Hoplophaeogenes amoenus Heinrich, 1938

Rousse, Pascal, van Noort, Simon & Diller, E., 2013, Revision of the Afrotropical Phaeogenini (Ichneumonidae, Ichneumoninae), with description of a new genus and twelve new species, ZooKeys 354, pp. 1-85 : 54-57

Hoplophaeogenes amoenus Heinrich, 1938 Figs 31-32

Material examined.

SYNTYPES 1 female: Madagascar, Dieg[ o–Suarez], Montagne d’Ambre, 20-26.I.34 leg[. A. Seyrig] (ZMPA). Other material (cf. comments) 1 male: same label data (ZMPA); 1 male: Madagascar: Fianarantsoa Pr. Ranomafana National Park 21°15.685'S, 47°25.204'E, 927m, Malaise trap 4-21.xi.2005 G. Martin, D.L.J. Quicke, L. P. Holland BMNH (E) 2005-205 (BMNH).

Diagnosis.

Head pale yellow with occiput, vertex, and a thin transverse stripe at toruli level black; mesosoma dark red interspersed with black and pale yellow markings; metasoma reddish; antenna black with 29 flagellomeres (broken from flagellomeres 8 and 10 in the lectotype) with a median pale yellow ring; head and body entirely smooth and polished but some rugosity along propodeal carinae; mid–longitudinal bulge of face delimited by moderately deep submedian longitudinal furrow; propodeal carination strong. B: 9.4; A NA; F 6.0; HdWi 1.8; HfWi 1.2; Ci 2.1; Mi 0.7; IOi 1.2; OOi 0.8; Fli1 3.1; Fli15 NA; Fli28 NA; OTi 0. 3. Male: cf. comments.

Distribution.

Madagascar (Antananarivo, Antsiranana and Fianarantsoa provinces) ( Heinrich 1938).

Comments.

This species is very closely related to the following one. Heinrich (1938) considered Hoplophaeogenes curticornis to be a distinct species although both species are sympatric and the single known female specimen of Hoplophaeogenes curticornis differs from the two known females of Hoplophaeogenes amoenus only by its shorter antennae and darker face and metasomal apex. These differences being much slighter than the sexual dimorphism within the species. Heinrich could not attribute with certainty the three Hoplophaeogenes males he examined to either of these species. Subsequently, he decided to allocate them arbitrarly to Hoplophaeogenes amoenus but did not include them in the type material. Lacking enough supplementary material, we decide here to follow Heinrich’s choice and allocate the male collected at Fianarantsoa to Hoplophaeogenes amoenus . Compared to the type female of Hoplophaeogenes amoenus , these males differ by the entirely black flagellum, the more extensively black head, and the dark red metasoma. The only male with complete antennae (BMNH) has 26 flagellomeres.