2. Polysphincta gutfreundi Gauld, 1991

(Figs 43–45)

Polysphincta gutfreundi Gauld 1991: 316 [holotype ♀ (BMNH), Costa Rica, Guanacaste Prov., Guanacaste National Park, Santa Rosa Sector, Bosque San Emilio, 300 m, x.1985, coll. D. Janzen & I.D. Gauld; ♀].

References. Gauld et al. 1998: 42 [in key; host], 172 [remarks; Costa Rica]. Gauld et al. 2002: 44 [El Salvador]. Barrantes et al. 2008 [Costa Rica; host, biology]. Eberhard 2010 [host, biology; Costa Rica]. Eberhard 2019 [host, biology; Costa Rica]. Eberhard 2021 [host, biology; Costa Rica].

Remarks. This is the first record of male.

Variation. Female and male from Mexico (Fig. 43) have pronotum extensively black and colour markings on legs much scarcer than in specimens from Costa Rica. In male from Tamaulipas metapleuron is dark reddish brown.

Material examined. MEXICO. Tamaulipas: 1 ♂ (UAT) Ocampo, 23 km Ocampo – Tula, bosque encino, 21.i.1995, coll. C.A. Covarrubias-Dimas. Chiapas: 1 ♀ (ZISP) 50 km ESE of Comitán, National Park Lagos de Montebello, 16.106551, -91.705158, 1500 m, 8.viii.2021, coll. A.I. Khalaim.

Distribution. Mexico (Tamaulipas, Chiapas), El Salvador, Costa Rica. First record from Mexico.

Biology. Reared from the spider genus Cyclosa Menge ( Araneidae) (Gauld et al. 1998) and Allocyclosa bifurca (McCook) ( Araneidae) (Barrantes et al. 2008; Eberhard 2010, 2019, 2021) in Costa Rica. The parasitoid larva induces the host spider, A. bifurca, to spin a modified “cocoon web” which probably improves the physical stability of the web and survival of the wasp pupa (Eberhard 2010, 2019, 2021).