Holophris huberi ( Ducke, 1901 )

Lucena, Daercio A. A., Santos-Neto, Pedro E., Zanella, Fernando C. V. & Almeida, Eduardo A. B., 2022, Taxonomic review of the elampine cuckoo wasps from northeastern Brazil (Hymenoptera: Chrysididae), with the description of three new species, Zootaxa 5213 (3), pp. 201-235 : 217-219

Holophris huberi ( Ducke, 1901)

( Fig. 10 )

Ellampus (!) (Ellampus) (!) huberi Ducke, 1901: 356 .

Holotype ♀. BRAZIL, Pará , 23.vii.1901, A. Ducke (MNHN: examined by photos).

Holophris huberi ; generic combination by Kimsey & Bohart (1991).

Extended diagnosis (female). Body 3.9 mm. Head high 0.7× breadth, metallic green, with purple highlight on vertex; vertex polished, with some sparse, small punctures inserted among ocelli; frons foveate-striate; scapal basin smooth; gena transversely striate, with scarce, sparse, tiny punctures; frons with sparse, short, suberect, gold setae, becoming longer and denser on clypeus, below on face and base of mandible; occiput with relatively long, gold setae; vertex, gena and scapal basin glabrous; eye glabrous (magnification above 100×); F1 length 1.4× breadth, 1.6× longer than F2; scape and pedicel green; flagellomeres brown; mandible castaneous brownish, with metallic green highlight basally; malar space 1.5× MOD; subantennal distance 0.7× MOD; OOL 0.7× POL, 1.6× OL. Mesosoma mainly metallic green, with distinct purple highlight on pronotum and scutum, nearly glabrous, except for short, sparse, gold setae on propleuron, mesopleuron, metapleuron-propodeum, and legs; metapectal-propodeal complex with purplish tints on posterior declivity; pronotum, scutum and disc of scutellum polished, mostly impunctate, with only marginal foveae; anterior declivity of pronotum with row of deep pits; lateral pronotum with small, deep pit; mesopleuron and metanotum densely foveate; tarsal claw with two subsidiary teeth; legs mostly metallic green, tarsomeres light brown; tegula brown purplish; wing membrane light fuscous with brown veins. Metasoma purple greenish, with broad marginal translucent rim; terga glabrous, polished, with only sparse, tiny, marginal micropunctures on T2–T3; T3 medially notched; sterna metallic green, with relatively long, gold setae, denser on S3.

Male. Same as female, except: denser striate marks on frons and gena; mesopleuron transversely striate; denser micropunctures on vertex and metasoma; purple tints on head and mesopleuron.

Variation. Specimens vary from 3.7 to 4.3 mm in total body length.

Material examined. Holotype ♀. BRAZIL, Pará: 23.vii.1901, A. Ducke ( MNHN 25537 ). Amazonas: Manaus, Faz. Esteio, 10.xi.1987, M. V. B. Garcia ( INPA: 1♀). Bahia: Jequié, ix.2016, R. C. L. Antunes ( RPSP: 1♀). Espírito Santo: Linhares , Res. Biol. Sooretama, 19°00′11.5″S 40°07′08″W, 06.iv.2002, C. O. Azevedo & Eq. Col. ( MZSP: 1♂). Minas Gerais: Barbacena, 24.x.1905, A. Ducke ( MPEG: 1♀). Belo Horizonte, Campus UFMG Pampulha, 26.iii.1982, A. C. Faria ( UFMG 1802833 : 1♀). Pará: Óbidos, 21.xii.1906, A. Ducke ( MPEG: 1♀). Same data as preceding, except: 20.xi.1907 ( MZSP 04581 : 1♀). Rio Grande do Sul: Viamão, Parque Estadual de Itapuã , 12.ii.2004, G. S. Franco ( MCPPV: 1♀). Same data as preceding, except: 23.xi.2003 ( MCPPV: 1♀). São Paulo: Luiz Antônio, Estação Ecológica de Jataí , 21°36′47.4″S 47°49′04.1″W, 16.i.2008, R. I. R. Lara ( RPSP: 1♀). Same data as preceding, except: 21°35′17.6″S 47°47′29.6″W, 29.x.2008, N. W. Perioto ( RPSP: 1♂ 1♀); 01.x.2008 ( RPSP: 1♀); 13.ii.2008 ( RPSP: 1♀); 27.ii.2008 ( RPSP: 1♀). Itirapina, Estação Ecológica de Itirapina , 22°13′27.9″S 47°54′05.9″W, 20–22.xii.2016, Tavares, Porto, Lucena, Gibran & Yoshida ( RPSP: 1♀ 1♂). Ribeirão Preto, 21°10′05″S 47°51′23″W, 16–30.xi.2014, D. S. Amorim ( RPSP: 2♀). Same data as preceding, except: 13–30.xi.2014 ( RPSP: 1♀); 13.vi.1972, M. Mazucato ( RPSP: 1♂); 20.x.1972 ( RPSP: 1♀). Teodoro Sampaio, 14.iv.2012, P. R. Lopes ( RPSP: 1♀).

Distribution. BRAZIL (Amazonas, Bahia, Espírito Santo, Minas Gerais, Pará, Rio Grande do Sul, São Paulo) ( Fig. 11 ).

Host. Unknown.

Floral records. Croton trinitatis (= Croton chamaedrifolius ) (Euphorbiacea).

Remarks. The depository for the type specimens of Holophris huberi ( Ducke, 1901) and H. albolimbatus ( Ducke, 1908) were listed as unknown by Kimsey & Bohart (1991). We have located and examined the holotype of H. huberi and one syntype of H. albolimbatus , both hosted at the MNHN. Differences between these species are subtle but consistent. According to Ducke (1908), H. huberi differs from H. albolimbatus based on its relatively larger body size and lack of golden or coppery highlights on the head and mesosoma. Furthermore, the apical margin of T3 is medially notched only in H. huberi . Between these species, H. huberi is the most widely distributed in Brazil. The sole record in northeastern Brazil is from Jequié-BA, therefore, this species probably does not occur extensively in the Caatinga biome (see comments under Elampus aequinoctialis ).

Ducke (1913) treated two species as junior synonymies of H. huberi : Elampus iridescens Norton, 1879 and E. minutissimus Brèthes, 1902 and cited that this species had an extensive distribution, from the Amazonian region in northern Brazil through the Cerrado savannah in Minas Gerais state, reaching the southmost Brazilian state of Rio Grande Sul, and Mendoza in Argentina. Kimsey & Bohart (1991) interpreted E. iridescens (currently Omalus iridescens ) and E. minutissimus (currently Holophris minutissimus ) as distinct species, but anyway acknowledged a wide geographical range for H. huberi , from Venezuela in northern South America through Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina. We confirmed all previous records from Ducke (1913) for localities in Brazil and added new ones ( Fig. 11 ). Still, since there are no specific localities indicated by Ducke (1913) and Kimsey & Bohart (1991) for additional South American countries, we decided to only represent in our Figure 11 records that correspond to specimens we examined.

The extended diagnosis above is based on a female from Itirapina, São Paulo state (southern Brazil).

Figures

FIGURE 10. Holotype female of Ellampus (!) huberi Ducke, 1901 [MNHN]. A. Habitus, lateral left view; B. Habitus, dorsal view; C. Habitus, ventral view. Scale bars: 2 mm.

FIGURE 11. Geographical records of Holophris huberi (Ducke).