Acrepyris agraensis ( Kurian, 1952 ) Azevedo & Alencar, 2009

Azevedo, Celso O. & Alencar, Isabel D. C. C., 2009, Rediscovery of Pristepyris Kieffer (Hymenoptera, Bethylidae), a new synonym of Acrepyris Kieffer, Zootaxa 2287 (1), pp. 45-54 : 49

Acrepyris agraensis ( Kurian, 1952) comb. nov.

Pristepyris agraensis Kurian 1952 , 1: 65 (fig. 12), 68–69 (male description), 70 (figs. 13–17); Kurian 1955, 4: 105 (note), Gordh & Móczár 1990, 46: 139 (catalog); comb. nov.

This species is known only from one male. It is supposed to be deposited at Botanical Garden Saint John´s College in Agra India. It was collected by Chandy Kurian in 10.VI. 1949 in Agra. However, we were not able to find the type .

Although the original description of this species is lengthy, it does not provide information adequate to make a detailed taxonomical analysis. However, Kurian (1952) described three helpful characters to establish its generic identity, as follows: the metanotum well developed medially (metathorax one-third the scutellum, with many deep foveae [page 69]); the pronotal disc with transverse median elevation (prothorax... a transverse carina demarcating it into anterior and posterior areas [page 68]), and the hypopygium not deeply divided into two lobes (Abdomen... apex narrow, but truncate [page 69]). The first character led us to conclude that this species to Pristocerinae , because the metanotum well developed is the key-character for this subfamily, indicated as synapomorphy of the group by Sorg (1988) and Terayama (1996). Within Pristocerinae the only genus that has the combination of the pronotal disc with transverse median elevation and the hypopygium not deeply divided into two lobes is Acrepyris .

Given this scenario, we propose a new combination of Pristepyris agraensis as Acrepyris agraensis . Although we were able to figure out the generic identity, it is not possible to establish the species identity, because the genital characters, which are fundamental for the taxonomy of Acrepyris , were not described by Kurian (1952).