Mallochia aurantia ( Santos & Aguiar, 2008 ) Supeleto & Santos & Aguiar, 2019

Supeleto, Fernanda A., Santos, Bernardo F. & Aguiar, Alexandre P., 2019, Revision of Distictus Townes, 1966 (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae, Cryptinae), with descriptions of ten new species, European Journal of Taxonomy 542, pp. 1-64 : 8-9

Mallochia aurantia ( Santos & Aguiar, 2008) comb. nov.

Distictus aurantium Santos &Aguiar, 2008: 36–39 . Original description, figure, phylogenetic assessment.

Distictus aurantius – Yu et al. 2012 . Listed, specific epithet changed.

Comments

The considerable differences between the type species Distictus tibialis and D. aurantium Santos & Aguiar have already been stressed in Santos & Aguiar (2008: 32, 38). Those differences prompted the authors to include both species in a phylogenetic analysis based on 65 morphological characters, including 19 outgroup taxa, mostly from the group the genus was supposed to belong to, the subtribe Gabuniina ( Gabunia genus group sensu Santos 2017). The two species were recovered as sister groups and hence classified within the same genus. However, examination of further comparative material of Distictus and Mallochia shows that several species of the latter genus show character states similar to species of Distictus (see ‘Comments’ section for the genus above). The characters that consistently separate the two genera are precisely those that set D. aurantium apart from the other species of the genus, such as T1 without anterolateral tooth, fore wing crossvein 3r-m absent and vein 2Cua <0.60 × as long as crossvein 2cu-a. In fact, the species is quite similar to specimens of the Nearctic Mallochia strigosa (Cresson, 1872) . Hence, Distictus aurantium is hereby transferred to Mallochia .

Nomenclature

Yu et al. (2012) changed the neutral specific epithet aurantium to the masculine aurantius , to match Distictus , which is masculine. The ICZN (1999) states, in Article 34.2.1, that “ If a species-group name is a noun in apposition its ending need not agree in gender with the generic name with which it is combined and must not be changed to agree in gender with the generic name ”. The epithet was originally intended as a name in aposition, but this was not stated, making the emendation to aurantius acceptable. In an equivalent action, the epithet is now changed to aurantia to match Mallochia , which is feminine.

Material examined

Total of 13 specimens, 4 ♀♀ and 9 ♂♂.

Holotype

BRAZIL – Espírito Santo State • ♀; Santa Maria de Jetibá, Fazenda Clarindo Krüger ; 29 Nov.– 6 Dec. 2002; MTTavares, C. O. Azevedo exped.; Malaise trap; Pt. B 6; UFES.

Paratypes

BRAZIL – Espírito Santo State • 1 ♀; Fazenda Paulo Seick, Área 1; 3– 10 Dec. 2004; M. T. Tavares exped.; Pt. B 3; UFES • 1 ♂; Domingos Martins, Mata Pico do Eldorado ; 3– 10 Dec. 2004; M. T. Tavares exped.; Malaise trap; Pt. T 4; UFES • 1 ♂; Santa Teresa, Estação Biológica Santa Lúcia ; 9– 13 May 2006; M. T. Tavares exped.; Malaise trap; Pt. B 1; UFES • 2 ♂♂; Conceição do Castelo, Ribeirão do Meio ; 17– 24 Mar. 2007; A. P. Aguiar exped.; near lagoon; Malaise trap; UFES • 2 ♂♂; Domingos Martins, Mata Pico do Eldorado ; 3– 10 Dec. 2004; M. T. Tavares exped.; Pt. T 6; UFES .

URUGUAY • 2 ♂♂; 40 km NW of Tacuarembó; 2– 9 Feb. 1963; J. K. Bouseman leg.; AMNH .

Other material

ARGENTINA • 1 ♀; Misiones, Mado, Puerto Magdalena ; 22 Oct. 1964; A. Kovac leg.; AMNH • 1 ♀; Salta, El Alisal , 45 km W of Salta; alt. 1950 m; 1– 29 Dec. 1987; S. Peck and J. Peck leg.; USUC .

BRAZIL – Bahia State • 1 ♂; Ilhéus, Fazenda São José; 9 Dec. 2003; J. Cardoso and J. Maia leg.; Malaise trap; Pt. 2; UFES .

Distribution records

Brazil (BA, ES), Argentina, Uruguay.