Cremnops is a fairly large genus of about 75 species distributed worldwide. Although the diversity and biology of the genus have been studied in some depth in several regions including the Nearctic, Palearctic and Oriental regions and Australia, precious little is known about Afrotropical Cremnops. GBIF (the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, www.gbif.org) maps show Cremnops species have been recorded from Madagascar, South, Central, and East Africa (including Kenya) but are absent from West Africa (there is one record from Guinea but not enough information is known about this species for it to be accepted in the taxonomic world). In total, there are only 4 “good” species from the Afrotropical region with another 3 treated as nomen dubium including the record from Guinea. Ernst Mayr, one of the most famous systematists defines the term nomen dubium as "The name of a nominal [existing in name only] species for which available evidence is insufficient to permit recognition of the zoological species to which it was applied.”.
Cremnops is a member of one of the only two families in the superfamily Ichneumonoidea. In the case of the Ichneumonidea the superfamily designation is well earned – worldwide the two families Ichneumonidae and Braconidae have 24,000 and 20,000 species respectively. In a recent revision of the new world species of the braconid genus Cremnops, the authors remarked on the equine-looking face of the species and suggested the common name Pegasus wasps, to which I have no objections (see image). The name is not solely based on their looks. Mythological Pegasus was instructed by Zeus to bring thunder and lightning to Olympus. In like manner Pegasus wasps bring their own version of thunder and lightning to the pests which invade our crops. How so? Cremnops are koinobiont endoparasitoids of Pyralidae and Crambidae caterpillars, including sugar-beet webworm, European corn borer, Karoo caterpillar and garden webworm. As such they are farmers’ friends.
A note on parasitoidism by Cremnops: Endoparasitoids develop within the host. Koinobionts are parasitoids which remain quiescent within the host caterpillar until the latter has nearly completed larval development at which time the parasitoid larva begins to develop, eating its way within the host caterpillar, saving the best part (brain and neurons) for last.
Cremnops was described in 1862 by the school teacher-cum-entomologist Arnold Förster. For his entire working life Förster taught in high school in Germany, at the same time having entomology as a serious avocation. One of his neighbours was the very famous entomologist Johann Wilhelm Meigen, considered the father of Dipterology (the study of flies). Meigen encouraged Förster to pursue his passion for natural history and entomology and acted as a mentor. The quality of Förster’s work reflected what he learned of Meigen’s techniques and work habits which Förster followed throughout his career. Förster’s reputation grew and he became quite active in natural history societies. He was soon recognized as an authority on the “microhymenoptera”. He was one of the first taxonomists to study this group, a most challenging subject considering the small size of most insects and the lack of sophisticated microscopes at that time. Förster was particularly interested in the Braconidae, no doubt at least in part because they are generally among the larger microhymenoptera.
Much of what appears above is taken from a recent paper by Erika Tucker et al. 2015. A revision of the new world species of Cremnops Förster (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Agathidinae). Zootaxa 3916(1): 001-083.