Meggoleus townesi Khalaim 2007, sp. n.

Figs 4, 12, 15, 23

Etymology: Named in honour of the famous American entomologist and taxonomic ichneumonid expert, Dr Henri Townes.

Diagnosis: The new species differs from the South American M. spirator in that the prepectal carina reaches the anterior margin of the mesopleuron near its midlength (in M. spirator the prepectal carina reaches dorsally almost to subtegular ridge), the spiracle of the first tergite is not enlarged, and the first tergite is without a glymma and round in transverse section.

Description:

Female.

Body length 3.2 mm.

Head 0.68 mm wide, narrowed behind eyes in dorsal view; temple short, almost 0.7 times as long as eye width (Fig. 12). Ocelli rather large (Fig. 12). Antenna filiform, short; flagellum with 14 or 15 segments (Fig. 15); flagellomeres, excepting first and apical ones, distinctly transverse; all flagellomeres with long bristles. Mandible very slightly narrowed, punctate basally, upper tooth much longer than lower tooth. Malar space somewhat shorter than basal width of mandible. Clypeus broad, usually smooth on lower part, and granulate and densely punctate on upper part. Face, frons and vertex finely granulate and usually finely punctate (punctures sometimes indistinct because of granulation). Temple smooth or almost smooth, very finely and sparsely punctate. Occipital carina obliterated dorsally.

Mesonotum entirely granulate, indistinctly punctate. Notaulus weak. Mesopleuron predominantly granulate, almost smooth and punctate in the middle. Prepectal carina reaching anterior margin of mesopleuron near its middle. Sternaulus in anterior part of mesopleuron, short, oblique, with some transverse wrinkles. Propodeum entirely granulate, with dorsolateral areas usually finely punctate; basal keel sometimes indistinct, 0.55–0.65 times as long as apical area; spiracle round and large (Fig. 4), separated from pleural carina; apical area elongate, rounded anteriorly, with pair of weak longitudinal carinae reaching transverse carina anteriorly.

Forewing length 2.2 mm. Pterostigma very wide. Metacarp not reaching apex of forewing. Second recurrent vein postfurcal, unpigmented anteriorly. Nervellus of hindwing strongly reclivous.

Hind femur length 0.53 mm, maximum width 0.15 mm. Hind tibia length 0.6 mm. Spurs of hind tibia weakly curved. Tarsal claws long, not pectinate.

First tergite length 0.6 mm, posterior width 0.2 mm; tergite slender, entirely smooth, round in transverse section, without glymma; spiracle situated distinctly behind the middle, not enlarged. Second tergite length 0.3 mm. Thyridia distinctly elongate, about 1.5 times as long as wide. Ovipositor short, upcurved, with shallow dorsal depression near apex, without teeth (Fig. 23); sheath 0.54 mm, almost as long as first tergite.

Body predominantly black, sometimes partly with brownish tinge. Palpi, mandibles (except darkened teeth), lower third of clypeus, tegula and legs (hind coxa and hind femur except for apex brown) yellow to yellow brown. Scape and pedicel of antenna usually yellowish, flagellum darkened. Pterostigma dark brown. Metasoma behind first segment brown to dark brown.

Male.

Basal and mid flagellomeres distinctly elongate, tips of antennae lacking. Propodeal spiracle not enlarged.

Holotype: ^‘ GABON, Prov. Ogoové-Maritime, Réserve des Monts Doudou, 24.3 km 307 ° NW Doussala, 2 ° 13.35'S: 10 ° 24.35'E, 370 m’, ‘ 7.iii.2000, S. van Noort, Sweep, GA 00-S43, Coastal Lowland Rainforest, undergrowth, low canopy in forest’, ‘SAM-HYM-P0024911’ (SAMC).

Paratypes: GABON: Ogoové-Maritime Prov.: ơ same data as holotype (SAMC); ^Monts Doudou Reserve, 25.2 km 304 ° NW Doussala, 2 ° 13.63'S: 10 ° 23.67'E, 600 m, coastal lowland rainforest, along stream, Malaise trap, 18–19.iii.2000, S. van Noort (SAMC); 3^Moukalaba-Dougoua Reserve, 12.2 km 305 ° NW Doussala, 2 ° 17.00'S: 10 ° 29.83'E, 110 m, coastal lowland rainforest, Malaise trap and sweep, 25–26.ii, 18–19.iii.2000, S. van Noort (1^SAMC, 2^ZISP).