First contribution to the doryctine fauna (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Doryctinae) of Farasan Archipelago, Saudi Arabia, with new records and the description of a new species

Abstract The doryctine wasp species (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) of Farasan Archipelago (Saudi Arabia) are studied here for the first time. Six species are reported, of which Mimodoryctes arabicus Edmardash, Gadallah & Soliman is described and illustrated as a new species. Neoheterospilus sp. is most probably a new species but further collecting should be done to obtain the female. Four species are new records for Saudi Arabia as well as for the whole Arabian Peninsula: Dendrosotinus ferrugineus (Marshall, 1888), Hecabalodes anthaxiae Wilkinson, 1929, Mimodoryctes proprius Belokobylskij, 2001, and Rhaconotus (Rhaconotus) carinatus Polaszek, 1994. The newly recorded species are re-described and illustrated.


Introduction
The Farasan Archipelago is situated in the southern part of the Red Sea ca. 40 km west of mainland of Jazan mainland coast (Saudi Arabia) [16°41'48"N, 42°7'20"E] (Muoftah 1990;Strumia and Dawah 2019), and has a width of approximately 120 km in SE-NW direction (Alfarhan et al. 2002). A total of 36 big and small islands make up the Farasan group of Islands (Alfarhan et al. 2002), the largest of which is Farasan Al-Kabir (= Greater Farasan, see Fig. 1) (369 km 2 ) (Strumia and Dawah 2019). In 1996 Farasan Al-Kabir was established as a protected area by the Saudi Wildlife Commission (SWC), for conserving and restoring animal wildlife, especially the only remaining wild population of Arabian gazelle (El-Demerdash 1996;Alfarhan et al. 2002). Although Farasan lies within the Afro-Asian phytogeographical zone, the floral elements recorded to have the affinity with the Afrotropical, South Palaearctic (Mediterranean) and Oriental regions (Strumia and Dawah 2019). There are no weather stations located in any part of the archipelago, the climate data is therefore is collected from Jazan meteorological station (Alfarhan et al. 2002). The Farasan Archipelago is characterized by the long hot season extending from April to October, and a short mild one (from November to March), with the mean annual temperature is 30 °C, and the mean relative humidity in winter 70-80% and in summer 65-78%.
The Doryctinae Foerster, 1863 is one of the richest, most diverse and most speciose subfamilies of the family Braconidae, second only to Microgastrinae in species richness (Shaw 1995;Marsh 1997;Yu et al. 2016). There are more than 2000 described species in ca. 198 genera and 15 tribes (Braet 2016;Yu et al. 2016;Chen and van Achterberg 2019), and the true number is estimated to be ca. 3000 species. The genus Heterospilus Haliday is the most diversified genus in terms of species number and host range (Belokobylskij et al. 2004;Yu et al. 2016). They are mostly distributed in tropical and subtropical regions and are especially diverse in the Neotropical region (Shenefelt and Marsh 1976;Belokobylskij 1992;Marsh 1993Marsh , 1997Marsh et al. 2013). The definition of the subfamily is problematic (Chen and van Achterberg 2019), as is not supported by the use of morphological characters alone, because of the presence of homoplasies (Belokobylskij et al. 2004). It should be revised on the basis of molecular studies (Zaldívar-Riverón et al. 2006. Dorytines are cyclostome braconids, diagnosed by the following combination of characters: fore tibia with row or (rarely) cluster of stout pegs along the anterior edge that are distinct from regular setae; hind coxa often with basoventral tubercle; epicnemial and occipital carinae present, which are rarely absent; propleuron with a large, dorso-posterior flange just above the fore coxa, and extending slightly over the ventrolateral corner of the pronotum; ovipositor strongly sclerotized, distinctly darkened apically; dorsal valve of ovipositor double nodus subapically more or less developed (Quicke et al. 1993;van Achterberg 1993;Marsh 2002). One of the main characters that was traditionally used within doryctine genera is the relative length of basal sternal plate of T1 (= acrosternite sensu Belokobylskij 1995). This structure can be short and sessile, or long and petiolate (Belokobylskij 1995;Marsh 1997).
The first attempt to study the evolutionary relationships between the genera of Doryctinae was carried out by Belokobylskij et al. (2004) using morphological characters of 143 genera. However, most of the relationships could not be resolved with the characters used, resulting in an inability to propose a higher classification the subfamily Doryctinae. The monophyly of Doryctinae was also not recovered in some studies, whether based on morphological characters (e.g., Belokobylskij et al. 2004), or on molecular analysis (e.g., Dowton et al. 1998;Zaldivar-Riverón et al. 2007Sharanowski et al. 2011), or on a combined morphological and molecular analysis of cyclostome braconids (Zaldivar-Riverón et al. 2006), and so it remains in doubt (Chen and van Achterberg 2019).
Species of the subfamily Doryctinae are not only diverse morphologically but also in their biology (Belokobylskij et al. 2004). From available host records, they are exclusively idiobiont ectoparasitoids of concealed or semi-concealed larvae of wood boring insects, including xylophagous beetles, Lepidoptera and sawflies (van Achterberg 1993;Belokobylskij et al. 2004), termites (Isoptera), and even (as exception) Embioptera (Shaw and Edgerly 1985). A few are known to be phytophagous in seeds (Marsh 1991;de Macêdo and Monteiro 1989;Marsh et al. 2000). Recently, several genera have been discovered to be gall inducers, while others are suspected of being predators of gallers (Zaldívar-Riverón et al. 2007, 2014. In Costa Rica, an unusual biology was discovered in species that are inquilines in figs, where they exhibit an extreme sexual dimorphism that resembles that of chalcid fig wasps (Ramírez and Marsh 1996;van Achterberg and Marsh 2002). A relatively few species are involved in different methods of biological control (Quicke 2015).
Morphological terminology follows Sharkey and Wharton (1997), Marsh (2002) and Marsh et al. (2013). Wing venation terminology is based on van Achterberg (1993). Body sculpture terminology follows Harris (1979). In the laboratory, the material was studied using a Leica M205 C stereomicroscope. The colour photographs were taken using a Canon EOS 70D camera attached to a Leica MZ 125 stereomicroscope. Individual source images were then stacked using HeliconFocus v.6.22 (HeliconSoft Ltd) extended of field software. Measurements of body parts were made with an ocular micrometer. Further image processing was done using the software Adobe Photoshop Global distribution is based on Yu et al. (2016), in addition to some more recent literature. For tribal classification, we follow Chen and van Achterberg (2019).
List of abbreviations: F = antennal flagellomeres; mtn = metanotum; ODL = diameter of ocellus; OOL = ocello-ocular line (distance between the outer edge of a lateral ocellus to the compound eye); POL = post-ocellar line (distance between the inner edges of the two lateral ocelli); SOS = sides of scutellum; T = metasomal terga. Fore wing: 1-R1 = Radial vein; 1-SR+M = first sector of sectio radii amalgamated with media; 2-SR = second sector of sectio radii veins; 2-Cu = second sector of cubital vein; 1-, 2-and 3-M = first, second and third sectors of media, respectively; 3-SR = third sector of sectio radii veins; C+Sc+R = costa, subcosta, and radius amalgamated into one vein; Hind wing: R1= radial vein; SR = RS = sectio radial vein; SC+R = subcosta and radius amalgamated into one vein; other veins have the same names as the fore wing.  slightly convex; hypoclypeal depression 0.9× distance between depression and eye. Tentorial pits small. Antenna broken (with 10 flagellomeres after being broken); scape short, 1.45× as long as its apical width; F1 5.0× as long as its apical width. Occipital carina thin and sharp, complete dorsally, but not meeting hypostomal carina ventrally.
Legs ( Fig. 5A): Fore femur 2.1× as long as its maximum width; fore and middle tibiae with row of short, thick dark spines along their inner margins; fore tibia with a comb of widely separated short spines distally. Hind tarsus 1.2× as long as hind tibia; hind basitarsus 0.9× as long as remaining hind tarsomeres combined; 2 nd tarsomere 0.48× as long as basitarsus, 1.6× as long as telotarsus (excluding arolium).
Re-description of female. Body length: 4.2 mm; ovipositor length: 2.35 mm; fore wing length: 2.5 mm. (we re-describe this species in full because of the short original description of Wilkinson (1929)): Dark brown, except for the yellowish hue on lateral sides of T1 and T2 as well as apex of T2 (Figs 6A, B, 7E); antenna orange, scape slightly darker (Fig. 6C); legs dark brown (except for the yellowish base of fore tibia, and all tarsi), telotarsi darker. Fore wing subhyaline, with distinct infuscation along marginal cell (Fig. 7D).
Head (Figs 6C-E, 7A): 1.3× as wide as its median length, slightly wider than mesoscutum; coarsely rugose; head behind eye broadly rounded; temple 0.6× as long as eye  height in dorsal view; POL 1.6× OD, 0.9× OOL; eye with few scattered short setae; malar space 0.4× as long as eye height, 1.2× as long as basal width of mandible, malar suture absent; face smooth laterally just behind eyes; face 1.5× as wide as eye width, 0.8× as long its length combined with clypeus; hypoclypeal depression more or less quadrate, ca. as wide as its distance from eye; occipital carina complete dorsally, not meeting hypostomal carina ventrally; antenna broken; scape twice as long as its maximum width; F1 6.5× as long as its apical width, 1.2× as long as F2; ocellar triangle with base longer than lateral sides. Mesosoma (Fig. 7A-C): 2.3× as long as its height; pronotum with two sharp transverse carinae dorsally; mesoscutum gently rounded above or at the same level of pronotum when seen from lateral view, flattened on disc, densely rugose, finely alutaceous laterally; notauli indistinct; mesoscutellum slightly convex, truncate at apex, finely sculptured, with a number of thick carinae laterally; mtn 0.4× as long as mesoscutum, with a short longitudinal median carina and 2-3 oblique submedian carinae on its depressed anterior part, convex postero-medially; propodeum finely and sparsely granulate, with two short postero-medial, parallel carinae, 0.3× as long as propodeal length, median longitudinal carina of propodeum absent; mesopleuron finely punctate, with irregular spaces in between, shiny; precoxal sulcus shallow, irregular, running ventrally along almost the entire length of mesopleuron. Fore wing (Fig. 7D): 3.6× as long as its maximum width; pterostigma 1.7× as long as maximum width; vein M + CU1 slightly curved; 1-SR+M nearly straight; vein r-m absent; vein r arising at basal third of pterostigma; 2-SR 1.75× as long as r, slightly longer than m-cu, 0.6× as long as 1-SR+M; 1CU1 0.2× as long as 2CU1. Hind wing (Fig. 7D): With fringe of long, fine setae along apical and anal margins; vein 1-M 1.7× as long as 1-rm. Legs. Hind coxa (Fig. 7C) 1.7× as long as wide, without distinct basoventral tubercle, finely punctate especially ventrally, with some fine whitish setae distally and laterally; hind femur 2.6× as long as wide; hind tarsus 1.1× as long as hind tibia; hind basitarsus slightly shorter than rest of tarsomeres combined; second tarsomere 0.55× as long as hind basitarsus, 2.2× as long as telotarsus (excluding arolium); outer edge of hind tibia with long, fine whitish setae. Metasoma (Figs 6A, B, 7E): 1.3× as long as head and mesosoma combined; T1 and basal half of T2 with distinct interrupted longitudinal striae, somewhat dotted in between; T1 1.5× as long as its apical width; T2 0.9× as long as its apical width, 2.7× as long as T3; posterior half of T2 finely reticulate, T3-5 (except posterior margin of T5 smooth and shiny), finely reticulate; T6 entirely smooth and shiny. Ovipositor sheath about as long as or slightly longer than metasoma (Fig. 6A, B), and the fore wing as well. General distribution. Sudan (Wilkinson, 1929), Saudi Arabia (Farasan Islands) (new record).
Remark. This species has not been collected during the 90 years or more since Wilkinson described the holotype from Sudan in 1929.  Head (Figs 8C-E, 9A): 0.7× as wide as its median length, distinctly wider than mesoscutum (1.3×). Head below eyes distinctly straight when seen from frontal view. Vertex distinctly smooth and shiny; frons superficially finely punctate, interspaces smooth. Head behind eyes gently rounded when seen from dorsal view; temple smooth, with few scattered setae, 0.6× eye length. Ocelli placed in an equilateral ocellar triangle. POL 1.6× OD, 1.0× OOL; diameter of antennal sockets 1.4× distance between socket and eye. Eye glabrous, slightly emarginate opposite to antennal sockets, 1.1× as high as broad. Malar space 1.1× as long as basal width of mandible, 0.4× as long as eye height; malar suture absent. Face slightly convex, very finely sculptured laterally, nearly smooth medially, with few scattered setae; its width 0.8× height of eye, and 1.2× as wide as its height. Clypeus very thin, transverse, moderately arched at free margin; hypoclypeal depression moderate, semi-oval, its width 0.6× face width. Occipital carina thin, complete dorsally, reaching hypostomal carina ventrally. Antenna slender, filiform, pointed at apex, without spine, 21-segmented, hardly longer than body length; scape nearly smooth, rather short, with few scattered setae, 1.2× as long as wide; flagellum densely setose, F1 slender, straight, 4.9× as long as its apical width, ca. as long as F2; penultimate segment 6.0× as long as F1, 0.7× as long as apical flagellomere.
Mesosoma (Fig. 9A-C): Almost smooth, lateral lobes of mesoscutum finely sculptured to alutaceous, not depressed, 1.9× as long as its height. Pronotum rather short, nearly straight, smooth, collar with longitudinal median and lateral carinae. Mesoscutum distinctly high, more or less perpendicularly elevated above pronotum; its maximum width 1.5× as wide as its middle length; median lobe of mesoscutum, slightly, but straightly protruding forwardly. Notauli wide and deep anteriorly, shallow and thinner posteriorly, broad anteriorly and meeting posteriorly before posterior margin of mesoscutum, distinctly foveolate. Prescutellar area in the form of two subquadrate plates, separated medially by a thin linear suture, mostly smooth, 0.4× as long as mesoscutellum. Mesoscutellum slightly convex at anterior half, with very fine lateral carina, its basal width 0.7× its median length. Subalar depression smooth, nearly rounded. Sternaulus moderately deep, straight, smooth, running along median area of lower part of mesopleuron. Metapleural lobe relatively large, nearly smooth, gently rounded posteriorly just above hind coxa. Propodeum smooth, nearly flattened, laterally carinate, with two short, posterior sublateral, oblique and slightly curved carinae at base as well as a median straight one, 0.1× as long as propodeal length; basal sublateral carina could also be seen, 0.4× as long as propodeum length; propodeal spiracle relatively small. Wings (Fig. 9E, F): Fore wing 3.8× as long as its maximum width, 0.75× as long as body length; r arising near to the middle of pterostigma; Radial cell long (not  shortened); metacarpus longer than pterostigma; r 1.4× as long as maximum width of pterostigma; 3-SR 0.85× r, forming with it an obtuse angle; 3-SR 0.2× as long as SR1, straight; trace of 1-SR+M distinctly lower than 2-SR+M (very hardly seen to be measured); m-cu slightly curved; brachial cell broadly opened distally. Hind wing 4.6× as long as its maximum width, costal cell absent, Costal vein stigma-like subbasally. Whole edges of both wings surrounded with relatively long fringe of setae.
Legs (Fig. 9D): Hind coxa 1.2× as long as its maximum width, with small, but distinct baso-ventral tubercle; hind femur narrow, without blister dorsally, 4.2× as long as its maximum width; hind basitarsus 0.3× as long as hind tibia; hind tibia with weak blister near to the middle, second tarsomere of hind leg 0.64× as long as hind basitarsus.
Metasoma (Fig. 8A, B, 9G): Nearly glabrous, except for very few fine long setae laterally, 2.7× as long as its maximum width, 1.1× as long as head and mesosoma combined. T1 widened from base to apex, its apical width 2.1× its basal width, 1.0× its middle length, with small basal dorsope; with baso-median smooth area that narrowed posteriorly, not reaching middle of tergite, with very weak, irregular longitudinal striations that are obscured medially; T1 1.4× as long as propodeal length; T2 with a trace of short, semi-circular smooth area baso-medially; median length of T2 0.8× its basal width, 0.8× as long as T1 and 1.8× as long as T3, sculpturing as in T1, but very superficial and weaker. T3 ca. 2.0× as wide as long, with short, thick, widely separated longitudinal striations at base. Remaining tergites smooth and shiny.
Color (Figs 8A, B, 9E, F): Body generally reddish yellow, with head distinctly darker; antenna with scape and pedicel as body color, flagellum dark brown to black; maxillary and labial palpi pale brown; ocellar triangle black, last metasomal tergites dark brown to black. Wings hyaline, fore wing pterostigma and veins dark brown. Remark. Although it cannot be matched with any of the species keyed out by Belokobylskij in his paper of Neoheterospilus (2006), it should not be described as new until females are collected (Belokobylskij, pers. comm.).

Tribe Rhaconotini Fahringer, 1928
Genus Generally dark reddish brown, with posterior margin of T4 and T5 yellowish in color (Fig. 10A, B) (in some specimens, head reddish, with black ocellar triangle); antenna with scape dark reddish brown, pedicel and basal half of flagellum reddish, rest of flagellum dark brown. Legs and palpi are pale yellowish (except dark brown telotarsus). Wings (Fig. 11D) hyaline, with slight, hardly seen fumigation behind pterostigma; pterostigma brownish, with pale basal and apical ends; veins brownish, with basal three-fourths of C+SC+R, basal two-thirds of 1-R1, and basal half of M+CU1 are pale brownish in color; ovipositor reddish, slightly dark at apex, ovipositor sheath black (Fig. 10A, B).
Remark. Based on Polaszek et al. (1994) and van Achterberg and Polaszek (1996), our species differs from the African specimens in having the pterostigma distinctly infuscate medially, with pale basal and apical ends (distinctly infuscate in the African specimens); antenna 35-segmented (26-33 in the African specimens); lateral lobes of mesoscutum moderately setose (largely glabrous in the African specimens); propodeum finely reticulate, with a hardly visible median longitudinal carinae as well as two  very short sublateral ones (almost smooth anteromedially in the African specimens, see fig. 30 in Polaszek et al. (1994) and fig. 366 in van Achterberg and Polaszek (1996)).

Mimodoryctes arabicus
Head (Fig. 12C-E): 1.3× as wide as its median length, densely transversely striated in dorsal view; face coarsely rugose; frons not concave, without median carina, just a smooth slim area medially extending from between behind antennal bases, reaching clypeus; gena finely, obliquely striated; vertex and face sparsely setose. Temple roundly constricted behind eye, 0.5× as long as eye height. Clypeus coarsely rugose. Ocelli small; ocellar triangle with base 1.5× as long as its sides; POL 1.6× OD, 0.8× OOL. Eyes 2.1× as high as its width, with sparse short setae. Malar space 0.5× eye height, 0.6× basal width of mandible. Face width 0.9× eye height; hypostomal depression small, rounded, its width 0.9× distance of depression from eye edge. Head gently narrowly rounded behind eye when seen from frontal view. Antenna slender, broken (with 11 flagellomeres after being broken); scape short, 1.9× as long as its apical width; F1 slightly curved, 6.0× as long as its apical width, 1.1× as long as F2.
Mesosoma (Fig. 13A, B): 2.4× as long as its height. Mesoscutum not elevated above pronotum in lateral view. Pronotum with weak transverse carinae; mesoscutum flattened, coarsely rugose, with irregularly scattered fine setae, with a nearly smooth posteromedial area. Notauli indistinct. Mesoscutellum slightly convex to nearly flattened, ca. as long as its basal width, finely transversely puncticulate. Propodeum not areolate, with an incomplete median sulcus that is branched laterally giving off irregular oblique ridges. Mesopleuron coarsely rugose above, smooth with some fine punctures ventrally; sternaulus deep, nearly straight, extending along the entire ventral margin of mesopleuron.
Legs (Figs 13C, 14B-D): Hind coxa 2.4× as long as its maximum width, with a small rounded tubercle basoventrally, finely alutaceous, with a medio-ventral smooth and shiny area extending subbasally to apex; hind femur 2.6× as long as its maximum width, finely alutaceous, with some fine long hairs; outer edge of hind tibia with fine, long outstanding setae, ca. as long as tibial maximum width; hind tarsus ca. as long as hind tibia; hind basitarsus 0.7× as long as second-fifth tarsomeres combined.
Color ( Remark. The absence or presence of vein r-m of the fore wing has been found to be a polymorphic character for four genera: Afrospathius Belokobylskij & Quicke, Leluthia Cameron, Pareucorystes Tobias, and Platydoryctes Barbalho & Pentiado-Dias. However, this character has not yet been recorded in Mimodoryctes Belokobylskij (see Belokobylskij (2001)), and this was later confirmed in Belokobylskij et al. (2004) in their phylogenetic study of the doryctine genera based solely on morphological evidence. However, in the absence of other reliable diagnostic characters, the situation is considered in the present study to be the same as in the above-mentioned four genera.
Head (Fig. 15C, D): 1.4× as wide as its median length, somewhat angulate behind eye in frontal view, roundly narrowed after eyes in dorsal view. Transverse eye diameter ca. twice as long as temple in dorsal view. Vertex with transverse curved striations with rugosity between striae (Fig. 15D). Face densely punctate, with fine, inwardly directed whitish setae, as well as thicker and shorter sparse setae on vertex. Temple gently rounded behind eyes, ca. 0.5× eye height. Ocelli small, ocellar triangle equilateral; POL 1.1× OD, 2.4× OOL. Eyes 1.2× as high as its width, glabrous. Malar space 0.4× as long as eye height, 1.6× as long as basal width of mandible. Face slightly wider than eye height (1.1×); hypostomal depression of moderate size, rounded, its width as long as its distance from eye edge. Antenna slender, with apex missing, 18-segmented, appearing shorter than body; scape 1.9× as long as its apical width, slightly longer dorsally than ventrally, F1 slightly curved along outer side, 6.3× as long as its apical width, slightly longer than F2 (1.2×); F3 straight, slightly longer than F4 (1.2×).
Legs (Fig. 16C, D). Hind coxa 1.35× as long as its maximum width, densely alutaceous, with a small rounded tubercle basoventrally; hind femur 2.7× as long as its maximum width, finely alutaceous. Outer edge of hind tibia with a row of widely separated spines; hind tarsus slightly longer than hind tibia, 1.1×; hind basitarsus 0.8× as long as 2 nd -5 th tarsomeres combined.
Metasoma (Fig. 16E). 0.95× as long as head and mesosoma combined. T1 gradually widened from base to apex, 1.3× as wide as its middle length, without median longitudinal carina, with dense, close longitudinal striae, granulose in between; T2 distinctly broader than T1, 1.3× as wide its median length, longitudinally striated at anterior 0.7 length, followed by small, finely granulated area, then smooth at posterior margin, with very weak, hardly seen transverse curved sulcus medially; T1 0.7× as long as T2. Rest of tergites finely alutaceous, and smooth apically. Metasomal tergites sparsely setose. Ovipositor 0.4× as long as metasomal length, 1.8× as long as T1.

Discussion
Saudi Arabia is a large arid land, covering the major part of the Arabian Peninsula, with an area of ca. 2,250,000 km 2 (Aldhebiani and Howladar 2015). It is characterized by different ecosystems and is considered as one of the richest areas of biodiversity in the Arabian Peninsula, as its flora is formed by a mixture of Afrotropical, Oriental, and South Palaearctic (Mediterranean) elements (Aldhebiani and Howladae 2015).
From a biogeographical point of view, the position of Saudi Arabia is on the frontier between the Palaearctic and Afrotropical regions, as the Arabian Desert being a strong ecological barrier. The Farasan Archipelago (east of the Saudi Arabia-Yemen border) is considered to be more closely related to the Afrotropical region, with a high floristic diversity in relation to other parts of Saudi Arabia (Alwelaie et al. 1993;El-Demerdash 1996;Alfarhan et al. 2002).
In the Afrotropical region, the subfamily Doryctinae is represented by 234 species in 39 genera (Yu et al. 2016). Only three doryctine species are reported to occur in the Arabian Peninsula, Rhaconotus arabicus, Zombrus anisopus (Saudi Arabia) (Marshall 1900;Fahringer 1930;Fischer 1980;Belokobylskij 2001), and Doryctophasmus ferrugineus (United Arab Emirates, Yemen) (Belokobylskij 2015). In the present study, six doryctine species are added to the Arabian Peninsula fauna and Saudi Arabia (Farasan Archipelago), of which Mimodoryctes arabicus Edmardash, Gadallah & Soliman, and most probably Neoheterospilus sp. (until being confirmed by the collection of females) are new species. Most of the collected species are exclusively Afrotropical. This is closely correlated with the floristic composition of the area under study (Farasan Islands) as has been reported by many authors (e.g., Alwelaie et al. 1993;El-Demerdash 1996;Alfarhan et al. 2002).
In the present study, Hecabalodes anthaxiae Wilkinson, 1929 is recorded from Saudi Arabia, a species not recorded anywhere since it was originally described from Sudan (Wilkinson 1929).
The absence or presence of vein r-m of the fore wing has been found to be a polymorphic character for only four genera: Afrospathius Belokobylskij & Quicke, Leluthia Cam-eron, Pareucorystes Tobias, and Platydoryctes Barbalho & Pentiado-Dias. However, this character is absent in Mimodoryctes Belokobylskij (see Belokobylskij (2001)), and this was also confirmed in Belokobylskij et al. (2004) in their phylogenetic study of the doryctine genera based solely on morphological evidence. However, in the absence of other reliable diagnostic characters, the situation is considered in the present study to be the same as in the above-mentioned four genera. On the other hand, the number of segments in maxillary and labial palps can also be hardly counted especially in dry specimens, because the basal first and sometimes second segments can be very short and are very difficult to see separately in dry specimens (Belokobylskij, pers. comm.), and in our opinion, this character should also be considered as a polymorphic character for this genus.
Because of the rich biodiversity of Saudi Arabia, more species of this subfamily and others are expected to occur. Therefore, further collections and studies are needed to clarify the distribution of this group of wasps in other parts of this large country.