Abstract
The majority of Ceraphronoidea (Insecta: Hymenoptera) species were described in the late 1800s and early 1900s, with most of these early descriptions relying on text alone. Few type specimens have been illustrated and even fewer have been photographed, posing a challenge to taxonomists working on the group today. Here, we attempt to remove the barriers obstructing Ceraphronoidea research by creating a photographic catalog of the type specimens present at the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle (MNHN) in Paris, France. We discuss the history of the ceraphronoid specimens present in the collection and provide comments on unpublished species notes from former Ceraphronoidea taxonomist Paul Dessart. We synonymize Ceraphron myrmecophilus Kieffer, 1913 syn. nov. with Aphanogmus abdominalis (Thomson, 1858) (Hymenoptera: Ceraphronidae) based on the male genitalia morphology, body shape and presence of foveae on the median length of the mesoscutellum. We also report the discovery of the missing male holotype of Ceraphron testaceus (Risbec, 1953) (Hymenoptera: Ceraphronidae) and several potential types of Aphangomus aphidi (Risbec, 1955) (Hymenoptera: Ceraphronidae).
Highlights
Ceraphronoidea is a diverse superfamily of parasitoid wasps with over 600 described species (Johnson & Musetti 2004; Mikó & Deans 2009; Mikó et al 2016; Trietsch et al 2018)
The superfamily is found worldwide; as a consequence, many of the type specimens are scattered across collections around the European Journal of Taxonomy 502: 1–60 (2019)
History of Ceraphronoidea specimens at the MNHN
Summary
Ceraphronoidea is a diverse superfamily of parasitoid wasps with over 600 described species (Johnson & Musetti 2004; Mikó & Deans 2009; Mikó et al 2016; Trietsch et al 2018). One such repository of ceraphronoid types is the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris (MNHN). This collection contains type specimens from Jean-Jacques Kieffer, Paul Dessart and Jean Risbec, and serves as a valuable resource for those studying Ceraphronoidea taxonomy. Several MNHN specimens were studied by J.J. Kieffer, a naturalist and priest who taught in Bitche, France (Kelner-Pillault 1958; Notton 2004). A naturalist and priest who taught in Bitche, France (Kelner-Pillault 1958; Notton 2004) The majority of these specimens were described in Kieffer (1913b), which deals with material collected by Ch. Alluaud and R. Kieffer discussed other specimens present at the MNHN in other publications (Kieffer 1904, 1907a, 1907b, 1913a)
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