A new Meteorus Haliday species from Colombia and Ecuador (Hymenoptera: Braconidae)

A new species of parasitoid wasp, Meteorus gigas Aguirre, Shaw and Jones (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), is described from Huila and Santander Provinces in Colombia and from Napo Province, in Ecuador. The new species is diagnosed and is compared to other species in the genus. Inferences about the possible biology of this species are discussed in consideration of the collecting methods used. The new species was most frequently found from Malaise trap samples but to a lesser extent from yellow pans and maxi-net sampling. Despite extensive sampling of caterpillars at this locality, the host of this new species remains unknown.