Chlorepyris Kieffer

Waichert, Cecilia & Azevedo, Celso O., 2009, Phylogenetic analysis of Rhabdepyris (Hymenoptera: Bethylidae) and redefinition of generic limits based on morphological characters, Zootaxa 2284, pp. 1-29 : 25

Chlorepyris Kieffer

Chlorepyris Kieffer, 1913 , Boll. Lab. Zool. Portici, 7: 108. Stat. rev. Type-species: Chlorepyris semiviridis Kieffer. Subsequent designation by Kieffer, 1914, Das Tierreich, 41: 412–416. Synonym designation by Evans, 1964, Boll. Mus. Comp., 132: 93. Subgenus designation by Evans, 1965, Boll. Mus. Comp., 133: 69.

Diagnosis. It is small to fairly large; black, greenish or bluish; mandibles from 3 to 5 apical teeth; 3th antennal segment in male variable, but distinguishes from the 4th. Pronotum rather long, its posterior margin not paralleled by a foveolate groove; mesoscutum more or less transversely depressing usually only as very fine lines; scutellar groove slender and arcuate or sometimes rather straight and much broadened on each side, in a few species merely forming a thinmline connecting large lateral pits; propodeal disc with from 3 to 7 longitudinal carinae, its postero-lateral angles always strongly foveolate; mesopleuron with prepectal and postpectal carinae in different length, closed or open, the episternal groove is present and scrobiculate.

Comments and character discussion. In the original description and subsequent studies, Kieffer (1904, 1906) characterized Rhabdepyris by the absence of the fovea on scutellum (character 40) and he did not mention any kind of fovea or dilation of the groove. From the description of Chlorepyris it is clear that this taxon has a fovea connected by a groove (32), which contradicts the initial characterization of Rhabdepyris that only mentions the scutellar groove. The synonymy of Chlorepyris with Rhabdepyris could not be justified by Evans (1964).

Mesopleuron ( Fig. 4 C). It is completely surrounded by grooves or carinae. The prepectal (47) and postpectal carinae (48) length varies, in some individuals the carina is closed and forms the lower fovea of mesopleuron (49), which can be closed or open (50); the mesopleural pit is deep. The episternal groove is present (55) and scrobiculate (56) in most species; the sub-tegular groove is complete in all studied specimens, and extends from the tegula to the end of the mesopleuron; the anterior-superior fovea (53) may vary in size from median to large (54).

Variation. The mesopleural fovea varies in shape, size and depth. Within the species group, it maintains the previously described pattern with little variation, except for the viridissimus group, in which the mesopleural fovea is elongated and extends to the episternal groove that is apparently vestigial and smooth. The anterior fovea is also absent or is merely an impression. The species have wide, long and polished mesopleuron.

Figures

FIGURE 4. A. E. niger: mesopleuron. B. E. blandus: mesopleuron. C. A. amazonicus: mesopleuron. D. Rhabdepyris sp. 4: mesopleuron. E. B. aurata: mesopleuron. F. A. smithanus: mesopleuron. Scale = 0.35 mm.