Overview
The family is cosmopolitan and includes the genera
Elenchus
,
Deinelenchus
,
Elencholax
and
Protelencholax
, the first two of which occur in Australia.
Elenchus
varleyi
parasitises Delphacidae (Auchenorrhyncha) and occurs from the N.T. to the A.C.T. (Perkins 1905; Kathirithamby 1990a).
Deinelenchus
australiensis
, which is found from Cairns to Brisbane parasitises Eurybrachyidae, Flatidae, Fulgoridae, Ricaniidae and Dictyopharidae. The hosts and females of
D
.
berrimahensis
from the N.T. are unknown.
Description
Elenchidae are distinguished from other Strepsiptera by their 2-segmented tarsi and 4-segmented antennae in the male; the structure of the head of the male and female; and the structure of the aedeagus (Kathirithamby 1990a).