Abstract
The subfamily Microgastrinae contains an extraordinarily rich diversity of parasitoid wasps which parasitise larval lepidopterans. The Australian fauna has generally been poorly studied, particularly for the very speciose genera. One such genus is Dolichogenidea Vierek, which in Australia is known from only six described species. Here we describe three new species of Dolichogenidea from Australia, which are distinguished by possessing extremely long ovipositors compared with the typical form for the genus. These are D.finchi Fagan-Jeffries & Austin, sp. n., D.mediocaudata Fagan-Jeffries & Austin, sp. n., and D.xenomorph Fagan-Jeffries & Austin, sp. n. In describing these new species we also discuss relationships within the genus, and the diversity and biology of the Australian fauna.
Highlights
The subfamily Microgastrinae are agriculturally and environmentally important as endoparasitoid wasps of larval lepidopterans
Dolichogenidea has a convex to almost straight vannal lobe, which is uniformly fringed by setae, while in Apanteles sensu stricto the vannal lobe is strongly concave to almost straight and is lacking setae at the midlength
Longterm sorting of microgastrines in Australian collections and a recent large barcoding study (Fagan-Jeffries et al in press) have revealed several remarkable specimens belonging to three species of Dolichogenidea that possess extremely long ovipositors
Summary
The subfamily Microgastrinae are agriculturally and environmentally important as endoparasitoid wasps of larval lepidopterans. Longterm sorting of microgastrines in Australian collections and a recent large barcoding study (Fagan-Jeffries et al in press) have revealed several remarkable specimens belonging to three species of Dolichogenidea that possess extremely long ovipositors.
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