Description of Metaphycus stephaniae sp. nov. (Hymenoptera, Chlacidoidea, Encyrtidae), a parasitoid of Stotzia ephedrae (Newstead)(Homoptera, Coccoidea, Coccidae)

A new species belonging to the genus Metaphycus is described. M. stephaniae sp. nov. has been reared from Stotzia ephedrae (Newstead) collected in Israel on Ephedra alte and on Asparagus aphyllus. The new species is compared with the closest ones, i.e. Metaphycus hodzhevanishvilii and M. zebratus.