Cerchysiella Girault

Cerchysiella Girault 1914: 60. Type species: C. nigrella Girault, by monotypy.

Remarks. Cerchysiella Girault (1914) is a cosmopolitan genus. Of 31 described species (Fatima & Shafee 1994; Hayat 2006; Noyes 1979; Noyes & Prinsloo 1998; Silvestri 1915; Subba Rao 1972; Sushil & Khan 1995; Tachikawa 1980, 1985; Trjapitzin 1988, 1989; Xu et al. 2005; Zhang & Huang 2004), three have been reported from China: C. koenigsmanni (Trjapitzin 1985), C. citricola (Xu et al. 2005) and C. raddeii Yang (Yang et al. 2013). One species was reported as a parasitoid of Tephritidae (Diptera), whereas eight are reported as parasitoids of Nitidulidae, one of Erotylidae, one of Cryptophagidae and two of Cerambycidae (Coleoptera) (Williams et al. 1984; Dahms & Gordh 1997; Tachikawa 1998; Noyes 2012).

Cerchysiella is morphologically close to Zaommoencyrtus Girault 1916 (Noyes & Hayat 1984; Noyes et al. 1997; Dahms & Gordh 1997), but can be distinguished by the following key:

1. Female flagellum with clava 3- and funicle 6-segmented, and clava distinctively shorter than funicle (Fig. 6); fore wing with a conspicuous line of setae on proximal margin of linea calva and filum spinosum directed towards junction of marginal and submarginal veins, thus clearly converging with the setal line toward basal margin of linea calva (Fig. 9; Noyes & Hayat 1984, Fig.127).............................................................................. Cerchysiella Girault

- Female flagellum with clava 2- and funicle 4-segmented, clava longer than funicle (Noyes et al. 1997, fig.174); fore wing without a conspicuous line of setae on proximal margin of linea calva and filum spinosum not forming a clear line directed at the junction of the submarginal and marginal veins....................................... Zaommoencyrtus Girault

Besides the differences given above, Cerchysiella is also characterized by a strongly swollen parastigma that is clearly wider than the submarginal vein, and a stigmal vein that forms an angle of only about 45° with the marginal vein. Although the Palaearctic name Bethylomimus Trjapitzin 1962 (Trjapitzin 1962, 1967, 1989) is currently treated as a synonym of Zaommoencyrtus, this is very probably incorrect. Bethylomimus may be either a valid genus or a synonym of Cerchysiella (Dr. John Noyes, personal communication), but regardless, Zaommoencyrtus is restricted to the New World.