Auplopus bellus ( Cresson, 1865 )

Waichert, Cecilia, Rodriguez, Juanita, Von Dohlen, Carol D. & Pitts, James P., 2012, Spider wasps (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae) of the Dominican Republic, Zootaxa 3353 (1), pp. 1-47 : 12-13

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.3353.1.1
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5253387
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/A9185567-9B0C-FFA8-92FE-F9D94D441CC6
treatment provided by	Felipe
scientific name	Auplopus bellus ( Cresson, 1865 )
status

Treatment

Auplopus bellus ( Cresson, 1865) View in CoL

( Figs 2B View FIGURE 2 , 5A–B View FIGURE 5 )

Pompilus bellus Cresson, 1865 View in CoL , Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Philadelphia, vol. 1, p. 124–125 [Holotype: ♀, CUBA (ANSP)].

Diagnosis. This species can be recognized by the following unique combination of characters: the integument has bluish-green reflections; the antenna is brown; the pubescence on the body is long, silver, and abundant on propodeum ( Fig. 2B View FIGURE 2 ); the first metasomal segment is not carinate; the dorsal face of hind tibia is not spinose; and the fore and hind wings are darkened with slight purple reflections. Additionally, the female has strong bluishgreen metallic integument ( Fig. 5B View FIGURE 5 ), convex clypeus with the apical margin rounded, and pygidium well defined and bare. The male has black integument with bluish-green reflections ( Fig. 5A View FIGURE 5 ), clypeus trapezoidal with invaginate apical margin, and wings less darkened than in the female.

Material examined. DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: Distrito Nacional, Haina, W. J. Pulawski cllr, 8.XI.1986, 1 ♂, ( CAS) .

Distribution. Cuba to Puerto Rico ( Snelling & Torres 2004), Jamaica, Dominican Republic.

Host. Unknown.

Remarks. This species has been reported as building mud nests under stones ( Cresson 1865 apud Snelling & Torres 2004), bark ( Alayo 1969), and leaves (Wolcott 1936 apud Snelling & Torres 2004). Alayo (1969) described nests as approximately 10 mm long and clustered in a group of five to six nests. Auplopus bellus were also collected in trap nests (7–10 mm internal diameter bamboo canes) in Jamaica by Jaysingh and Freeman (1980). The host(s), however, remains unknown. This species was recorded from Haiti by Banks (1928), but this is the first record for A. bellus in the Dominican Republic.