The Wharton Lab

Seleucini was described by Vikberg (in Vikberg and Koponen 2000) to accommodate the genus Seleucus Holmgren, a very distinctive genus which has been challenging to place within the Ichneumonidae. Townes et al. (1965: 152), for example, included Seleucus in the Cryptinae. Townes (1971) and Gauld (1997: 326), however, placed this genus within the Phrudinae and Kolarov (1987) meanwhile moved Seleucus to Mesoleiini within Ctenopelmatinae. Quicke et al. (2009) discussed some of this history and recovered Seleucus as a sister group to Euryproctini within Ctenopelmatinae. Seleucus has an ovipositor with a subapical, dorsal notch and the apex of the fore tibia is expanded into a very well-developed tooth and so this genus can be readily accomodated within Ctenopelmatinae as presently (2015) defined, but there are certainly other genera in other subfamilies with these characteristics. Additional recognition features include the absence of a glymma and the exceptionally long T2+3 (much more evident in females than males).