Plagiolabra nigra von Schulthess, 1903

Hermes, Marcel G., 2007, Contribution to the knowledge of the Neotropical genus Plagiolabra von Schulthess (Hymenoptera, Vespidae, Eumeninae) *, Zootaxa 1583 (1), pp. 15-22 : 20

Plagiolabra nigra von Schulthess, 1903

( Figs. 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 , 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 , 22 )

Plagiolabra nigra von Schulthess, 1903 , Verh. Zool. -Bot. Ges. Wien 53: 366, figs. 1–4, female (syntype) – “ Paraguay: Villa Rica” ( Zürich ).

Leontiniella argentina Brèthes, 1903 , An. Mus. Nac. Buenos Aires 9: 265, 315 (key), figs. 7–10, female (syntype) – “ Argentina: Córdoba ” (Buenos Aires) .

Plagiolabra nigra ; Dalla Torre, 1904, Gen. Insect. 19: 32 (catalog). Brèthes, 1906, An. Mus. Nac. Buenos Aires 13: 341 (synonym of Leontiniella argentina Brèthes ). Zavattari, 1912, Arch. Naturgesch. 78A (4): 164 ( Paraguay; Bolivia). Bertoni, 1918, An. Cient. Parag. 2: 207 ( Paraguay).

Leontiniella argentina ; Brèthes, 1905, An. Mus. Nac. Buenos Aires 13: 36, female, male ( Argentina: Chaco, Las Mercedes). Brèthes, 1906, An. Mus. Nac. Buenos Aires 13: 341 (synonym of Plagiolabra nigra von Schulthess ) .

Female measurements (mm): FWL = 16,25; BL = 18,12; HW = 5,25; HH = 5,00.

Coloration: female integument black with yellow markings on frons above level of antennal sockets; mandibles and labrum brown-ferrugineous; wing membrane and venation blackish. Male integument black with yellow markings as follows: clypeus entirely; longitudinal stripe on inner face of scape; marks on frons above level of antennal sockets. Inner face of flagellum, mandibles, labrum, lateral face of propodeum, legs and metasoma brownish; wing membrane brownish-black and venation black.

Pilosity: relatively long erect white hairs on inner face of coxae, on ventral face of mesopleuron and on propodeum. Micropilosity scarce.

Integument surface: as in P. andina .

Male genitalia: the paramere is longer than broad, the basal and apical angles are more acute relative to P. andina , the parameral spine is short on its apical portion (fig. 21), and the ventral processes of the aedeagus are enlarged and serrate beneath (figs. 19 and 20). In comparison with P. andina , the head of aedeagus is more swollen, the lateral apodemes are shorter and more projecting laterally, and the basal apodeme has its basal portion more acute (figs. 19 and 20). The volsella is pincerlike, the digitus forming a short lamella that bears no pilosity. The cuspis forms a lateral acute projection in addition to the usual lamella, both bearing long pilosity. The base of volsella forms a globose projection filled with short spines (figs. 17 and 18).

Material examined: Argentina, Salta: one male ( AMNH), ‘ARG. – SALTA \ La Viña\ Fritz-12.93’ ‘ Plagiolabra \ nigra Sch. R. \ Fritz det.’. Paraguay, Boqueron: three females ( DZUP), ‘ Paraguay, Boqueron,\ Parque Nacional Teniente\ Enciso, Ruta Transchaco\ 272 m, 4.ii.2007 \ 21º02’58”S 61º45’17”W \ M.G.Hermes coll.’; three females ( DZUP), ‘ Paraguay, Boqueron,\ Parque Nacional Teniente\ Enciso, Administración\ 213 m, 4.ii.2007 \ 21º12’38”S 61º39’20”W \ M.G.Hermes coll.’

Figures

FIGURE 22. Collecting record map (examined material, literature and unpublished records kindly provided by Bolívar Garcete) of species of Plagiolabra. Zavattari (1912) cites that P. nigra also occurs in the Bolivian Chaco, but no exact location is given therein.

FIGURES 6–11. Plagiolabra nigra: 6–7: Head, frontal view: 6: Female; 7: Male; 8: Head (female), dorsal view; 9–10: General aspect, lateral view: 9: Female; 10: Male; 11: Detail of male antenna apex; scale bar for figs. 6–7 = 2 mm, fig. 8 = 1 mm, figs. 9–10 = 5 mm, fig. 11 = 0,5 mm.

FIGURES 17–21. Plagiolabra nigra, male genitalia: 17–18: Volsella; 17: Anterior view; 18: Posterior view; 19–20: Aedeagus; 19: Lateral view; 20: Ventral view; 21: Paramere; scale bar for figs. 17–18 = 0,25 mm, figs. 19–21 = 1 mm.