Arotes Gravenhorst

Castillo, Carol, Saeaeksjaervi, Ilari E., Bennett, Andrew M. R. & Broad, Gavin R., 2011, First record of Acaenitinae (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae) from South America with description of a new species and a key to the world species of Arotes Gravenhorst, ZooKeys 137, pp. 77-88 : 78-79

Genus Arotes Gravenhorst

Arotes Gravenhorst, 1829: 449. Type: Arotes albicinctus Gravenhorst, by monotypy.

Asthenomeris Förster, 1869: 168. Type: Asthenomeris nigricoxis Förster, 1888, by subsequent inclusion by Schmiedeknecht 1888. Synonymized by Townes et al. 1965.

Sphalerus Kriechbaumer, 1878: 41. Type: Sphalerus bifasciatus Kriechbaumer (= albicinctus), by monotypy.

Retanisia Cameron, 1886: 299. Type: Retanisia facialis Cameron, by monotypy. Synonymized by Townes and Townes 1960.

Diagnosis.

Arotes can be distinguished from other genera of Acaenitinae by combination of both of the following characters: hind tarsal claws with a sharp, accessory tooth near apex of claw and areolet of fore wing open with intercubitus distal to vein 2m-cu.

Description.

Moderately large wasps, mostly black, black and white or black and yellow; legs may be reddish or yellowish in part; antennae with or without white band; fore wing with or without dark spots. Mandible with dorsal tooth equal to or slightly shorter than ventral tooth; clypeus with a pre-apical transverse ridge, the apical edge with medial tubercle in most species; subocular sulcus complete; face centrally swollen, with weak transverse ridges or weak central rugose ridges, and with median vertical ridge which extends between antennae and onto frons as distinct carina; occipital carina complete dorsally. Notaulus strong, reaching posteriorly to centre of mesoscutum; scutellum flattened, laterally carinate at least at anterior end; submetapleural carinae more or less complete, not expanded anteriorly; propodeum quite long, with more or less clearly defined area superomedia; propodeal spiracle elliptical. Fore wing without areolet, intercubitus distal to 2m-cu; vein 2m-cu with two well-separated bullae. All tarsal claws with sharp, accessory tooth near apex of claw. Ventral swelling of 1st sternite from acute to smoothly rounded, bearing numerous, long, erect hairs; ovipositor projecting beyond apex of metasoma by about 1.8-2.7 times length of hind tibia; ovipositor with ventral ridges apically that are vertical and widely spaced.

Key to the world species of Arotes

Note. Asthenomeris nigricoxis Förster is a species of Arotes according to Townes et al. (1965), but specimens of this species are not known to us and the original description ( Schmiedeknecht 1888) is too brief to allow diagnosis from its congeners. For this reason it is omitted from the key below.

Specimens at CNC with intermediate colour patterns indicate that Arotes albicinctus (Gravenhorst) and Arotes annulicornis Kriechbaumer may be synonyms.