forewing (removed, and under coverslip)

forewing (removed, and under coverslip)

3.9mm

body
black

legs
orange-brown, with: coxae black; femora infused black

antennae
black, with: pedicel, F1 & F2 orange-brown

hyaline basally; very light infumation in irregular blotches elsewhere. No discrete, dark medial band.

no dense patches of setae

longest setae are on the coxae

strongly transverse: width/length = 1.62
note that I assume the eyes are considered part of the head, and that therefore the maximum width (in this species) is quite anterior on the vertex

POL/OOL = 1.45

Genae: much shorter than compound eye (in dorsal view); not bulging, narrower than head width across eyes

wide: length/width = 0.68

length/width: F1 (yellow) = 6.1; F2 (pink) = 6.7
width measured at "approximate midpoint of segment", as per Shaw (1990)

F1 (yellow)/F2 (pink) = 1.0

M+Cu1 & Cu1 spectral; 1mu & Rs apex absent

Rs: basal 1/3 tubular/sclerotised; apical 2/3 infumate-spectral, tapering out before reaching wing margin

1 long, 2 short

slightly wider apically than basally

Note: antenna removed and imaged under coverslip to ensure planar view. Note too that the width of F1 is just slightly greater than F2 at the midpoint, but narrower at the extreme base. It is unclear exactly where Shaw (1990) took the measurements reported.

frons projecting above antennal sockets (pink arrow)

occipital carina basally curving towards mandible (green arrows)

transverse carina present above antennal sockets, with pair of blunt projections either side of midline (stars)

base of mandibles with transverse sulcus, flanked by series of longitudinal striae. Naumann (1987) notes this as feature in male, but not female, M. troglodytes.

base of mandibles with transverse sulcus, flanked by series of longitudinal striae. Naumann (1987) notes this as feature in male, but not female, M. troglodytes.

base of mandibles with transverse sulcus, flanked by series of longitudinal striae. Naumann (1987) notes this as feature in male, but not female, M. troglodytes.

subantennal groove bordered dorsally by a sharp carina

shiny, sparse setae, pointed apically

I made the decision to remove the wings in order to fully view the propodeum and basal metasomal segments. This may have been a bit rash ... this may end up being quite a special (ie rarely-collected) male, and should be lodged with a museum. Anyway, done now. All four wings were mounted on glass slides (dry) and imaged under cover slips.

The heavily reticulate surface of the propodeum makes recognition of carinae and furrows a challenge. There is a median row of fovea (dashed arrow) ... would Shaw have called this a furrow, I wonder (?). The solid arrows indicate the location of putative lateral carinae. Again, I'm not confident that these would be considered carinae ... but see the dorso-lateral view.

The dashed arrow indicates the midline, and the medial row of fovea. It is not deeply impressed, so I assume this would not be considered a furrow.

The solid arrows show a suggestion of lateral carinae ... most evident on the right side in this image.

T1: smooth and shiny, with very spares, tiny punctures
T2 & T3: fine coriaceous ('shagreened') texture, with sparse, tiny punctures

Megalyra minuta, megalyrid wasp, dorsal view. Holotype. Registration no. T 6828. Photographer: Lucinda Gibson. Source: Museums Victoria
https://collections.museumsvictoria.com.au/specimens/1009227

Megalyra minuta, megalyrid wasp, lateral view. Holotype. Registration no. T 6828. Photographer: Lucinda Gibson. Source: Museums Victoria
https://collections.museumsvictoria.com.au/specimens/1009227

5.7mm

body
black

legs
orange-brown, with: coxae black; hind femur black in apical half

antennae
black, with: scape, pedicel, F1 & F2 orange-brown

slightly darkened medial band, indistinct posteriorly

blotch apically, posterior to vein Rs

slightly darkened, indistinct medial band, although patchy and not reaching posterior margin of wing

blotch apically, posterior to vein Rs

sparse, long setae on metasoma; arranged in rows, not patches

most of body bears long, silvery setae, but nowhere forming dense patches that obscure the underlying cuticular structure

near spherical: width/length = 1.29

POL/OOL = 1.15

genae: relatively long, 3/4 length of compound eye (in dorsal view); head as wide across genae as across eyes

near square: length/width = 0.87

anterolateral edge of mesoscutum curves posteriorly; corners small, not prominent

length/width: F1 (yellow) = 6.1; F2 (pink) = 7.4
width measured at "approximate midpoint of segment", as per Shaw (1990)

F1 (yellow)/F2 (pink)) = 0.87

M+ Cu1 & Rs infumate; Cu1 very lightly infumate - spectral; 1mcu absent

Rs: basal 1/4 tubular/sclerotised; apical 3/4 strongly infumate, almost reaching wing margin

hamuli: 1 long, 2 short

frons evenly rounded above antennal sockets (pink arrows)

occipital carina basally curving towards mandible (green arrows)

subantennal groove bordered dorsally by a sharp carina (yellow dashed arrows)

base of mandibles with transverse sulcus, flanked by series of longitudinal striae. Naumann (1987) notes this as a feature in male, but not female, M. troglodytes.

shiny, sparse setae, pointed apically

shiny, sparse setae, pointed apically

dorsal surface coarsely areolate

T1 smooth & shiny; T2 & T3 punctate basally, smooth apically