of the rather large accumulations of specimens contained in
some of the principal insect collections will prove this supposed ta.xon to be actually a complex of
several distinct species. Descriptions, in fact, have been published under a number of different
specific names. At present, however, these are all treated as applicable to a single species.

Taxonomy: Latreille, 1825. Encycl. Meth., Ins., v. 10, pp. 29-30. — Klug, 1841. Ztschr. f. Ent.
3: 379-385. — Westwood, 1843. Ent. Soc. London, Trans. 3: 247-251. — Schletterer, 1889.
Berlin. Ent. Ztschr. 33: 226-237. -Brues, 1928. Psyche 35: 205-209.

Biology: Forbes, 1894. 111. State Ent., Rpt. 18, p. 124. —Fetch and Hammond, 1926. Ent. Soc.
Ontario, 56th Ann. Rpt., pp. 86-87. —Hammond, 1944. Canad. Ent. 76: 130.

Morphology: Snodgrass, 1941. Smithsn. Misc. Collect. 99 (14): 38-40 (male genitalia).

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Pelecinus polyturator (Drury)
Que. and Ont. s. to Argentina. Host: Phyllophaga anxia (Lee); P.fittilis
(Lee).
IcIineinitoH pohjtniutor Drury, 1773. Ulus. Nat. Hist., v. 2, p. 77, Index p. [92]. 9.
Iclnieioiion poliicerafor Fabricius, 1776. Gen. Ins. ... mantissa specierum, p. 245. ♀.
IcInieioHon lihellnla Christ, 1791. Naturgesch. Class. Nomencl. Ins., p. 352. ♀.
PelecJHu.s clacator Latreille, 1817. Nov. Diet. Hist. Nat., v. 3, p. 237. ♂.
PelecimiH tibiator Perty, 1833. Delect. Anim. Articul. Brasil, p. 131. ♀.
PelecinuH (UcIiiouk Perty, 1833. Delect. Anim. Articul. Brasil, p. 131. ♀.
Pelecinns Gncrinii Romand, 1840. Mag. de Zool. (2), pi. 49, fig. 2. ♀.
Pelecinus cDuinlatiis Klug, 1841. Ztschr. f. Ent. 3: 384. ♂.
Peleciuiix nifus Klug, 1841. Ztschr. f. Ent. 3: 384. ♂, ♀.
Pelecinus fhomcicus Klug, 1841. Ztschr. f. Ent. 3: 384. ♂.
Pelecnms Duponchelii Romand, 1842. Mag. de Zool. (2), pi. 86, fig. 1. ♂, ♀.
Pelecinus Spinolae Romand, 1842. Mag. de Zool., (2), pi. 86, fig. 2. ♀.
Pelcecinns brunneipes Patton, 1894. Amer. Nat. 28: 896. ♀.

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