Genus Meria Illiger, 1807

Meria Illiger, 1807, Braunschweig, VI: 194. Type species: Tiphia tripunctata Rossi, 1790, ♀, by·original·designation.

Tachus Jurine, 1807, Nouv. Métod. Class. Hymen.: 154. Synonym of Meria by Krombein, 1937, Ann. Ent. Soc. Amer. 30: 27.

Meriana Rafinesque, 1815, Analyse de la nature ou tableau de l’Universe et des corps organizes (Palermo): 124. Synonym of Meria by Krombein, 1937, Ann. Ent. Soc. Amer. 30: 27.

Pseudomeria Saunders, 1850, Trans. Ent. Soc. London, 1: 69. Synonym of Meria by Gorbatovsky, 1981, Ent. Obozr. 60 (2): 383.

Arapatka Argaman, 1994, Annls. hist.-nat. Mus. natn. hung. 86: 94. Synonym of Meria by Boni Bartalucci, 2001, Annali Mus. civ. Stor. nat. Genov. 93: 3.

Upaterka Argaman, 1994, Annls. hist.-nat. Mus. natn. hung. 86: 95. Synonym of Meria by Boni Bartalucci, 2001, Annali Mus. civ. Stor. nat. Genov. 93: 3.

Fukpotka Argaman, 1994, Annls. hist.-nat. Mus. natn. hung. 86: 95. Synonym of Meria by Boni Bartalucci, 2001, Annali Mus. civ. Stor. nat. Genov. 93: 3.

Tilkuya Argaman, 1994, Annls. hist.-nat. Mus. natn. hung. 86: 96. Synonym of Meria by Boni Bartalucci, 2001, Annali Mus. civ. Stor. nat. Genov. 93: 3.

Notes. The genus Meria contains 98 species and two subspecies worldwide, among these 48 species and two subspecies are distributed in the Palearctic Region and 50 in the Afrotropical Region. Three species were recorded from China by Gorbatovsky (1980). In this study, five species were collected, including two new records.

Diagnosis. Female. Body (Figs 63, 71) mostly impunctate; Pam and Pal always 6-segmented and 4-segmented, respectively; genal bridge mostly absent; ventral surface of forecoxa along the whole inner margin with a longitudinal carina; wings variable and margin without long bristles; CM and CSM III of fore wing fused together into the CPM, and CSM I–II present, the second always petiolate (Figs 63, 71); pterostigma present (Figs 63, 71); T6 (Figs 68, 77) smooth and mostly impunctate.

Male. Pam and Pal same as female; hypostomal carina not directed laterally, still reaching the inner mandibular condyle (Fig. 74); genal bridge mostly absent (Fig. 74); inner margin of eyes with a deep notch (Figs 45, 58); ventral surface of forecoxa along the whole inner margin with a longitudinal carina; apex of T7 (Figs 49, 56, 62, 70, 79) with a deep notch; length of S7 more than half of T7 (Fig. 50) in lateral view.