Meteorus laphygmarum Brues, 1926

Rousse, Pascal & Braet, Yves, 2012, Braconid wasps (Hymenoptera) of Reunion. 1. Euphorinae (including Meteorini): key to species and description of six new species, Zootaxa 3449, pp. 26-46 : 43

Meteorus laphygmarum Brues, 1926

( Fig. 11 )

Meteorus fasciatus Brues, 1926: 295 .

Diagnosis. Species recognizable in the Madagascar subregion by the ventral margins of tergite I which are totally separated.

Description. Nixon (1943).

Comments. Meteorus laphygmarum has not been actually collected in Reunion. It is however widespread throughout Africa, and reported in Madagascar and Mauritius. It is thus strongly susceptible to be found in Reunion and therefore included in the key.

Host records. Helicoverpa armigera on Gossypium hirtutum , H. zea , Spodoptera exempta , S. exigua ( Lepidoptera : Noctuidae ).

Distribution records. Burkina Faso, Madagascar, Mauritius, South Africa, Sudan, Uganda, Zimbabwe.

Genus Syntretus Förster (van Achterberg & Haeselbarth 2003)

Antennae with 12–31 flagellomeres, apically without spine. Scape about twice as long as wide and pedicel about 0.7x as long as scape. Maxillary and labial palpi with, respectively, 5–6 and 3 segments. Occipital carina almost complete dorsally, ventrally joining hypostomal carina. Malar suture present. Notaulus absent or shallowly present but smooth. Sternaulus absent. Propodeum rugose to entirely smooth. Forewing with M+Cu spectral, Rs+M absent (1M and 1R1 fused), r-m and 2/ A absent. Hind wing with Cu&cua strongly reduced or absent, A absent. Tarsal claws bifurcate. Metasomal tergite I slender, basal half to basal 2/3 fused, glymma usually absent, spiracles behind middle. Hypopygium sparsely setose. Ovipositor nearly straight, slender, sheath slender and setose.

Cosmopolitan medium sized genus (except Australian region) of about 60 species. Endoparasitoids of adults Hymenoptera ( Ichneumonidae and Apidae ).

Figures

FIGURE 11. Meteorus laphygmarum Brues habitus.