First contribution to the knowledge of the braconid wasps (Hymenoptera, Braconidae) of Malta

Abstract

A total of 48 species of braconid wasps (excluding 16 Aphidiidae) are here reported as occurring in the Maltese Islands, of which 38 species are reported for the first time from this territory. The braconid species of Malta belong to 13 subfamilies, of which two are the richest in terms of species diversity: Braconinae with 10 and Microgastrinae with 16 species. One Microgastrinae, Dolichogenidea zerafai sp. n. is described and distinguished from closely related species. The majority of the known species are widely distributed in Europe or in the Palaearctic. The braconid material is deposited in D. Mifsud鈥檚 private collection, with a few duplicates in the Hungarian Natural History Museum, Budapest.