1987] 
Shaw — New megalyrids from South America 
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2. Ovipositor longer than metasoma length; antenna long and 
v slender (as in Fig. 1) Rigel chiliensis Shaw 
Ovipositor shorter than metasoma length; antenna short and 
compact (as in Fig. 2) Cryptalyra plaumanni Shaw 
Genus Rigel Shaw, new genus 
Type-species: Rigel chiliensis Shaw 
Head: Hypognathous, wider than long; clypeus and frons convex, 
not excavated; frons and ocellar triangle densely punctulate; vertex 
punctulate to shagreened; occiput, gena, and malar space sha- 
greened; eye ovoid, densely setose; ocular orbital carina absent; 
malar suture indistinct; subantennal groove broad (Fig. 1), not bor- 
dered by distinct carinae; occipital carina present, finely foveolate; 
occipital carina at base curving away from mandible; postgena nar- 
row; antenna long and slender, apex reaching middle of metasoma; 
flagellum filiform; mandible 3-toothed; maxillary palpus apparently 
4-segmented; labial palpus 3-segmented. 
Mesosoma: Mesonotum, axilla, and scutellar disc punctulate to 
densely shagreened; median mesoscutal sulcus finely foveolate; axil- 
lae meeting at inner angles; pronotum, mesopleuron, metapleuron, 
and hind coxa shagreened; “pronotal” spiracle circular, without an 
internal fringe of setae; propodeal spiracle elongate, slit-like; pro- 
podeum areolate, without tubercles at postero-lateral corners; legs 
(as in Fig. 1); hind coxa without a longitudinal carina; hind tibial 
setae prone; fore and middle tibiae not apically rimmed with stout 
spines; fore and middle tibiae each with one apical spur, hind tibia 
with two spurs. 
Wings (as in Fig. 4) hyaline, without any distinct banding pattern. 
Metasoma: Elongate, subcylindrical, slightly compressed; faintly 
shagreened, but mostly smooth and shining; ovipositor (Fig. 1) 
much longer than metasoma and slightly arched; ovipositor sheaths 
long, slender, densely setose, tending to curl. 
Etymology: After Rigel, a star in the constellation Orion. 
Remarks: Most similar to Megalyridea Hedqvist, described by 
Hedqvist (1959) based on a specimen from Cape Province of South 
Africa. Rigel differs from Megalyridea by lacking a distinct carina 
along the dorsal margin of the subantennal groove, lacking a row of 
foveae along the genal orbit of the eye, and by having entirely 
