A new Darwin wasp genus, Soliga (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae: Metopiinae), from India

Keywords: Indian Metopiinae, taxonomic key, Malaise trap, new genus

Abstract

Metopiinae is a relatively large subfamily of Darwin wasps with a cosmopolitan distribution. Species of this subfamily can be distinguished by a convex, and mostly undivided face and clypeus. Among 113 species in 24 genera of the Oriental region, only 24 species in eight genera are reported from India. Here, we describe and illustrate a new genus, Soliga, based on collections made from the Western Ghats and Eastern Himalayas, two important biodiversity hotspots. The combination of absence of epicnemial carina on dorsolateral part of mesopleuron, absence of propodeal carinae and dorsal carinae of first metasomal tergite differentiates the new genus from other metopiine genera. An illustrated key to the Indo-Australian metopiine genera is provided along with comments on new generic placement and character variability of metopiines.

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Published
2022-12-16
How to Cite
Ranjith, A., & Priyadarsanan, D. R. (2022). A new Darwin wasp genus, Soliga (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae: Metopiinae), from India. European Journal of Taxonomy, 852(1), 57–76. https://doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2022.852.2009
Section
Research article