Eiphosoma luteum Brues, 1917

Fernández-Triana, José L. & Ravelo, Horacio Grillo, 2007, A taxonomic review of Cuban Eiphosoma Cresson (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae), with biogeographical notes, Zootaxa 1655 (1), pp. 49-61 : 53

Eiphosoma luteum Brues

Eiphosoma luteum Brues 1917: 450 . [Original description. Holotype ♂, JAMAICA (MCZ, not examined)]

Diagnosis. This species can be differentiated from all of the Neotropical species of Eiphosoma other than those belonging to the nigrovittatum species-group by the complete absence of 3rs-m (i.e. no trace of areolet). Within its group it can be recognized by having the head and mesosoma orange-brownish without black markings. No other Cuban species has this colour pattern, making this one of the easiest species to recognize.

Comments. One of the females collected by Pastor Alayo in 1947 (see material examined) has an extra label attached by Henry Townes and dated 1966 or 1968 (the writing is not legible) stating that the specimen could be either E. luteum or a new species. Some years later Alayo considered the specimens collected in 1947 and 1955 as conspecific, a statement we agree with after studying material available in Cuban collections, but quoted the Townes determination just as E. luteum ( Alayo 1973) . We cannot be sure if those specimens are actually E. luteum or a new species without examination of the E. luteum holotype, which was unavailable during the present study, but we follow Alayo and regard the specimens as E. luteum .

Eiphosoma luteum is restricted to Jamaica and Western Cuba. This distribution is enigmatic because both Eastern and Central Cuba are closer to Jamaica. Eastern Cuba has been better sampled compared to the west; Alayo lived in, and intensively collected throughout, Eastern Cuba by the time he obtained E. luteum in the west. The predominantly high mountainous areas of Eastern Cuba may be unsuitable for this species, which seems to occur in lowlands habitats, as observed for most species of Eiphosoma ( Gauld 2000) . However, it is not possible to draw conclusions from so few specimens.

Material examined. WC. LH: Sierra de Anafe , Bauta, vii-1955, Jaume-Barro-Alayo (1 ♀, IES). Somorrostro, vi-1947, P. Alayo (4 ♀, IES) .