Taxonomic notes on Old World Stephanidae (Hymenoptera): description of Parastephanellus matsumotoi sp. n. from Japan, redescription of Commatopus xanthocephalus (Cameron) and keys to the genera Profoenatopus van Achterberg and Megischus Brullé

Abstract

mopolitan family, members of which occur mainly in subtropical and tropical forests. The species are usually medium-sized to large: length of the fore wing ranging from 2 to 20 mm, the length of the body of the largest species reach (including ovipositor) up to 75 mm (in the genera Megischus Brulle, 1846, and Profoenatopus van Achterberg, 2002). Up to now 325 extant species are known, including the species in this paper (Aguiar 2004, Achterberg & Yang 2004). Stephanids are conspicuous in having a ‘crown’ or ‘corona’ on the head (figs. 6, 15), the pronotum being more or less modified (figs. 2, 4, 12, 13), the propodeal spiracle slit-like and situated subapically next to the condylus of the first tergite, and the hind femur and tibia modified (figs. 7, 8). Nearly all species known from forested habitats are black or dark brown, frequently with some parts (especially of head and legs) yellowish-, orangeor reddish-brown. Small parts of the body may be ivory and often the ovipositor sheath has a silvery white or ivory subapical band. The scanty biological information indicates that Stephanidae are idiobiont ectoparasitoids of wood boring larvae (van Achterberg 2002). Stephanids are often found around tree trunks or branches of trees that are dead for about one year, inhabited by beetle larvae and not yet heavily infested by fungi. Stephanidae are nearly always reported as parasitoids