Baryscapus

Fore wing with submarginal vein (SMV) with 2 or more setae dorsally. Postmarginal vein (PMV) very short, less than 0.5 the length of the stigmal one (STV).
Female antenna with 1-3 anelli (usually 2-3) discoid or laminar and funicle and club 3-segmented. Male antenna with ventral plaque on scape; funicle 4-segmented and with or without subbasal whorls of short dark setae.
Malar sulcus present and usually distinctly curved.
Notauli complete. Midlobe of mesoscutum usually with two or more irregular rows of adnotaular setae, sometimes with only one row, and with or without median longitudinal line. Scutellum with two pairs of setae and usually two pairs of longitudinal lines (submedian, sublateral). Propodeum with median carina present or absent, plica absent; spiracles circular to oval, small to moderate-sized, with the whole rim exposed; callus with 3 or more setae (rarely 2). Petiole not distinct.
Gaster with cercal setae subequal in length, straight or slightly curved and short. Ovipositor usually not projecting.
Body weakly to strongly metallic.

Baryscapus is the second largest genus of Tetrastichinae subfamily. Species of this genus were recorded in all the continents (Noyes, 2001); however, they are far more common in the Holarctic Region.

Baryscapus belongs to the subfamily of Tetrastichinae by having female funicle 3- and male 4-segmented, notauli complete, ventral plaque on male scape and postmarginal vein reduced.
This genus has been treated as Eutetrastichus by Graham (1987), but La Salle and Graham (1990) subsequently redefined Baryscapus, synonymizing Eutetrastichus, Thriposoma and Tetrastichopsis with it. European species were revised by Graham (1991).
Baryscapus may be particularly confused with Aprostocetus and Minotetrastichus. From Aprostocetus, it can be distinguished by having the whole rim of the propodeal spiracle exposed and by having the cercal setae approximately equal in length (raised lobe of the callus partially covering the outer rim of the spiracle and the cercal setae are not subequal with one distinctly longer and sinuate in Aprostocetus). From Minotetrastichus it may particularly be distinguished by not having yellow coloration and by having 3 or more setae on callus (Graham, 1991; La Salle, 1994; Schauff et al., 1998).

Diagnosis

Distribution

Biology