Central European Helconini (Hymenoptera, Braconidae): Distribution, new host records and illustrated key to the species

Braconid wasps of the tribe Helconini are known to be koinobiont endoparasitoids of wood-boring coleopteran larvae, namely Cerambycidae and Buprestidae. However, the biology of most species of Helconini remains unknown. The European fauna of this tribe was last studied in detail in 1987, so updating knowledge of the biology of individual species, including their relationship to their hosts and potential use in protecting woody plants from invasive and native pests, is needed. We present first country record of Helcon angustator Nees, 1814 for Azerbaijan, Helcon claviventris Wesmael, 1835 for Slovakia and first record of Helcon tardator Nees, 1814 for Russian Far East. We have found seven new host records in the studied material which were not published elsewhere and nine new host records in literature not listed in the most comprehensive database of Yu et al. (2016). An updated photographic key to the genera and species of the central European Helconini is also presented here. Further, diagnosis, distributional data (worldwide and in detail for Czechia and Slovakia), biology, elevation distribution in Czechia and Slovakia and host records in each species is given. Wroughtonia claviventris (Wesmael, 1835) is transfered to the genus Helcon Nees, 1814 as Helcon claviventris Wesmael, 1835, stat. rev.