Extensive sampling and thorough taxonomic assessment of Afrotropical Rhyssinae (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae) reveals two new species and demonstrates the limitations of previous sampling efforts




Tapani Hopkins, Heikki Roininen, Simon van Noort, Gavin R. Broad, Kari Kaunisto, Ilari E. Sääksjärvi

PublisherPensoft Publishers

2019

ZooKeys

878

878

33

71

39

1313-2989

1313-2970

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.878.37845

https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/42290540



Tropical forest invertebrates, such as the parasitoid wasp family Ichneumonidae, are poorly known. This
work reports some of the first results of an extensive survey implemented in Kibale National Park, Uganda. A total of 456 individuals was caught of the subfamily Rhyssinae Morley, 1913, which in the Afrotropical region was previously known from only 30 specimens. Here, the six species found at the site are
described and the Afrotropical Rhyssinae are reviewed. Two new species, Epirhyssa johanna Hopkins, sp.
nov. and E. quagga sp. nov., are described and a key, diagnostic characters, and descriptions for all 13
known Afrotropical species are provided, including the first description of the male of Epirhyssa overlaeti
Seyrig, 1937. Epirhyssa gavinbroadi Rousse & van Noort, 2014, syn. nov. is proposed to be a synonym of
E. uelensis Benoit, 1951. Extensive sampling with Malaise traps gave an unprecedented sample size, and
the method is recommended for other poorly known tropical areas.


Last updated on 2024-26-11 at 22:13