Digonocryptus pulchripes ( Cameron , 1886 )

Aguiar, Alexandre P. & Santos, Bernardo F., 2012, Additions to the revision of Digonocryptus Viereck (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae, Cryptinae), with nine new taxa, new males, and distribution maps for all known species, Zootaxa 3282, pp. 1-41 : 23-24

Digonocryptus pulchripes ( Cameron, 1886)

Morphological variation. The “truly smooth mesopleuron, without any trace of strigation” is cited as characteristic for this species by Aguiar and Ramos (2011), but a narrow, sinuous stripe of delicate strigation is noticeable on the female reported here. Orbital band widely interrupted ventrally, between 4–8 h (vs. previously reported as briefly interrupted at malar space only); mesosoma uniformly reddish brown (vs. typically lighter laterally than dorsally); clypeus pale yellow centrally, otherwise black, clypeal suture and supraclypeal area black (vs. all these areas whitish); tegula mostly dark brown but posterior corner bright yellow (vs. fully dark brown); scutellum reddish (vs. milky); fore coxa black (vs. whitish), mid coxa mostly dark brown except basally reddish brown (vs. whitish), hind coxa reddish with apex dark brown (vs. reddish brown also at apex and yellow spot dorso-basally); mid and hind femur fully black (vs. basal half reddish). There are also other minor variations on hind tibia and t1 color.

Comments. This species belongs to the D. inflatus species group, for which all species show intense variation in color patterns and other morphological features. Even so, the single examined specimen shows a considerable amount of variation for the species; the fore and mid coxae mostly black, for example, represent a unique feature among Digonocryptus spp. with light colored mesosoma. This specimen also represents the southernmost record for D. pulchripes , the first in South America. This might all be suggestive of a possible new species, but proposing it now would be premature, since only one specimen is available, the morphological variability for all the species in this group is quite high and difficult to interpret, and important features do fit best the present species, such as the entire structure and color pattern of the propodeum and metasoma.

Material examined. 1 female from ECUADOR, Pichincha, Santo Domingo, Tandapi, 1500 m, 23.XII.1975, WSchacht ( ZSMC).

Distribution. Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Ecuador NR ( Fig. 82 ).

Figures

FIGURES 80 – 87. Distribution maps for species of Digonocryptus. 80, D. pontagus Aguiar et Ramos. 81, D. propodeator Kasparyan et Ruíz. 82, D. pulchripes (Cameron). 83, D. rufigaster (Szépligeti). 84, D. rufozyrix Aguiar et Ramos. 85, D. sautatus Aguiar et Ramos. 86, D. silopoeus Aguiar et Ramos. 87, D. sipius Aguiar et Ramos.