Taeniogonalos gestroi (Schulz 1908)

Taeniogonalos gestroi is a species of wasp in the family Trigonalidae. It is a hyperparasitoid that parasitise Ichneumonidae and Tachinidae larva inside the caterpillars of Lepidoptera.

Redescribed after a female from Naban River Watershed, length of body 8.9 mm (of fore wing 7.2 mm). Head. Antenna with 24 segments; frons reticulate-punctate (Fig. 418); vertex reticulate-punctate behind stemmaticum and near eyes, becoming spaced punctate (interspaces much wider than width of punctures) posteriorly (Fig. 419); temple largely smooth with sparse fine punctures (Fig. 422); head gradually narrowed behind eyes, eye in dorsal view 0.8 times as long as temple (Fig. 419); occipital carina narrow, non-lamelliform and smooth medio-dorsally (Fig. 419); supra-antennal elevations medium-sized (about 0.2 times as long as scapus) and their outer side oblique (Fig. 419); clypeus moderately concave and thick medio-ventrally. Mesosoma. Length of mesosoma 1.2 times its height (Fig. 424); mesopleuron densely and coarsely reticulate-rugose anteriorly, densely and finely punctate posteriorly; transverse mesopleural groove narrow, shallow and weakly crenulate; notauli narrow, deep and weakly crenulate; middle lobe of mesoscutum reticulate-rugose anteriorly, transversely rugose posteriorly, lateral lobes reticulate-rugose (Fig. 423); scutellar sulcus narrow but complete, weakly crenulate; scutellum densely and finely reticulate-rugose, rather flat and anteriorly near level of level of mesoscutum; metanotum medially slightly convex, not protruding and finely rugose (Fig. 423); propodeum densely and coarsely reticulate-rugose (Fig. 423); posterior propodeal carina thick lamelliform and strongly arched, foramen medially 0.5 times higher than wide basally. Wings. Fore wing: length of vein 1-M 1.4 times as long as vein 1-SR (Fig. 421). Metasoma. First tergite 0.6 times as long as apically wide, smooth and with shallow elliptical depression medially (Fig. 425); second–sixth tergites densely reticulate-punctate; sternites densely punctate; second sternite distinctly convex in lateral view, without medio-apical protuberance (Fig. 427); third sternite about 0.2 times as long as second sternite (Fig. 427); hypopygium triangular in ventral view (Fig. 427). Colour. Yellow with black pattern; frons largely yellow, area above and between supra-antennal elevations largely black but with a heart-shaped yellow spot below anterior ocellus, black marks medio-ventrally extending to base of clypeus; clypeus yellow with ventral margin dark brown; mandible yellow with teeth and latero-ventral margin black; vertex largely black with a V-shaped yellow patch posteriorly and postero-lateral area above occipital carina yellow; upper temple yellow and lower margin black; mesosoma laterally black with following yellow markings: broad oblique stripe on propleuron, stripe on upper pronotum and lower pronotum, broad oblique but medially interrupted stripe on mesopleuron and metapleuron; mesosoma dorsally black with following yellow markings: antero-lateral stripes on middle lobe of mesoscutum, axilla, antero-lateral half, metanotum, broad longitudinal lateral stripes on propodeum; metasoma black with following yellow markings: broad patch on posterior margin of first tergite and anterior margin of second tergite, narrow continuous stripe on posterior an lateral margin of second tergite, postero-lateral broad patches on fourth to sixth tergites, posterior half of first sternite, rather broad stripe on posterior margin of second sternite; palpi dark brown; antenna dark brown with first five segments darker; coxae dorsally, trochanters and trochantelli, base and apex of femora and base of tarsi yellow, remainder of legs dark brown to black; pterostigma dark brown, marginal cell more or less dark brown, remainder of wing membrane subhyaline. Variation. Length of body 5.5–9.3 mm, of fore wing 4.2–8.1 mm; length of vein 1-M of fore wing 1.2–1.4 times as long as vein 1-SR. Male. Length of body 7.4–9.1 mm, of fore wing 5.8–6.9 mm; antenna with 24 segments, tyloids linear, 0.8 times as long as segment on 10th–16th segments and 0.5 times as long as segment on 17th segment; genitalia internal.

China (Jiangsu, Taiwan, Hainan, Yunnan); India (Sikkim); Sri Lanka; Thailand (Thaleban N.P., 200 m); Laos; Papua New Guinea; Myanmar (syntype); Malaysia; Indonesia (Sumatra, syntype).