Flacopimpla kasparyani Khalaim & Ruíz-Cancino, 2011

Khalaim, Andrey I., Ruíz-Cancino, Enrique & Coronado-Blanco, Juana María, 2024, Darwin wasps of the subfamily Pimplinae (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) of Mexico: Polysphincta genus-group, Zootaxa 5458 (2), pp. 151-196 : 167-168

1. Flacopimpla kasparyani Khalaim & Ruíz-Cancino, 2011

Flacopimpla kasparyani Khalaim & Ruíz-Cancino 2011: 72 [holotype ♀ (UAT), Mexico, Tamaulipas, Gómez Farías , La Gloria, red entomologica, 11.iii.1995, coll. D.A. Zuñiga].

Comparison. Flacopimpla kasparyani is apparently closely related to the Nearctic F. parva (Cresson) as both are similar structurally and in color pattern. Unlike F. parva , F. kasparyani has an extensively black prothorax with the pronotum dorsoposteriorly reddish orange and with the extreme hind corner white ( F. parva has a black prothorax with extensive white markings), reddish orange mesepimeron (whitish in F. parva ), entirely white hind femur, white hind tibia with the extreme base and apical 0.2 blackish ( F. parva has extensively brown and blackish marked hind femur and tibia), mesoscutum with lateral lobes entirely glabrous, and the hind leg with the third tarsomere 3.6× as long as broad (2.5× in F. parva ). Moreover, F. kasparyani lacks the submetapleural carina (probably complete in all Nearctic species) and the two species are well isolated geographically, i.e. F. parva occurs in Canada and northeastern USA while F. kasparyani is known from north-eastern Mexico only.

Remarks. The female from Ocampo, Tamaulipas, collected in 1995, was previously recorded from Mexico as Zatypota patellata Townes ( Ruíz-Cancino et al. 2002: 645; Hernández-Aguilar et al. 2005: 470). This poorly preserved specimen has strongly upcurved (probably aberrant) ovipositor and hidden by glue lower part of metapleuron, thus the submetapleural carina is indiscernible. Otherwise it closely resembles the holotype of F. kasparyani , including such important characters as unusually long third segment of hind tarsus, fore wing with short intercubitus and hind wing with nervellus intercepted in lower 0.3. We consider this sample as part of the intraspecific variation in F. kasparyani .

Male of F. kasparyani is recorded here for the first time. It is similar to the holotype female in structure and coloration, but submetapleural carina present in posterior half of metapleuron, vein 2rs-m 0.2× as long as abscissa of M between 2rs-m and 2m-cu, and nervellus intercepted in its posterior 0.4; propodeum is largely covered by glue.

Material examined. MEXICO. Tamaulipas: 1 ♀ ( UAT) Ocampo, 1.4 km from Joya de Manantiales , 13.v.1995, coll. S. Niño-Maldonado. 1 ♀ ( UAT) Ocampo , Ejido El Bejuco, 900 m, Malaise trap, 18.xii.2016 – 4.i.2017, coll. E. Ruíz-Cancino et al. 1 ♂ ( UAT) Bustamante, Joya de Herrera , 2332 m, Pinus greggii forest, Malaise trap, 18.vi– 17.vii.2017, coll. E. Ruíz-Cancino et al.

Distribution. Mexico (Tamaulipas). First record of male.