Entedon chilo Walker, 1839
Chrysocharis chilo (Walker, 1839)
Entedon alpheus Walker, 1839
Entedon parmys Walker, 1839
Entedon lycambes Walker, 1839
Chrysocharis petiolata Foerster, 1861
Derostenus petiolatus Thomson, 1878 (junior secondary homonym)
nec Elachestus pallipes Nees, 1834 (p. 138) (see note below)
Note: in most recent works, this species is listed under the name Chrysocharis pallipes, described as Elachistus pallipes by Nees (1834)
on p. 138. The name pallipes would indeed have precedence over the name
chilo, because it is the older name. However, I have not yet been able
to trace the publication where this synonymy is proposed. In fact, the
original description of Elachistus pallipes Nees, 1834 is not
unequivocal and also fits a few other species of Chrysocharis. And it
also contains two details that are not compatible with the notion that
Elachistus pallipes is identical to the nominal Entedon chilo:
(1) Nees (1834) writes: "Ab Elachesto orbiculari [...] differt: [...]
punctura capitis et thoracis multo profundiore et densiore"
("differences from Elachestus orbicularius: punctation of the head and
thorax much deeper and denser"). This does not agree with the situation
in Chrysocharis chilo, which has a totally smooth and shining cuticle
surface on the head frons and vertex.
(2) Elachestus pallipes is supposed to parasitize in lepidopteran larvae
("Tinea Roesellae"). This does not agree with the known biology of
Chrysocharis chilo which only parasitizes leaf-mining Diptera. The
lepidopteran host of Elachestus pallipes suggests that it may be
identical to any of those species of Chrysocharis that attack
leaf-mining Lepidoptera; alternatively it could be a separate bona species, Chrysocharis pallipes.
Thus, in my opinion Elachestus pallipes can only be identified
conclusively by studying the types (I do not know whether they are still
extant or where they are). I argue that judging from the description
alone, Elachestus pallipes cannot be identical to Chrysocharis chilo and
I therefore do not adopt this synonymy here.
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