First Discovery of the Family Tanaostigmatidae (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea) from China with a Description of a New Gall-Making Species Utilizing Kudzu Leaves

A new species of Tanaostigmodes (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea, Tanaostigmatidae) is described from China—Tanaostigmodes puerariae sp. nov. This is the first record of this family in China. This new species has potential as a biological control agent for control of kudzu, Pueraria lobate, in the U. S., because its preference for making leaf galls on kudzu. It was determined that the wasp has two generations per year, with the second generation overwintering as mature larvae in the gall on leaves that have dropped to the ground. Normally, only one wasp was found per gall, and a single kudzu leaf could have as many as 20 to 50 galls on its surface.