Cryptus variator Walker, 1874

Shimizu, So & Broad, Gavin R., 2020, Photographic catalogue of the oldest primary types of Japanese Ichneumonoidea (Hymenoptera), those described by Frederick Smith and Francis Walker in 1874, Journal of Natural History 54 (17), pp. 1115-1198 : 1169-1171

Cryptus variator Walker, 1874

( Figure 35 )

Taxonomic history. Morley (1913b) suggested this species is similar to an Indian species of Aritranis Förster, 1869 . Uchida (1940b) transferred it to Hygrocryptus Thomson, 1873 , and Townes et al. (1965) to Gambrus Förster, 1869 .

Taxonomy. Although Agrothereutes Förster, 1850 , Aritranis , Gambrus and Hoplocryptus Thomson, 1873 are morphologically more or less difficult to distinguish from each other (especially the distinction of Aritranis and Hoplocryptus ) ( Townes 1970; Schwarz and Shaw 1998), Hoplocryptus is distinguishable from Agrothereutes, Aritranis and Gambrus by, for example, the absence of a basal lateral tooth on the first metasomal segment, a more or less distinct tooth on the ventral margin of the clypeus, rather weakly convex postpetiole, and distinct dorso-lateral carinae of the first metasomal tergite (see Townes (1970) and Schwarz (2007) for more details). The character states of the holotype of Cryptus variator match all diagnostic characters of the genus Hoplocryptus ; therefore, we propose a new combination, Hoplocryptus variator comb. nov., and also a new synonym, Hoplocryptus pini Momoi, 1973 syn. nov. under H. variator comb. nov. based on comparison of the original description ( Momoi 1973) and photographs of Hoplocryptus pini and the holotype specimen of H. variator comb. nov.

Current taxonomy. Hoplocryptus variator ( Walker, 1874) comb. nov. ( Ichneumonidae : Cryptinae : Cryptini ).

Type number. Type 3b.412. Specimen # NHMUK010634909

Type status. Holotype.

Sex. Female.

Type locality. Japan.

Label data. First label, ‘Type’ (round label, with red margin; printed); second label, ‘B.M. TYPE /HYM./3.b.412’ (square label; first and second lines printed and third line handwriting); third label, ‘ Japan./Coll.F. Walker./ 1913–71.’ (square label; printed); fourth label, ‘262’ (square label; handwriting); fifth label, ‘ Cryptus /variator’ (square label; handwriting); sixth label, ‘ Aritranis sp. ♀./Morley det. xii. 1913 ’ (square label; ‘Morley det.’ printed and the remaining characters handwriting).

Condition. Good, although the following are missing: the right antenna after the 20th flagellomere, left antenna after 19th, fourth and fifth tarsomeres of left mid leg, and hind tarsi.

Figures

Figure 35. Holotype female of Cryptus variator Walker, 1874 (= Hoplocryptus variator (Walker, 1874) comb. nov.): (a) labels (b) lateral habitus (c) head, frontal view (d) head, dorsal view (e) head, lateral view (f) mesoscutum and scutellum, dorsolateral view (g) propodeum, dorsolateral view (h) mesosoma, lateral view (i) wings (j) metasoma, dorsal view.