Systematics of Kapala (Hymenoptera: Eucharitidae) and the origin of an Old World species

Kapala (Hymenoptera: Eucharitidae) are parasitoids of poneromorph ants. The genus is one of thirteen genera included in the ‘Kapala Clade’ and is currently considered polyphyletic based on molecular analyses. Kapala is comprised of 17 described species and possibly as many as 60 undescribed species. Only one species is known to occur outside of the New World, with K. ivorensis Risbec geographically widespread across the tropical Ethiopian and Malagasy regions. Neotropical Kapala are commonly collected and extremely diverse morphologically. In contrast, K. ivorensis has little morphological variation and few specimens are found in research collections. Based on previous research, the Old World distribution is believed to be the result of a recent divergence event. Molecular evidence from a combined-gene dataset (28S D2 & D3, COII, and ITS2) is used to assess the divergence of geographically disjunct African populations and identify possible sister species from the New World. These data supplement a comprehensive collection of digital images captured to document and compare morphological variation within and between species. Molecular and morphological evidence supports the existence of a sole wide-ranging Old World species.