Zelostemma Explained

Zelostemma is a genus of parasitoid wasps belonging to the family Platygastridae. The genus was described by in 1989, and is endemic to New Zealand.

Taxonomy

Zelostemma was first described by Czech entomologist Lubomír Masner and Swedish entomologist Lars Huggert in 1989, with the prefix Zelo- referring to the genus' origin of New Zealand. The genus was originally a monotypic genus, with the sole member being Zelostemma oleariae, originally described as Eurytoma oleariae by William Miles Maskell in 1888 (later known as Metaclisis oleariae).

Peter Neerup Buhl identified a new species in 2008, Z. chionochloae, two new species in 2011 with Z. altipetiolata, and Z. dromedarium, followed by the addition of 30 new species in 2017.

Distribution

The genus is endemic to New Zealand.[1]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Zelostemma Masner & Huggert, 1989 . New Zealand Organisms Register . 19 September 2024.