Lamachus Förster, 1869

Khalaim, A. I., Ruíz-Cancino, E., Coronado-Blanco, J. M. & Castañeda-Vildуzola, Á., 2019, First record of the genus Lamachus Förster, 1869 (Hymenoptera: Ctenopelmatinae) from Mexico, with description of two new species, Russian Entomological Journal 28 (2), pp. 169-179 : 170-171

Genus Lamachus Förster, 1869

= Adexioma Förster, 1869 [ Townes, 1945: 519].

= Bathyglyptus Schmiedeknecht, 1913 [ Townes et al., 1965: 258].

= Torocampus Schmiedeknecht, 1913 [ Townes, 1945: 519].

= Zaphthora Förster, 1869 [ Townes et al., 1965: 258].

Type species: Tryphon lophyrum Hartig, 1838 (= Tryphon frutetorum Hartig, 1838 ), included as “ lophyrorum ” (lapsus) by Thomson [1892: 1877], designated by Viereck [1914: 81] (see also Perkins, 1962: 434).

REFERENCES. Rohwer, 1915: 217–218 (two new species: Lagarotis diprioni , L. virginianus ); Cushman, 1939: 400–402 (review of 6 North American species, including two new species: Lamachus tsugae , L. oregon ); Townes, 1945: 519–520 (catalogue; 6 species in America north of Mexico); Townes and Townes, 1951: 334–335 (catalogue; 6 species in America north of Mexico); Burks, 1952: 81 (key to Nearctic genera of Mesoleiini ), 85 (description of Lamachus ); Townes, 1970: 118 (catalogue of genera; description of Lamachus ); Carlson, 1979: 596–597 (catalogue; 9 species in America north of Mexico, including 3 introduced species).

Six native species of Lamachus occur in America north of Mexico: all are known from the USA and four from Canada. In the United States, two species ( L. angularius , L. tsugae ) occur in the Northwest, three species ( L. contortionis , L. lophyri , L. ruficoxalis ) in the Northeast, and one ( L. virginianus ) in the East extending southwards to Florida.

All known Nearctic species have head and mesosoma predominantly black in colour, and metasoma reddish brown to black with white and/or black markings. Below we describe two new species of Lamachus from Central Mexico. In one discovered species, L. cushmani sp.n., female has a rather remarkable colouration, i.e. almost entirely orange-brown body with scarse yellow and black markings ( Fig. 6 ). This is the first record of Lamachus , as well as the tribe Mesoleiini , from Mexico, and a southern most record of the genus in the New World.

Also we report a new host species, Neodiprion omosus Smith, 1988 , which was not previously record- ed for this genus. This diprionid sawfly was described from the states of México, Michoacán and Morelos in Central Mexico, and probably also occurs in Guatemala; larvae of N. omosus were reported feeding on Pinus patula Schiede , P. lawsonii Roezl , P. leiophylla Schiede and P. ayacahuite Ehrenb. in Mexico, and probably on P. maximinoi Moore (= tenuifolia Benth.) in Guatemala [ Smith, 1988: 231–232]. Later, Cibrián-Tovar et al. [1995: 180] provided description of N. omosus , its biology, host plants and distribution in the states of Hidalgo, Michoacán, Morelos, Puebla, State of Mexico and Distrito Federal in Central Mexico, and noted that this species requires control in Christmas tree plantations, watershed protection plantations and in urban areas, thought in natural forests infestation of young trees can occur without causing serious damage.

Figures

Figs 6–7. Lamachus cushmani sp.n. in nature: 6 — female; 7 — male. Рис. 6–7. Lamachus cushmani sp.n. в природе: 6 — самка; 7 — самец.