Polysphincta boops Tschek, 1869

Varga, Oleksandr & Reshchikov, Alexey, 2015, New records of the genus Polysphincta Gravenhorst, 1829 (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae: Pimplinae) from the Oriental region, Zootaxa 3955 (3), pp. 435-443 : 440-441

Polysphincta boops Tschek, 1869

Polysphincta asiatica Kusigemati, 1984 , syn. nov.

Taxon discussion. According to the original description ( Kusigemati, 1984), P. asiatica is morphologically close to the Holarctic P. t ub e ros a Gravenhorst, 1829, but differs by the complete and strong pleural carina and the form of the propodeum which is very sparsely punctate anteriorly and smooth posteriorly. Kasparyan and Khalaim (2007) placed P. asiatica in a species group along with P. tuberosa which also has the pleural carina absent. They also provided the yellow-brownish bases of metasomal tergites 2–5 as an additional distinguishing feature for P. asiatica .

Our examination of the type materials of P. asiatica demonstrated that this species has the pleural carina complete ( Fig. 4 d) and all metasomal tergites black ( Fig. 3 e). Both P. boops (holotype and materials collected in Carpathians by the first author), and P. asiatica have the mandibles, scape and pedicel, tegula, subtegular ridge, scutellum, metascutellum, and legs largely yellow.

According to Fritzén and Shaw (2014) the main differences between two closely related species, P. boops and P. l o ng a, Kasparyan, 1976, are the number of flagellomeres (at most 28 in P. boops and at least 28 in P. l o ng a), the pubescence of mesoscutum (more pubescent in P. longa ) and the size of eyes (larger in P. longa ). The mesoscutum of P. asiatica is closely pubescent only anteriorly ( Fig. 3 c) as in P. boops ( Fig. 5 b, c, d). We found a new useful character, the length and the curvature of the central lobe of the mesoscutum, which seems to be the same in both P. asiatica and P. boops . The central lobe of the mesoscutum is generally shorter and more rounded ( Figs 3 c, d, 4d, 5b, d, 6a) compared to P. longa , which has a more elongate, generally flatter central lobe of mesoscutum ( Fig. 6 b).

The sculpture of metasoma in P. boops and P. asiatica is similar, metasomal tergites 3–5, anteriorly between swellings, somewhat indistinctly granulate with small punctures and impunctate on swellings (not visible on images). The ovipositor in examined specimens of both P. boops and P. longa , is about 1.15–1.3 times the length of the hind tibia. According to Kusigemati (1984), the ovipositor sheaths in P. asiatica vary from 1.1–1.4 times the length of hind tibia, P. asiatica is therefore assumed to be a junior synonym (syn. nov.).

Figures

FIGURE 3. Polysphincta asiatica, holotype female: a) lateral view of habitus; b) dorsal view of propodeum; c) dorsal view of mesoscutum; d) lateral view of head and mesopleuron; e) dorsal view of metasomal tergites 1 – 3; f) frontal view of head; g) lateral view of middle and hind legs and ovipositor; h) labels.

FIGURE 4. Polysphincta asiatica, paratype male: a) lateral view of habitus; b) frontal view of head; c) labels; d) lateral view of head mesosoma; e) dorsal view of mesoscutum; f) dorsolateral view of propodeum; g) lateral view of mid and hind legs; h) lateral view of metasomal tergites 1 – 4.

FIGURE 5. Polysphincta boops, holotype female: a) lateral view of habitus; b) frontal view of head; c) dorsal view of mesosoma; d) lateral view of mesosoma; e) dorsal view of metasomal tergites 1 – 3; f) dorsal view of habitus; g) labels.

FIGURE 6. Polysphincta spp., females: a) P. boops, lateral view of mesoscutum (mirroring) (European specimen); b) P. longa, lateral view of mesoscutum (European specimen); c) P. longa, dorsal view of metasomal tergites 3 – 4 (Thai specimen).