Aoridus species, Family Eulophidae, Subfamily Euderinae
Aoridus is our insect of the week (41). Its name is probably derived from the Latin Aoridus (embellished, shining). This genus belongs to the Superfamily Chalcidoidea, the vast assemblage of (mostly) parasitoids that prey on invertebrates, usually insects. The superfamily consists of 50 extant families, several of these being erected within the past few years, a result of the use of genetic methods to discriminate among groups differing in molecular makeup. Aoridus belongs to the family Eulophidae, the largest of the chalcidoid families with over 4000 described species. Within Eulophidae, Aoridus is a member of the Euderinae, the smallest subfamily of eulophids. Aoridus itself is species poor, with only two described species, one in the neotropics (Brazil, Colombia and Costa Rica) and one from Asia (Myanmar and Papua New Guinea). The latter species, Aoridus scaposus, was described by Zdenek Bouček who until his death was the doyen of chalcidoidologists. In describing the species, he remarked on its overall colour, “Body black with widespread blue violaceous gloss”. What a lovely phrase; Bouček celebrating the colours abounding in nature, as did another virtuoso, van Gogh, whose violet skies light up his starry night paintings.
In Kenya we collected a specimen of Aoridus in Kakamega forest, an outlying Guineo-Congolian relict forest with many floral similarities to the great Central African rainforests. Aoridus is one of several genera (e.g. Eurydinotomorpha, Xenanastatus) we have collected that had not previously been recorded from the afrotropics. Given its wide geographical distribution it is very possible that Aoridus is an ancient lineage. Nothing is known of its biology or host, but Bouček states that Aoridus species are “…. presumably parasites of beetles in dead wood.”
Credits: Dr Robert Copeland