Description of Metaphycus stephaniae sp nov (Hymenoptera, Chlacidoidea, Encyrtidae), a parasitoid of Stotzia ephedrae (Newstead) (Hemiptera, 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 C. A. Mey and on Asparagus aphyllus L. The new species is compared with its closest relatives, M. hodzhevanishvilii and M. zebratus.