Revision of the Neotropical genus Macreupelmus Ashmead (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea: Eupelmidae)
Author
Gibson, Gary A. P.
text
Zootaxa
2016
4161
1
81
115
journal article
10.11646/zootaxa.4161.1.3
519a6a20-81f4-488f-a7f2-c48b09bdc441
1175-5326
256050
5BBA7F64-D281-4CB0-B78C-CD1276452290
Eupelmus pulchriceps
(Cameron)
n. comb.
Figs 116–119
Macreupelmus pulchriceps
Cameron, 1905
: 64
–65.
Lectotype
♀
(
BMNH
), here designated.
Published
type
data:
Nicaragua
, collected by
C.F. Baker.
Cerambycobius cushmani
Crawford, 1908
: 158
.
Syntypes
, female (
BMNH
and
USNM
, examined).
Published
type
data:
USA
,
Texas
,
Victoria
; reared from
Anthonomus grandis
Boh.
N.
syn.
Cerambycobius townsendi
Crawford, 1912
: 166
−167.
Holotype
, female (
USNM
, examined).
Published
type
data:
Peru
:
Department
of
Piura
; reared from?
Anthonomus vestitus
.
Synonymy
with
E. cushmani
by
Gahan
, 1951
: 172
.
N. syn.
Eupelmus cyaniceps amicus
Girault, 1916
: 244
.
Syntypes
, female (
USNM
, examined).
Published
type
data: USA,
New
Mexico
,
Las Cruces
; reared from
Bruchus amicus
Horn.
Synonymy
with
E. cushmani
by
Gibson
, 2011
: 33
.
N. syn.
FIGURES 116–119
.
E
. (
Eupelmus
)
pulchriceps
(Cameron)
(lectotype).
116 & 117
, head and mesosoma:
116
, lateral;
117
, dorsal.
118
, face.
119
, prepectus and lower face, frontolateral.
Type
material.
A single female in the
BMNH
type
collection is labelled:
Type
[red-bordered circular label] / San Marcos |
Nicaragua
| Coll. Baker [printed] / 1439 [written] / Cameron Coll. | 1904—313 [printed] /
Macreupelmus
|
pulchriceps
Cam.
|
Type
|
Nicaragua
/ B.M.
TYPE
| HYM | 5.965 |
NHMUK
0 10198544. There is also a single female in the
USNM
general collection labelled: San Marcos |
Nicaragua
| Coll. Baker [printed] / 1409 [written] /
Macreupelmus
|
pulchriceps
| Cameron [black-bordered rectangular label, handwritten].
The
BMNH
female is contorted (
Fig. 116
); it lacks its gaster, both antennae beyond the scapes, the left set of wings, and all the legs except for the right profemur and (glued to the card) the protibia and tarsus (
Figs 116, 117
). The
USNM
female is uncontorted, but is missing the following: head and antennae, both front legs, left fore and hind wings, right fore wing beyond basal part of costal and basal cells, and ovipositor sheaths.
Cameron (1905)
did not state the number of females on which he based his species and only gave a single length measurement rather than a range in length. However, because of their similar labels I consider both the
BMNH
and
USNM
female as part of the
type
series of
Macreupelmus pulchriceps
. Although the
BMNH
female lacks its gaster it retains both scapes, which are yellowish-orange (
Figs 116–118
) similar to the original description statement of rufo-testaceous. Because female scape color is an important feature for differentiating species of
E
. (
Eupelmus
) Dalman (
Gibson 2011
;
Gibson & Fusu 2016
), I hereby designate the
BMNH
female as
lectotype
and the
USNM
female as
paralectotype
of
Macreupelmus pulchriceps
Cameron
, and have labelled the specimens accordingly.
Remarks
. I
hereby transfer
Macreupelmus pulchriceps
Cameron
to
Eupelmus
Dalman
as
E
. (
Eupelmus
)
pulchriceps
(Cameron)
n. comb.
based on several features exhibited by one or both females, including: fore wing hyaline (
Fig. 116
) and with a linea calva; mandibles at least indistinctly tridentate (
Figs 118, 119
); propodeum with U-shaped plical region exposed behind dorsellum; mesobasitarsomere with pegs arranged into double row apically; and syntergum omega-like emarginate.
Although
neither female has remaining ovipositor sheaths, the original description states that these were strongly exserted with a dark-white-dark color pattern, which is another characteristic feature of most
E
. (
Eupelmus
) females.
Using
the key to females of
E
. (
Eupelmus
) in
North America
north of
Mexico by
Gibson
(2011)
, the two
E. pulchriceps
females key to
E. cushmani
(Crawford)
, partly because of scape color but also because of a comparatively sparsely setose prepectus (
Fig. 119
) and propodeal callar region (
Fig. 116
).
The
USNM
female also has the middle legs entirely pale beyond the coxae except for the mesotibial and tarsal pegs.
Crawford (1908)
described
E. cushmani
from
Texas
, USA, but
Gahan (1951)
synonymized under it
E. townsendi
(Crawford)
, which
Crawford (1912)
described from
Peru
.
Gibson (2011)
recorded
E. cushmani
from as far north as
Ontario
,
Canada
, south through the USA into Central and
South America. Based
on the features exhibited by the two
E. pulchriceps
females I consider them to be conspecific with
E. cushmani
. I therefore newly synonymize
E. cushmani
and its two junior synonyms,
E. townsendi
and
E. cyaniceps amicus
Girault
, under
E. pulchriceps
,
n. combs
.