Anoplius (Dicranoplius), 1834

Sadler, Emily, 2017, Review of the Neotropical spider wasp subgenus Anoplius (Dicranoplius) Haupt (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae), new comb., Zootaxa 4311 (4), pp. 537-550 : 538-539

Anoplius (Dicranoplius) , new combination

Diagnosis. Species of Anoplius (Dicranoplius) can be separated from other Neotropical Pompilinae genera by the following: the antennal segments are elongate except for A. areatus , and for males, the apical segments of the antennae are weakly crenulate in profile; the postnotum is strap-like, not expanded on each side of the midline; the legs are spinose, but the fore tibia is not spinose dorsally; the female has a weakly to strongly developed tarsal comb, but the spines are not flattened or spatulate; the female has an unusually large pulvillar pad with a fringe of short setae; the tarsal claws of both sexes are bifid with inner claw truncate; for the male, the last tarsal segment of the fore leg is slender and unmodified; the SMC3 is usually much narrower above than SMC2; the male has dense, coarse setae on the posterior face of the propodeum; and the male genitalia have greatly expanded spatulate parapenial lobes and have simple flaps rather than basal hooks.

Remarks. Species of Dicranoplius can be difficult to determine to species. As Evans (1969) noted, the genitalia should be studied for each specimen to conclusively identify the males, except for the easily recognized A. cujanus and A. areatus , especially due to the overlap of the ranges of many of the species. The aedeagus is slightly longer than the parapenial lobes and has expanded apical lobes for A. brevitarsus (Banks) , A. cujanus (Holmberg) , A. diphonichus (Spinola) , and A. nigritus (Evans) . The aedeagus is about as long as the parapenial lobes and has a simple apex in A. areatus (Banks) and A. evansi , sp. nov. The aedeagus is much shorter than the parapenial lobes and has a simple, weakly sclerotized apex in A. pampero (Evans) and A. satanus (Holmberg) . Although the male of A. albidus (Evans) is unknown, the aedeagus will likely be longer that the parapenial lobes and have expanded lobes at the apex based on similarities of the female of this species with other species.

Coloration can also useful for reducing the number of possibilities. For A. cujanus (Holmberg) , both sexes have all black integument and black setae. For A. diphonichus (Spinola) , A. nigritus (Evans) , and A. satanus (Holmberg) , both sexes have a black head and mesosoma, a reddish orange metasoma, and the setae are black. For the females of A. albidus Evans , and both sexes of A. areatus (Banks) and A. brevitarsus (Banks) , individuals have a black head and mesosoma with reddish orange metasoma, but have silver setae surrounding areas of black setae forming an obvious pattern. Lastly, both sexes of A. evansi , sp. nov. and A. pampero (Evans) have a black head and mesosoma with reddish orange metasoma, but the females lack the black and silver setae forming an obvious pattern, which is found in the males. Based on the color pattern of the female, the unknown male of A. albidus (Evans) will likely have a color pattern similar to its conspecific female, and to A. areatus (Banks) and A. brevitarsus (Banks) .