Genus Philoctetes Abeille de Perrin, 1879

Philoctetes Abeille de Perrin, 1879: 26. Type species: Holopyga cicatrix Abeille de Perrin, 1879 (= Philoctetes micans (Klug, 1835)). Designated by Ashmead, 1902.

Generic diagnosis

1) short malar space (≤1 MOD), not distinctly bisected by the curved genal carina;

2) genal carina usually faint or not sharply elevated;

3) pronotum weakly to strongly concave laterally and punctate medially;

4) mesoscutum with punctures clumped along notauli, or more evenly distributed, but anyway gathering together toward notauli;

5) mesopleuron extending ventrally as an oblique angle, ecarinate and not strongly projecting between omaulus and scrobal carina;

6) metascutellum conical to spine-like;

7) forewing with medial cell glabrous, medial vein strongly arched, stigma short;

8) fore femur often carinate ventrally;

9) tarsal claws with 1-3 subsidiary teeth (Rosa et al. 2015b).

DISCUSSION

The interpretation of the genus Philoctetes has changed notably, according to different authors. Linsenmaier (1959, 1997, 1999) considered it as a subgenus of Omalus Panzer, 1801 and followed the original meaning given by Abeille de Perrin (1879), as well as du Buysson (1891 - 1896), Bischoff (1913), Trautmann (1927). These authors considered Philoctetes as a homogeneous genus including only few species characterized by small size (2-4 mm); conical to mucronate, rarely convex, metascutellum; enlarged hind tibiae (especially in males), with a pointed transverse apical swelling; tarsal claws with three subsidiary teeth (Rosa et al., 2015b). On the other side, Kimsey & Bohart (1991) provided a different interpretation of the genus, including additional diagnostic features such as malar space not bisected by genal carina and mesoscutal punctures usually clumped along notauli. Kimsey & Bohart (1991) were followed by most recent authors, including Rosa (2006). Nevertheless, the list of the species assigned to Philoctetes by Kimsey & Bohart (1991) was recently deeply modified (Tussac & Tussac, 1993; Mingo, 1994; Niehuis, 2001; Rosa, 2003, 2005, 2006; Rosa et al., 2014, 2015a, 2015b), and now includes species that Kimsey & Bohart (1991) considered as belonging to Elampus Spinola, 1806, Holophris Mocsáry, 1890, Omalus Panzer, 1801, and Pseudomalus Ashmead, 1902. The Philoctetes species dealt with below were included by Kimsey & Bohart (1991) in the genera Elampus (Ph. putoni) and Pseudomalus (Ph. helveticus).