First discovery of a long-tailed wasp from the Indian subcontinent (Hymenoptera: Megalyroidea: Megalyridae)

Abstract

The genus Megalyra Westwood, commonly referred to as “long-tailed wasps,” is represented by 27 extant species. Regarded as a parasitoid of xylophagous beetles, Megalyra species are mostly native to the Australasian region; however, one species occurs naturally in Malaysia and Sumatra, and another has been reported as accidentally introduced into South Africa from Australia. Here we report on the first discovery of the wasp family Megalyridae from the Indian Subcontinent and provide a description, diagnosis, and illustrations of variations in Megalyra fasciipennis Westwood collected from Kerala, India. This incidence is thought to be an accidental introduction of the species, most likely from Australia sometime during the British Colonial Period.