Taxon classification Animalia Hymenoptera Figitidae

Cothonaspis Hartig, 1840

Remarks.

Rare.

Diagnosis.

Small elongate eucoilines without a hairy ring, with narrow wings with narrow triangular marginal cells. May be confused with certain Leptopilina with strongly reduced hairy ring, but Cothonaspis are far more elongate in shape, have globular heads, and a pointed metapleural corner, whereas Leptopilina are stout, have more transverse heads and an oblique metapleural corner. Easily separated from their closest relatives in the region, Kleidotoma, by the reduced hairy ring, wing apex truncate (not incised), and male F2 modified (not F1).

Distribution.

Mainly Palearctic, but also present in Nearctic and Afrotropical regions, and with a widespread species present throughout the Old World tropics. Afrotropical records: South Africa (Quinlan 1986), Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Madagascar, Uganda, Yemen (here).

Biology.

Parasitoids of Sepsidae in dung (Nordlander 1976, Quinlan 1978, Pont and Meier 2002).

Species richness.

Cothonaspis ealis Quinlan, 1986 (South Africa)

Additional species, unidentified or undescribed.