Pentapleura
Pentapleura is a name applied to two unrelated taxonomic groups: a genus of in Braconidae ( Alysiinae) and a genus of flowering plants in family Lamiaceae. The wasp genus includes such as Pentapleura foveolata, known from the eastern United States. The plant genus contains a single species, Pentapleura subulifera, native to southeastern Turkey and northern Iraq.
Pronunciation
How to pronounce Pentapleura: //ˌpɛn.təˈplʊə.rə//
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Distribution
For the : Connecticut (type locality of P. foveolata); Virginia (Mountain Lake Biological Station, southwestern Virginia). For the plant genus: southeastern Turkey and northern Iraq.
Host Associations
- cyclorrhaphous flies - Inferred from membership; Alysiinae exclusively contains of cyclorrhaphous flies. No direct records for Pentapleura specifically documented.
Ecological Role
For the : of cyclorrhaphous flies (inferred from Alysiinae).
Misconceptions
The name Pentapleura refers to two completely unrelated organisms—a of braconid wasps and a genus of flowering plants in the mint —due to independent taxonomic descriptions in different kingdoms. These homonyms share no biological relationship.
More Details
Taxonomic Homonymy
Pentapleura is a homonym spanning Kingdom Animalia (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) and Kingdom Plantae (Lamiales: Lamiaceae). The was described by Viereck, while the plant genus was described by Handel-Mazzetti in 1913. The sources provided do not indicate which authority has priority or whether either name has been synonymized.
Braconidae Species
Pentapleura foveolata Viereck was redescribed in 2013 based on eight specimens (six females, two males) from Mountain Lake Biological Station, Virginia, expanding its known range beyond the single male specimen from Connecticut.