Plutofoenus Kieffer, 1911

Macedo, Antonio Carlos Cruz, 2009, Generic classification for the Gasteruptiinae (Hymenoptera: Gasteruptiidae) based on a cladistic analysis, with the description of two new Neotropical genera and the revalidation of Plutofoenus Kieffer, Zootaxa 2075, pp. 1-32 : 10-11

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.187219
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6213174
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03C987B2-B732-3724-FF7B-92ECFB522D93
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Plutofoenus Kieffer, 1911
status

Treatment

Plutofoenus Kieffer, 1911 (revalidated)

(Figs. 3, 6e, 6i, 7e, 9b, 11a–f, 12a–c, 13c–e, 14b–c, 15)

Plutofoenus Kieffer, 1911: 177 (designated in the key); Kieffer, 1912: 191 (in key), 221 (diagnosis); Hedicke, 1939: 42 (catalog); De Santis, 1967: 95 (catalog); Crosskey, 1962: 397 –398 (synonymized under Gasteruption ).

Type species. Gasteruption paraguayense Schrottky, 1906 . Designated by monotypy. Description. Body length between 15.0–19.0 mm (exclusive of ovipositor).

Head. Subrectangular in dorsal view ( Figs. 11 View FIGURE 11 a, 11c); mandible in frontal view with apex wide ( Fig. 6 View FIGURE 6. a – g i); malar space long, fused with gena ( Figs. 11 View FIGURE 11 b, 11d, 11f); clypeus with a ridge at anterior margin ( Fig. 6e View FIGURE 6. a – g ); clypeus and face with longitudinal striae ( Fig. 6e View FIGURE 6. a – g ); occipital margin simple ( Figs. 11 View FIGURE 11 a, 11c).

Mesosoma. Pronotum with three lobes weakly defined ( Figs. 13 View FIGURE 13 c-d); pronotal process present ( Figs. 13 View FIGURE 13 c- e); propleuron simple anteriorly; mesonotum truncate in lateral view ( Figs. 13 View FIGURE 13 c-e); mesoscutum uniformly sculptured, longer than wide, and almost forming a unique plane; with two lobes separated by depressed notauli ( Figs. 12 View FIGURE 12 a-c); parapsides distinct; mesepimeron entirely concave ( Figs. 13 View FIGURE 13 c-e); fore and middle tibiae with a white stripe from base to apex; hind tibia white basally; metacoxa with fine transversal striae at posterior portion ( Fig. 14 View FIGURE 14 b); median propodeal carina convex and percurrent ( Figs. 14 View FIGURE 14 b-c); fore wing jugal lobe present; discal cell present, subtrapezoidal ( Fig. 7 View FIGURE 7. a – b e), vein r–m present, not reaching vein 2-m, vein 2–M tubular in first 1/3 and nebulous in remaining portion (Fig. 3a); hind wing with 3–6 equidistant hamuli (Fig. 3a).

Metasoma. First metasomal tergum with edges separate, not concealing first sternum ( Fig. 9 View FIGURE 9 b); female subgenital sternum with a slitlikeY-shaped notch (as Fig. 10 View FIGURE 10 a); ovipositor longer than metasoma (Fig. 3).

Distribution. South America: Argentina, Paraguay, southern Brazil ( Fig. 15 View FIGURE 15 ). The species occur between 23ºS and 33ºS in subtropical areas, with substantial rainfall in the eastern portions, becoming semiarid in the western and southern portions. This distribution is very similar to the distribution of the only two species of Hyptiogastrinae in the Neotropical Region ( Jennings and Austin 1997a). However, the species are very rare and additional collections are needed to confirm this pattern. At least one species seems to occur in the eastern Andean slopes (P. e d w a rd s i).

Biology. Unknown.

Comments. This genus was defined by Kieffer (1911) to accommodate a single species, P. paraguayensis (Schrottky) , based only on the presence of the partially developed vein r-m, a character shown here to be plesiomorphic. Crosskey (1962) synonymized Plutofoenus under Gasteruption . However, Plutofoenus is here revalidated because its species share nine synapomorphies (fully explained in the cladistic analysis section). Plutofoenus edwardsi Turner was the only other described species in this genus ( Turner 1927). Gasteruption chaeturum Schletterer is here transferred to Plutofoenus .

FIGURE 3. Plutofoenus habitus . a: P. e d w a rd s i; b: P. c h a e t u r u s; c: P. e d w a rd s i (without ovipositor sheath); d: P. paraguayensis . Numbers indicate characters and respective synapomorphic states (within brackets).