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Trieces Townes, 1946 is one of the largest metopiine genera for which species have been described from all zoogeographical regions except the Indomalayan. The present study reports a major range extension of Trieces with the description of three new species from India. The described species are members of the onitis species group. An identification key to the Palearctic and Indomalayan species of the onitis group is included with the revised generic diagnosis and a key to separate Trieces from its closest genus Chorinaeus. Distribution pattern and character plasticity of Trieces are also discussed.
Metopiinae is a relatively large subfamily of Darwin wasps with a cosmopolitan distribution. Species of this subfamily can be distinguished by a convex, and mostly undivided face and clypeus. Among 113 species in 24 genera of the Oriental region, only 24 species in eight genera are reported from India. Here, we describe and illustrate a new genus, Soliga, based on collections made from the Western Ghats and Eastern Himalayas, two important biodiversity hotspots. The combination of absence of epicnemial carina on dorsolateral part of mesopleuron, absence of propodeal carinae and dorsal carinae of first metasomal tergite differentiates the new genus from other metopiine genera. An illustrated key to the Indo-Australian metopiine genera is provided along with comments on new generic placement and character variability of metopiines.
The monotypic banchine ichneumonid genus Shortia is rediscovered after 39 years, based on two new species from India, far away from the type locality in Australia: S. karumban Ranjith sp. nov. and S. manjapulli Ranjith sp. nov., collected from the Western Ghats, India. The generic concept of Shortia is revised. Both new species and the type species of the genus, S. siccula Gauld, 1984, are illustrated. A taxonomic key for the identification of species of Shortia is provided and the possible causes for the disjunct distribution are discussed.