Tribe Phytodietini

This tribe is characterised by Townes (1938, p. 173) as follows: Head transverse, eyes large, malar space short; clypeus separated from face, the apex truncated or emarginate; flagellum slender, tapering with 30 to 60 segments; scape twice as long on inner side as on outer side; prepectal carina ending about halfway up the mesopleuron; sternaulus wanting; mesonotum strongly convex; mesothorax deep and strongly developed; propodeum rather evenly convex, without carinae

or transversely striate on its basal half above and with a somewhat curved transverse carina on each side just above its middle; discocubital vein strongly curved basally; areolet triangular, usually higher than wide, subpetiolate or shortly petiolate, rarely absent; second intercubital with a bulla below; second recurrent strongly curved, interstitial or nearly interstitial with second intercubitus, a bulla at its top and another just below its middle; apex of front tibia evenly rounded, without a suggestion of a tooth; spurs of front tibia long and slender, the comb-bearing part occupying less than one half of its length; tibia and tarsi with many conspicuous bristles; tarsal claws densely pectinate, with eight to fifty long teeth; petiole straight, gradually enlarged towards the apex, its spiracles before the middle; glymma deep; abdomen more or less compressed beyond the third segment; epipleura well developed on all segments; ovipositor from about one-fifth as long, to as long as, the abdomen; the tip tapering, not notched; female subgenital plate not strongly developed; ovipositor sheath transversely ridged, densely clothed with rather long hair; penis compressed.

Townes (loc. cit., p. 174) gives the following key for the separation of the two genera included in this tribe: