''Spathius thorpei'' is a species of parasitoid wasp belonging to the family

Braconidae The Braconidae are a family of parasitoid wasps. After the closely related Ichneumonidae, braconids make up the second-largest family in the order Hymenoptera, with about 17,000 recognized species and many thousands more undescribed. One analysis ...

. The species was first described by Sergey A. Belokobylskij and Andrew D. Austin in 2013, and is endemic to

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

Taxonomy

The species was identified by Polish entomologist Sergey A. Belokobylskij and Australian entomologist Andrew D. Austin in 2013, based on a holotype collected by Stephen E. Thorpe in April 2003, from

sedge The Cyperaceae () are a family of graminoid (grass-like), monocotyledonous flowering plants known as wikt:sedge, sedges. The family (biology), family is large; botanists have species description, described some 5,500 known species in about 90 ...

s in the

Auckland Domain The Auckland Domain, also known as Pukekawa / Auckland Domain, is a large park in Auckland, New Zealand. Consisting of of land, Auckland Domain is the oldest park in the city. Located in the central suburb of Grafton, New Zealand, Grafton, the ...

, Auckland, New Zealand. Belokobylskij and Austin named the species after Thorpe.

Description

Females of ''S. thorpei'' have a body length of , while males measure . The species has glabrous eyes, slender antennae, and is reddish brown in colour. The species can be differentiated by its distinctly sculptured vertex and frons, and by having a long and narrow mesosoma.

Distribution and habitat

The species is endemic to New Zealand.

References

{{Authority control Insects described in 2013 Braconidae Endemic insects of New Zealand Hymenoptera of New Zealand