Larissimus

General description: 

The following notes are modified from Mason (1981). More updated information will be added soon.

Type: Larissimus cassander Nixon 1965.

Ovipositor short, strongly tapered and decurved; sheath smooth with hairs mostly near apex but a few along dorsal side; hypopygium short and evenly sclerotized. Tergite I smooth, longer than wide and usually bearing a sharp median groove basally; tergite II delimited laterally by grooves diverging posteriorly, smooth and a little wider than long; suture between terga II and III strong, though not carinate. Terga II to III or IV with large dorsolateral patches of hair; terga IV or V-VII densely setose. Propodeum smooth and convex, with strong median carina. Metanotum with flat setose lobes appressed to scutellum. Scutellum smooth, with low lunules; mesonotum smooth. One undescribed species with rugose propodeum and scutellum (including apical band medially) and punctate scutum and face. Ocelli in a low triangle; head smooth with long thin mandibles. Flagellar articles without the usual divisions into two parts caused by 2-ranked placodes; the placodes instead short and arranged irregularly, sometimes more-or-less in 3 ranks but never very regularly aligned; some species with more-or-less obvious ventral sensory areas on the distal seven flagellomeres of the females. Areolet triangular, moderate in size, the radius sometimes with a short 2nd abscissa. Submediellan cell very short and vannal lobe greatly reduced, shorter than subrnediellan cell, though margin is still hairy; preaxillary excision absent. Tibial spurs large.

Remarks. The peculiar arrangement of the antennal placodes allies this genus to the Nearctic Protomicroplitis, which
differs mainly in its normally developed submediellan cell and vannal lobe and in its long and narrow first tergite, undefined second tergite, and large areolet.

The following notes are modified from Mason (1981). More updated information will be added soon.

Type: Larissimus cassander Nixon 1965.

Ovipositor short, strongly tapered and decurved; sheath smooth with hairs mostly near apex but a few along dorsal side; hypopygium short and evenly sclerotized. Tergite I smooth, longer than wide and usually bearing a sharp median groove basally; tergite II delimited laterally by grooves diverging posteriorly, smooth and a little wider than long; suture between terga II and III strong, though not carinate. Terga II to III or IV with large dorsolateral patches of hair; terga IV or V-VII densely setose. Propodeum smooth and convex, with strong median carina. Metanotum with flat setose lobes appressed to scutellum. Scutellum smooth, with low lunules; mesonotum smooth. One undescribed species with rugose propodeum and scutellum (including apical band medially) and punctate scutum and face. Ocelli in a low triangle; head smooth with long thin mandibles. Flagellar articles without the usual divisions into two parts caused by 2-ranked placodes; the placodes instead short and arranged irregularly, sometimes more-or-less in 3 ranks but never very regularly aligned; some species with more-or-less obvious ventral sensory areas on the distal seven flagellomeres of the females. Areolet triangular, moderate in size, the radius sometimes with a short 2nd abscissa. Submediellan cell very short and vannal lobe greatly reduced, shorter than subrnediellan cell, though margin is still hairy; preaxillary excision absent. Tibial spurs large.

Remarks. The peculiar arrangement of the antennal placodes allies this genus to the Nearctic Protomicroplitis, which
differs mainly in its normally developed submediellan cell and vannal lobe and in its long and narrow first tergite, undefined second tergite, and large areolet.

Scratchpads developed and conceived by (alphabetical): Ed Baker, Katherine Bouton Alice Heaton Dimitris Koureas, Laurence Livermore, Dave Roberts, Simon Rycroft, Ben Scott, Vince Smith