''Shireplitis'' is a genus of braconid wasps native to New Zealand. Individuals range from 1.8 to 2.4 mm in body length. Five of the six known species occur on

South Island The South Island ( , 'the waters of Pounamu, Greenstone') is the largest of the three major islands of New Zealand by surface area, the others being the smaller but more populous North Island and Stewart Island. It is bordered to the north by ...

, and one on the

North Island The North Island ( , 'the fish of Māui', historically New Ulster) is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but less populous South Island by Cook Strait. With an area of , it is the List ...

. The genus name derives from the

Shire Shire () is a traditional term for an administrative division of land in Great Britain and some other English-speaking countries. It is generally synonymous with county (such as Cheshire and Worcestershire). British counties are among the oldes ...

, fictional home of the

hobbit Hobbits are a fictional race of people in the novels of J. R. R. Tolkien. About half average human height, Tolkien presented hobbits as a variety of humanity, or close relatives thereof. Occasionally known as halflings in Tolkien's writings, ...

s in the works of

J. R. R. Tolkien John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (, 3 January 1892 – 2 September 1973) was an English writer and philologist. He was the author of the high fantasy works ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings''. From 1925 to 1945, Tolkien was the Rawlinson ...

, and five species are named after hobbits, with one species named after Tolkien himself.

Description

Individuals are brown to black in color, and range from 1.8 to 2.4 mm in body length, with distinctly narrow fore wings. Species of ''Shireplitis'' differ from related genera in the subfamily

Microgastrinae Microgastrinae is a subfamily of braconid wasps, encompassing almost 3,000 described species, with an estimated 30,000–50,000 total species. This makes it one of the richest subfamilies with the most species of parasitoid wasps. Genera These ...

in having relatively shorter and stouter legs, shorter antennal segments in females, and sculpturing of the

propodeum Propodeum labelled within the alitrunk of an ant worker The propodeum is a term that can refer to unrelated structures in insects or in mollusks. Insects The first abdominal segment in Apocrita Hymenoptera (wasps, bees and ants) is known a ...

(first abdominal segment), and in the structure of the hypopygium, a modified 9th abdominal segment.

Species

*''Shireplitis bilboi'', named after

Bilbo Baggins Bilbo Baggins (Westron: ''Bilba Labingi'') is the title character and protagonist of J. R. R. Tolkien's 1937 novel ''The Hobbit'', a supporting character in ''The Lord of the Rings'', and the fictional narrator (along with Frodo Baggins) of m ...

, occurs on the South Island *''Shireplitis frodoi'', named after

Frodo Baggins Frodo Baggins ( Westron: ''Maura Labingi'') is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's writings and one of the protagonists in ''The Lord of the Rings''. Frodo is a hobbit of the Shire who inherits the One Ring from his cousin Bilbo Bag ...

, occurs on the South Island *''Shireplitis meriadoci'', named after

Meriadoc Brandybuck Meriadoc Brandybuck (Westron: ''Kalimac Brandagamba''; usually called Merry) is a Hobbit, a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium, featured throughout his most famous work, ''The Lord of the Rings''. Merry is descr ...

, occurs on the South Island *''Shireplitis peregrini'', named after

Peregrin Took Peregrin Took, commonly known simply as Pippin, is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy novel ''The Lord of the Rings''. He is closely tied with his friend and cousin, Merry Brandybuck, and the two are together during most of ...

, occurs on the South Island *''Shireplitis samwisei'', named after

Samwise Gamgee Samwise Gamgee (, usually called Sam) is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth. A hobbit, Samwise is the chief supporting character of ''The Lord of the Rings'', serving as the loyal companion (in effect, the manservant) of t ...

, occurs on the North Island *''Shireplitis tolkieni'', named after

, occurs on the South Island

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q21217992 Microgastrinae Braconidae genera Hymenoptera of New Zealand Endemic insects of New Zealand