Apechthis zapoteca ( Cresson, 1874 )

Khalaim, Andrey I. & Ruíz-Cancino, Enrique, 2021, Darwin wasps of the subfamily Pimplinae (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) of Mexico: genera Apechthis Förster, Itoplectis Förster and Pimpla Fabricius, Zootaxa 5071 (4), pp. 451-491 : 453-455

1. Apechthis zapoteca ( Cresson, 1874)

( Figs 1–4 )

Pimpla zapoteca Cresson 1874: 402 [♀ ♂ (ANSP), Mexico, Veracruz, Orizaba ].

References. Cameron 1886: 268 [ Pimpla ; Mexico (Veracruz)]. Cresson 1916: 63 [lectotype ♀ (ANSP) designated; Mexico, Veracruz]. Costa-Lima 1951: 373 [ A. sarsinae ; Brazil; host]. Townes & Townes 1966: 23 [catalogue; Ephialtes zapotecus zapotecus (as subspecies); Mexico]. Gauld 1991: 479 [ Apechthis (comb.); description; Costa Rica]. Gauld et al. 1998: 135 [in key; Costa Rica, Guatemala; host]. Hernández-Aguilar et al. 1999: 36 [ Mexico (Tamaulipas)]. Gauld et al. 2002: 56 [ El Salvador]. Ruíz-Cancino et al. 2002: 645 [checklist; Mexico]. Hernández- Aguilar et al. 2005: 470 [ Mexico (Tamaulipas)]. Quicke et al. 2009: 1414 [ Mexico]. Ruíz-Cancino et al. 2010: 63 [checklist; Mexico (Tamaulipas)]. Sánchez-García et al. 2015: 827 [checklist; Mexico (Oaxaca)]. Khalaim et al. 2018: 20 [ Mexico (Veracruz)].

Remarks. More extensively dark marked specimens from South America have been treated by Townes & Townes (1966) as a separate subspecies, A. zapoteca sarsinae Costa-Lima, 1951 ( Gauld 1991: 479) .

Material examined. MEXICO. Nuevo León: 1 ♀ ( UAT) 30 km SE of Monterrey, Santiago, La Cieneguilla , 8.xi.1987, coll. E. Ruíz C. Tamaulipas: SSW of Cd. Victoria, Rancho Santa Elena , 23º37.362’N, 99º12.746’W, 970 m, Malaise trap, 2010, coll. E. Ruíz C. & J.M. Coronado B. (all in UAT): 19–26.iii (2 ♀), 28.x–5.xi (1 ♀), 16–31.xii (2 ♀) . 2 ♀ ( UAT) Cd. Victoria, Cañón del Novillo , 780–900 m, 12.i and 3.ii.1988, coll. R. Meza V. 1 ♀, 1 ♂ ( UAT) 15 km SSW of Cd. Victoria, El Madroño , 16–18.xii.2008, coll. A.I. Khalaim. Same locality, coll. E. & J. Ruíz C. (all in UAT): 16.vi.1984 (1 ♀), 29.i.1985 (1 ♀), 23.iii.1985 (1 ♂), 28.iv.1985 (1 ♀), 10.vii.1985 (1 ♂), 16.xi.1985 (1 ♀) . 1 ♀ ( UAT) same locality, 10.vii.1986, coll. S. Arrambide. 1 ♂ ( UAT) same locality, 1400 m, 20.i.2000, coll. J.A. Martinez R. 2 ♀ ( UAT) same locality, 1450 m, oak forest, Malaise trap, 17.xi–1.xii.2011, coll. A. Rodríguez M. & S. Mireles C. 3 ♀, 1 ♂ ( UAT) Gómez Farías, Altas Cimas , Malaise trap, 17.vii–28.viii.1999, coll. S. Hernández A. 1 ♀ ( UAT) Ocampo , 13.v.1995, coll. S. Niño M. 1 ♀ ( UAT) Ocampo , Ejido El Bejuco, 900 m, Malaise trap, 28.iii–13.iv.2016, coll. E. Ruíz-Cancino et al. Tula, Ejido Acahuales , 1400 m, oak-forest, Malaise trap, coll. E. Ruíz C. & J.M. Coronado B. (all in UAT): 27.v–11.vi.2016 (1 ♂), 19.ii–1.iii.2017 (1 ♀) . 1 ♀ ( UAT) 44 km S of Cd. Victoria , matorral, Malaise trap, 18–25.xi.2000, coll. D.R. Kasparyan. Veracruz: 1 ♀ ( UAT) SW of Xalapa, park near Institute de Ecología , 19°30.768’N, 96°56.349’W, 1260 m, 17–18.ii.2009, coll. A.I. Khalaim. 2 ♀, 1 ♂ (1 ♀ in UAT, 1 ♀ and 1 ♂ in ZISP) same data, but 12–14.iv.2014 . 1 ♂ ( UAT) Xalapa , 26.x.1995, coll. M. Molina. 1 ♂ ( UAT) Tuxpan, Chacoaco , 9.xi.1995, coll. R. Herrera. Michoacán: 2 ♀, 2 ♂ ( UMSNH) Morelia, Cerro Punhuato, Tejocotera , 19°41’871”N, 101°08’313”W, 2130 m, Area de Eucaliptos, Yellow pan traps, 15.x.2010, coll. Ana L. Escalante & Jiménez. Oaxaca: 1 ♀ ( UNAM) Santiago Comaltepec, La Esperanza , 17.02661ºN, 96.36950ºW, 1600 m, Malaise trap, 1–10.vii.2008, coll. A. Lopez García. Chiapas: 1 ♀ ( EMEC) 5 km SE of Jitotol , 1671 m, 10.ix.1981, coll. D.E & P.M. Breedlove. 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. GUATEMALA. 1 ♀ ( AEIC) Zacapa Department, 8 km N of San Lorenzo , 7–19.vii.1986, coll. J.M. Campbell. 1 ♀ ( AEIC) Guatemala Department, Fraijanes, Finca San Antonio, 1800 m, vi.1987, coll. Mauger. 1 ♂ ( AEIC) Quetzaltenango Department, Zunil , 2200 m, 7.ix.1987, coll. M.J. Sharkey. COSTA RICA. 1 ♀ ( AEIC) Chirripó National Park, San Gerardo, 1400 m, 1.ix.1986, coll. L. Masner. VENEZUELA. 15 ♀, 1 ♂ ( AEIC) Yacambú , 1200 m, 7–13.v.1981, coll. H.K. Townes.

Distribution. Mexico (Nuevo León, Tamaulipas, Veracruz, Michoacán, Oaxaca, Chiapas), Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Venezuela, Brazil. First record from Venezuela.

Biology. Apechthis zapoteca resembles a common vespid, Agelaia (= Stelopolybia ) sp. near multipicta (Haliday) ( Vespidae ), of which it is probably a Müllerian mimic ( Gauld 1991). Recorded as parasitoid of Leptophobia aripa (Boisduval) ( Lepidoptera : Pieridae ) in Guatemala ( Gauld et al. 1998). Parasitoid of Sarsina violascens (Herrich- Schäffer) ( Lymantriidae ) in Brazil ( Costa-Lima 1951; Townes & Townes 1966).

Figures

FIGURES 1–4. Apechthis zapoteca, female: 1—habitus, lateral; 2—head, front; 3—head and mesosoma, dorso-lateral; 4— apex of metasoma with ovipositor, lateral.