Genus Dreisbachia Townes, 1962

Dreisbachia Townes 1962: 38 (new name for Laufeia).

Synonym:

Laufeia Tosquinet, 1903 (name preoccupied by Simon, 1889). Type species: Laufeia mira Tosquinet, 1903, by monotypy.

References. Townes & Townes 1960: 220 [ Laufeia; description; revision of 2 Nearctic species; key]. Townes & Townes 1966: 18 [catalogue; 1 species in Neotropical region]. Townes 1969: 100 [diagnosis]. Carlson 1979: 334 [catalogue; 2 species in North America]. Gauld 1991: 305 [description; 1 species in Costa Rica (described as new)]. Gauld et al. 1998: 40 [3 species in Costa Rica (2 described as new); key]. Gauld et al. 2002: 43 [1 species in El Salvador]. Gauld & Dubois 2006: 542 [syn. of Schizopyga]. Shaw 2006: 225 [ex synonym of Schizopyga]. Fernández-Triana 2007: 213 [1 new species from Cuba (described as Schizopyga)]. Loffredo & Penteado-Dias 2008 [1 new species from Brazil (described as Schizopyga)].

Gauld & Dubois (2006) synonymized this genus under Schizopyga, but we consider it, after Shaw (2006) and Matsumoto (2016), as a separate genus. Two Afrotropical species of Schizopyga were transferred to Dreisbachia by Varga & Reshchikov (2018), and we found that the Cuban species Schizopyga anseli Fernández-Triana, 2007 and Brazilian S. moreirae Loffredo & Penteado-Dias, 2008 are also distinct members of the genus Dreisbachia (comb. nov.).

The genus Dreisbachia comprises 15 species worldwide. In the New World, two species, D. navajo (Townes) and D. slossonae (Davis), occur in the Nearctic region (record of the former species from Honduras requires verification, see Remarks section under this species), three species occur in Central America, one species is known from Cuba and one species from Brazil. One species, D. avivae Gauld, is found to occur in Mexico.

Nothing is known about host range of any species in the genus.

Dreisbachia navajo is included to the key because it is known from southern USA and probably from Honduras, and therefore has the potential to be found in Mexico.

Key to species of Dreisbachia occurring in Mexico

1. First sternite of metasoma in profile with very strong anteriorly directed protuberance near hind end (Figs 7, arrow, 13). Eye bare or with very short inconspicuous setae (Fig. 6). Propodeum without median longitudinal carinae. [Head black. Mesosoma black with mesoscutum, scutellum, mesopleuron (sometimes blackish in upper part) and metapleuron reddish brown, posterolateral corners of pronotum and tegula whitish (Fig. 5). Pterostigma pale yellowish brown. Metasomal tergites black, laterally reddish brown.]............................................................................... 1. D. avivae Gauld

– First sternite of metasoma in profile with weak swelling, without conspicuous protuberance (Fig. 17, arrow). Eyes with distinct setae (Fig. 16). Propodeum with a pair of median longitudinal carinae (Fig. 18)..................... D. navajo (Townes)