Homalotylus

Identification relies on morphological examination of females; a key to Chinese species based on female characters has been published. The genus can be distinguished from other Encyrtidae by its association with coccinellid hosts and specific morphological traits detailed in taxonomic revisions.

Habitats include university campuses, agricultural areas, and natural vegetation where host coccinellids and their sternorrhynchan prey occur. Specimens have been collected using Malaise traps at elevations ranging from approximately 13 m to 24 m in China.

Palaearctic region (including China, Iran, and Europe), New World (including Brazil and Mexico), and Oriental region. Documented from China (Tianjin, Guangxi), Iran, Brazil, and Mexico.

• Coccinellidae - larval parasitoidSolitary or gregarious parasitoid of lady beetle larvae; emerges from prepupal stage
• Aphidoidea - indirectPrey of host coccinellids
• Coccoidea - indirectPrey of host coccinellids
• Psylloidea - indirectPrey of host coccinellids
• Cycloneda sanguinea - hostDocumented host for H. hemipterinus in Brazil
• Nephus bipunctatus - hostDocumented host for H. sinensis in Iran

Solitary or gregarious larval parasitoid development within coccinellid hosts. Parasitoids emerge from the prepupal stage of the host. Oviposition and development have been studied in relation to host stage for at least one species.

Biological control agent; acts as a tertiary trophic level parasitoid that regulates populations of coccinellids, which are important predators of agricultural and forest pests including aphids, scale insects, and psyllids.

Potential importance in biological control programs, though their parasitism of beneficial lady beetles may complicate conservation biological control efforts. Host records have been clarified to correct erroneous literature attributing direct parasitism of scale insects.

• Other Encyrtidae generaRequires morphological examination and host association data for differentiation; Homalotylus specifically associated with Coccinellidae larvae

Historical literature has incorrectly recorded scale insects (Coccoidea), Chrysomelidae, Bruchidae, and Gelechiidae as direct hosts. These records are considered erroneous; the genus is exclusively associated with Coccinellidae as primary hosts.

• BugGuide
• GBIF taxonomy match
• iNaturalist taxon
• NCBI Taxonomy
• Catalogue of Life
• homalotylus_shuvakhinae_trjapitzin_triapitsyn_holotype_female_ucrc-ent_159673_lateral.jpg | Entomology Research Museum
• Encyrtid Holdings | Entomology Research Museum
• Primary Type List | Entomology Research Museum
• Publications | Entomology Research Museum
• New Host Records of the Ladybeetle Parasitoid species Homalotylus sinensis in Iran (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae)
• Description of three new species and new distributional data for three species of Homalotylus (Hymenoptera, Encyrtidae) from China
• Cycloneda sanguinea(L.) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) is a Host forHomalotylus hemipterinus(De Stefani) (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) in Brazil
• Oviposition and development of the gregarious parasitoid Homalotylus eytelweinii (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) in relation to host stage of predaceous ladybirds
• Figures 38-43 from: Zu G, Xue H, Wang H, Zhen W, Huang D (2023) Description of three new species and new distributional data for three species of Homalotylus (Hymenoptera, Encyrtidae) from China. ZooKeys 1184: 273-289. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1184.113292
• Figures 1-6 from: Zu G, Xue H, Wang H, Zhen W, Huang D (2023) Description of three new species and new distributional data for three species of Homalotylus (Hymenoptera, Encyrtidae) from China. ZooKeys 1184: 273-289. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1184.113292
• Figures 44-49 from: Zu G, Xue H, Wang H, Zhen W, Huang D (2023) Description of three new species and new distributional data for three species of Homalotylus (Hymenoptera, Encyrtidae) from China. ZooKeys 1184: 273-289. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1184.113292
• Figures 7-12 from: Zu G, Xue H, Wang H, Zhen W, Huang D (2023) Description of three new species and new distributional data for three species of Homalotylus (Hymenoptera, Encyrtidae) from China. ZooKeys 1184: 273-289. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1184.113292
• Figures 19-25 from: Zu G, Xue H, Wang H, Zhen W, Huang D (2023) Description of three new species and new distributional data for three species of Homalotylus (Hymenoptera, Encyrtidae) from China. ZooKeys 1184: 273-289. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1184.113292
• Figures 26-31 from: Zu G, Xue H, Wang H, Zhen W, Huang D (2023) Description of three new species and new distributional data for three species of Homalotylus (Hymenoptera, Encyrtidae) from China. ZooKeys 1184: 273-289. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1184.113292
• Figures 13-18 from: Zu G, Xue H, Wang H, Zhen W, Huang D (2023) Description of three new species and new distributional data for three species of Homalotylus (Hymenoptera, Encyrtidae) from China. ZooKeys 1184: 273-289. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1184.113292
• Figures 32-37 from: Zu G, Xue H, Wang H, Zhen W, Huang D (2023) Description of three new species and new distributional data for three species of Homalotylus (Hymenoptera, Encyrtidae) from China. ZooKeys 1184: 273-289. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1184.113292