Physotarsus montezuma ( Cameron , 1886 )

Zhaurova, Kira & Wharton, Robert, 2009, A revision of Physotarsus Townes (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae: Ctenopelmatinae), with description of 18 new species, Zootaxa 2207, pp. 1-52 : 40-41

Physotarsus montezuma ( Cameron, 1886)

Mesoleius montezuma Cameron, 1886: 286 . Holotype ♂ in BMNH.

Mesoleius montezuma: Townes in Townes & Townes 1966: 139 (transfer to Physotarsus , status of type specimen). Scopesis flavolineatus Cameron, 1904: 254 . Holotype ♂ in BMNH.

Scopesis flavolineatus: Townes in Townes & Townes 1966: 139 (as synonym of montezuma ). Physotarsus montezuma: Townes & Townes 1966: 139 (catalog, synonymy); Yu & Horstmann 1997: 455 (catalog).

Diagnosis. Lateral ocelli separated by 1.3X their widest diameter from each other and 1.4X their widest diameter from eye margin. Pronotum punctate throughout, rugose along lateral groove and posterior margin. Mesoscutum densely punctate over anterior 0.3. T1 about 2.2X as long as broad. Face yellow medially, frons, most of vertex, and occiput black. Mesosoma almost entirely black. T1 yellow anteriorly, black posteriorly, remaining tergites black with apical margins yellow. Hind legs almost entirely black. Fore wing entirely hyaline.

This species differs from all others with a distinctly punctate mesopleuron by the more nearly completely black mesosoma. It is most similar to darker specimens of P. tonicus , which also have about the same pattern of punctation on the mesoscutum. The fore and mid femora are at least partly dark brown to black in P. tonicus and yellow in P. m o n t e z u m a.

Description. Male: Body 5.6 mm, fore wing 4.8 mm. Head: Clypeal margin evenly rounded, with thick, rounded central lobe. Clypeus about 2.9X as wide as long, not divided medially by shallow transverse depression. Face covered with short setae; setae longer, less dense on clypeus. Anterior tentorial pits elliptical. Malar space 0.6X width of mandibular base. Face about 1.7X as broad as long, dorsally convex in profile, densely punctate, slightly more so medially than laterally and ventrolaterally. Interantennal area flat, area immediately behind antennae weakly concave laterally turning convex before reaching ocelli. Anterior margin of torulus situated at about 0.6 of eye height. Interantennal distance about equal distance between lateral ocelli. Widest diameter of torulus 1.3X widest diameter of median ocellus. Lateral ocelli separated by 1.3x their widest diameter from each other and 1.4X their widest diameter from eye margin. Area between lateral ocelli depressed, area immediately behind ocelli not sharply declivitous. Both antennae broken near base, first flagellomere 7.5X longer than wide, 1.6X widest transverse diameter of eye, second flagellomere 0.7X length of first. Occipital carina present on ventral 0.2 of head. Mesosoma: Anterior margin of pronotum medially slightly emarginate, laterally rounded and slightly upcurved. Lateral groove of pronotum complete to posterior margin, crenulate-rugose. Pronotum punctate throughout, slightly less so medially, rugulose along posterior margin. Mesoscutum densely punctate and setose over anterior 0.3, smooth and bare or nearly so posteriorly. Epicnemial carina parallels anterior margin of mesopleuron. Mesopleuron very densely punctate and setose with small impunctate area. Metapleuron uniformly densely setose. Propodeal carinae difficult to see on holotype, at least posterior portion of pleural carina distinct; narrowly impunctate to sparsely punctate along midline, densely punctate laterally. Tarsal claws not pectinate. Fore wing 2rs-m 2.1X longer than abscissa of M between 2rs-m and 2m-cu; Cu1a about 0.6-0.7X length of 2cu-a; cu-a very weakly antefurcal relative to Rs&M. Hind wing M+Cu strongly bowed; basal abscissa of Rs 1.0–1.1X length of rs-m; 1st abscissa of Cu1 about equal length of cu-a. Metasoma: T1 about 2.2X as long as broad; surface in profile with shallow basal depression gradually becoming flat medially, convex posteriorly, dorsal tendon anchored at base of depression; spiracles not protruding in profile; dorsolateral carina extending about 0.5X distance to spiracle. Cerci oval, not or only scarcely protruding.

Color. Head mostly black, clypeus, mandible except apical teeth, face medially, and a broad orbital spot on either side of ocellar field yellow. Scape, pedicel and basal three flagellomeres black, remaining flagellomeres missing. Mesosoma entirely black except meso- and metascutellum yellow. T1 yellow on basal half, black on posterior half with posterior margin yellow; remaining tergites black with narrow apical yellow margin, yellow margin broader posteriorly. Fore and mid legs yellow, with coxae dark brown ventrally and tarsomeres becoming infumate distally. Hind legs missing; from original description coxa and tarsomeres black, femur and tibia beneath paler (yellow tinged with fulvous). Fore wing entirely hyaline.

Material Examined. Presumed holotype ɗ MEXICO ( BMNH).

Remarks. Townes (1966) stated that the nominal species Mesoleius montezuma Cameron, 1886 and Scopesis flavolineatus Cameron, 1904 were based on the same type specimen, though he did not provide additional information that lead him to this conclusion. Townes (1966) implied that there was a single specimen on which the respective descriptions were based, but Cameron (1886, 1904) does not explicitly say this, indicating in both cases only that the species was described from the male.

This type specimen is in very poor condition, with hind legs completely missing, antennae broken beyond the third flagellomere, and metasoma glued to one of the labels. There are five labels. The uppermost label is a round, red-margined type label. This is followed by a “B. M. Type Hym 3b1114” label, then a third, handwritten (possibly by Cameron) label that reads “ Scopesis flavolineatus Cam. Type Mexico ”. The fourth label is an accessions label that reads “ Cameron Coll. 1904-313”, and the fifth a red hand-written label by Townes that reads “ Type Mesoleius montezuma Cam Tow ’64”. There is no separate locality label, but published information ( Cameron 1886 but not in Cameron 1904) lists the locality as “ Mexico: Ciudad in Durango 8100 ft (Forrer).” The shape of the clypeus, reduction of the occipital carina, lack of fore wing areolet, and inflated hind tarsi (the latter as figured by Cameron 1886) indicate that this is a typical member of the genus as characterized here.