Megischus Brullé, 1846

Binoy, C., Achterberg, C. Van, Kumar, P. Girish, Santhosh, S. & Sheela, S., 2020, A review of Stephanidae (Hymenoptera: Stephanoidea) from India, with the description of five new species, Zootaxa 4838 (1), pp. 1-51 : 30

Genus Megischus Brullé, 1846

Megischus Brullé, 1846: 537 . Type species (designated by Viereck, 1914): M. annulator Brullé, 1846 .

Megiseleus Cameron, 1902: 32. Lapsus calami.

Bothriocerus Sichel, 1861: 759 . Type species (by monotypy): Bothriocerus europaeus Sichel, 1861 (= Stephanus anomalipes Foerster, 1855 , synonymy according to Madl, 1991).

Diagnosis. Largest known stephanids ranging up to 35 mm (excluding ovipositor); length of fore wing 5–20 (but usually 10–18) mm; rounded temple without conspicuous ivory-white streak behind eye; neck mostly elongate; pronotal folds distinct; fore wing with 2-SR and 2-SR+M present, vein r of fore wing straight, in most cases distinctly removed from apex of pterostigma; vein 2-SR of fore wing medium-sized and straight; vein 1-SR of fore wing differentiated because of presence of vein 1-SR+M; bidentate hind femora; hind tibia distinctly narrowed basally and at most basal half ventrally carinate; outer side of hind tibia without oblique striae or rugulosity; ovipositor sheath with ivory subapical band.

Distribution. Mainly Indo-Australian and Neotropical, with scattered reports from subtropical Oriental, Southern Nearctic and Central and Southern Europe ( van Achterberg 2002).

Host. Probably attacking beetle larvae infesting dead trees ( van Achterberg 2002).

Notes. The genus comprises more than 50 species worldwide (New World: 10 spp.; West Palaearctic: 1 species; Australian continent: 2 species ( Aguiar 2001), Oriental, Wallacea and Papua: 39 species ( van Achterberg 2002)). The genus is represented by a single species viz., M. alveolifer van Achterberg from India. A new species viz., M. ranjithi Binoy, Santhosh & Girish Kumar sp. nov. is described here with illustrations and is incorporated into a key to Indian species.