CEROPALINAE, Radoszkowski, 1888

Waichert, Cecilia, Rodriguez, Juanita, Wasbauer, Marius S., Von Dohlen, Carol D. & Pitts, James P., 2015, Molecular phylogeny and systematics of spider wasps (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae): redefining subfamily boundaries and the origin of the family, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 175 (2), pp. 271-287 : 280

CEROPALINAE

Ceropalinae was first erected by Haupt (1929) to comprise only two genera, Ceropales and Irenangelus . Townes (1957) later included several genera that have been transferred since to Pepsinae and Notocyphinae. Our analyses are congruent with those of Shimizu (1994) and Pitts et al. (2006) in recovering Ceropalinae as monophyletic (clade F), and we confirm that Ceropales and Irenangelus are the sole representatives of Ceropalinae . Although this lineage was poorly supported in the unconstrained analyses, support in the relaxed-clock analysis was high. The position of this group in the family, however, diverges from the results of previous authors. Shimizu (1994) and Pitts et al. (2006) recovered Ceropalinae as the sister group to all other Pompilidae . In our study, Ceropalinae is strongly supported as the sister group to Notocyphinae. Shimizu (1994) and Pitts et al. (2006) defined the subfamily by a set of non-unique homoplasies, including a reniform compound eye, the inner margin of eye converging below, and females with a straight stinger. However, Ceropalinae shares a large and exposed labrum and a compressed subgenital plate with its sister group, Notocyphinae. The exposed labrum is present in other spider-wasp genera (e.g. Paracyphononyx Gribodo and Pepsis ), but the extended labrum observed in Ceropalinae and Notocyphinae distinguishes them from other genera by being large and almost as long as the clypeus, which gives the clypeus + labrum a diamond shape. Ceropalines are behaviourly distinguished by being kleptoparasites specialized on other pompilid species.