Liotryphon Ashmead, 1900

Khalaim, Andrey I. & Ruíz-Cancino, Enrique, 2022, Darwin wasps of the subfamily Pimplinae (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) of Mexico: Ephialtes genus-group, Zootaxa 5169 (3), pp. 201-251 : 222-224

Genus Liotryphon Ashmead, 1900

Liotryphon Ashmead 1900b: 368 (new name for Liogaster Kriechbaumer, 1890 ).

Type species: Liogaster longulus Kriechbaumer, 1890 (= punctulatus Ratzeburg, 1848), by monotypy.

Synonyms:

Apistes Seyrig, 1927 (name preoccupied by Fischer, 1823).

Apistephialtes Seyrig, 1928 (new name for Apistes Seyrig ).

Liogaster Kriechbaumer, 1890 (name preoccupied by Meyer, 1844).

References. Townes & Townes 1960: 10 [syn. of Exeristes ], 87 [ Apistephialtes ; revision of 8 Nearctic species (1 species actually belongs to another genus, 2 species described as new); key]. Townes & Townes 1966: 12 [catalogue; 2 species in Neotropical region; 2 species in Mexico]. Townes 1969: 77 [description; distribution]. Carlson 1979: 326 [catalogue; 10 species in America north of Mexico]. Gauld 1991: 166 [“some species occur in the highlands of Central Mexico ”]. RuízCancino et al. 2002: 645 [checklist; 2 species in Mexico].

Liotryphon is a predominantly Holarctic and Oriental genus with about 25 species; eight species occur in the Nearctic region, one species ( L. atriceps ) is known only from Mexico, and one Nearctic species ( L. petulcus ) was recorded from central Mexico by Townes ( Townes & Townes 1960).

Four species are recorded from Mexico in this paper, including two new species described below. Two new species differ from their Nearctic congeners by absence of the submetapleural carina, and from L. atriceps by the hirsute mesoscutum, almost entirely black body (in L. atriceps mesosoma and metasoma are extensively pale reddish brown) and predominantly reddish legs (whitish in L. atriceps ). The genus is very rarely collected in Mexico.

Species of Liotryphon commonly attack Lepidoptera pupating under loose bark ( Townes & Townes 1960).

Key to species of Liotryphon occurring in Mexico

1. Mesosoma extensively pale reddish brown with black markings. Scape and pedicel of antenna ventrally white. Pronotum wih white stripe on its upper margin. Submetapleural carina complete (unknown for L. atriceps )......................... 2

- Mesosoma black, sometimes only with white stripe on upper margin of pronotum ( Fig. 34 ). Scape and pedicel of antenna entirely black. Pronotum with or without white stripe on its upper margin. Submetapleural carina absent................ 3

2. Metasoma reddish brown. Mesoscutum almost bare....................................... 1. L. atriceps (Cresson)

- Metasoma black. Mesoscutum with moderately dense, evenly distributed setae................. 3. L. petulcus (Cresson)

3. Pronotum entirely black. Metapleuron polished, impunctate. Fore coxa whitish. Wings yellowish. Second tergite with oblique grooves anterolaterally and with a pair of rounded lateromedian swellings. Tergites 2–5 with posterior impunctate 0.25 dull. Large species with body length 16.5 mm and fore wing length 12.3 mm ( Fig. 32 ).................. 2. L. gauldi sp. nov.

- Pronotum black with white stripe on its upper margin ( Fig. 34 ). Metapleuron finely and sparsely punctate. Fore coxa reddish orange. Wings more or less hyaline. Second tergite without oblique grooves anterolaterally, with a pair of very weak lateromedian swellings ( Fig. 35 ). Tergites 2–5 with posterior impunctate 0.25 shining ( Fig. 35 ). Smaller, body length 8.2–10.8 mm and fore wing length 7.0– 9.2 mm ( Fig. 33 )..................................................... 4. L. tamajalus sp. nov.

Figures

FIGURES 32–36. Liotryphon gauldi sp. nov., holotype, ♀: 32—habitus, lateral. Liotryphon tamajalus sp. nov., paratype, ♀: 33—habitus, lateral; 34—mesosoma and base of metasoma, lateral; 35—metasomal tergites 1–4, dorsal; 36—apex of ovipositor, lateral.