Calliephialtes thurberiae Cushman, 1915

Khalaim, Andrey I. & Ruíz-Cancino, Enrique, 2022, Darwin wasps of the subfamily Pimplinae (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) of Mexico: Ephialtes genus-group, Zootaxa 5169 (3), pp. 201-251 : 213

5. Calliephialtes thurberiae Cushman, 1915

( Figs 11, 12 , 17 )

Calliephialtes thurberiae Cushman 1915: 132 [holotype ♀ (USNM), USA, Arizona, Stone Cabin Canyon, Santa Rita Mts , xii.1913, coll. E.A. Schwarz; ♀ ♂].

References. Townes & Townes 1951: 188 [catalogue]. Townes & Townes 1960: 83 [description; USA (Arizona), Mexico (Nuevo León, Durango), Costa Rica; host]. Townes & Townes 1966: 11 [catalogue; Mexico]. Carlson 1979: 326 [catalogue]. Gauld 1991: 193 [description; Costa Rica; host]. Ruíz-Cancino et al. 2002: 645 [checklist; Mexico]. Gauld et al. 2002: 34 [ El Salvador]. Quicke et al. 2009: 1412 [? Costa Rica].

Material examined. USA. Arizona: 1 ♀ ( AEIC) Portal , 20.viii.1987, coll. H. & M. Townes. MEXICO. Chihuahua: 1 ♀, 1 ♂ (UAT) Villa Coronado , ex Cydia caryana , xi.2004, coll. R. Rodriguez Martinez . Coahuila: 1 ♀ (UAT) Parras de la Fuente, 17.x.1986, coll. M . Flores. Tamaulipas: 1 ♀ ( ZISP) 15 km SSW of Cd. Victoria, El Madroño , 1400–1450 m, 12.i.2013, coll. A.I. Khalaim. 3 ♀ (UAT) 17 km N of Palmillas, Ejido Magdaleno Aguilar , 23°26.995’N, 99°33.440’W, 1450 m, pine forest + juniper, Malaise trap, 10–23.v, 14–27.vi and 2–15.viii.2012, coll. E. Ruíz-Cancino et al. San Luis Potosí: 1 ♀ (UAT) Puerta de la Huerta, km 228 San Luis Potosí—Río Verde , herbs, 7.vii.2000, coll. E. Ruíz-Cancino. Querétaro: 1 ♀ ( UNAM) Amealco San Pedro Tenango , 20º08’12”N, 100º06’37”W, 2518 m, 24.x.2007, coll. H. Brailovsky & L. Cervantes. Michoacán: 1 ♀ ( UMSNH) Morelia, Cerro Punhuato, 19°41’954”N, 101°08’351”W, 2096 m, Área de Nopalera , yellow pan traps, 1.x.2010, coll. Ana L. Escalante & Jiménez. Hidalgo: 1 ♀ ( UNAM) Tasquillo , 30.xii.1985, coll. L. Rivera. D.F.: 1 ♀ ( AEIC) “ Distrito Federal X.11.62 Mexico H. & M. Townes ” .

Remarks. Examined material from Mexico exactly corresponds with the description of this species by Townes & Townes (1960). According to the description by Gauld (1991), tergites 1–3 of metasoma are elongate (first tergite 1.3×, second tergite 1.2×, and third tergite 1.1× as long as maximally broad), whereas in our material tergites 1 and 2 are 0.8–1.0× as long as broad, and tergite 3 is always distinctly transverse (less than 0.8× as long as broad).

Variation. One female from Querétaro possesses upper tooth of mandible somewhat longer than the lower tooth. In other specimens mandibular teeth are more or less equal by length.

Distribution. USA (Arizona), Mexico (Chihuahua, Coahuila, Tamaulipas, Nuevo León, Durango, San Luis Potosí, Querétaro, Michoacán, D.F., Hidalgo), El Salvador, Costa Rica.

Biology. Reared in USA from Anthonomus grandis thurberiae Pierce ( Coleoptera : Curculionidae ), from bolls of Gossypium thurberi Todaro (Malvaceae) and from galls of Disholcaspis sp. ( Hymenoptera : Cynipidae ) on Quercus oblongifolia Torrey ( Townes & Townes 1960) . Reared from the seed of Quercus sp. in Costa Rica ( Gauld 1991) and from Cydia caryana (Fitch) ( Lepidoptera : Tortricidae ) in Mexico.

Figures

FIGURES 8–12. Calliephialtes grapholithae, ♀ (Tamaulipas): 8—habitus (without one antenna and ovipositor), lateral. Calliephialtes sittenfeldae, ♀ (Tamaulipas): 9—habitus, lateral; 10—metasomal tergites 1–3, dorsal. Calliephialtes thurberiae, ♀ (Tamaulipas): 11—habitus, lateral; 12—apex of ovipositor, lateral.

FIGURES 13–17. Calliephialtes grapholithae, ♀ (Tamaulipas): 13—mesosoma and base of metasoma, lateral; 14—hind leg, lateral. Calliephialtes sittenfeldae, ♀ (Tamaulipas): 15—head, mesosoma and base of metasoma, lateral; 16—hind leg, lateral. Calliephialtes thurberiae, ♀ (Tamaulipas): 17—mesosoma and base of metasoma, lateral.