''Shireplitis'' is a genus of
braconid wasps
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 ...
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, also officially named , is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand in surface area, the other being the smaller but more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman ...
, and one on the
North Island
The North Island, also officially named Te Ika-a-Māui, is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but much less populous South Island by the Cook Strait. The island's area is , making it the world's 14th-largest ...
. 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 such as Australia and New Zealand. It is generally synonymous with county. It was first used in Wessex from the beginn ...
, 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 Rawlins ...
, and five species are named after hobbits, with one species named after Tolkien himself.
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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
The propodeum or propodium is the first abdominal segment in Apocrita Hymenoptera (wasps, bees and ants). It is fused with the thorax to form the mesosoma. It is a single large sclerite
A sclerite (Greek , ', meaning " hard") is a hardened bod ...
(first abdominal segment), and in the structure of the hypopygium, a modified 9th abdominal segment.
Species
*''Shireplitis bilboi'', named after Bilbo Baggins
Bilbo Baggins 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 many of Tolkien's Middle-ear ...
, occurs on the South Island
*''Shireplitis frodoi'', named after Frodo Baggins
Frodo Baggins 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 Baggins, described familiarly as "u ...
, occurs on the South Island
*''Shireplitis meriadoci'', named after Meriadoc Brandybuck
Meriadoc Brandybuck, 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 described as one of the closest friends ...
, 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 th ...
, 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 sidekick of the protagonist Frodo Baggins. Sam ...
, occurs on the North Island
*''Shireplitis tolkieni'', named after 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 Rawlins ...
, occurs on the South Island
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q21217992
Microgastrinae
Braconidae genera
Hymenoptera of New Zealand
Endemic fauna of New Zealand
Organisms named after Tolkien and his works
Endemic insects of New Zealand