Physotarsus maculipennis Cresson 1874
Creators: name: Zhaurova, Kira
name: Wharton, Robert
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2009
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Ichneumonidae
Physotarsus
Physotarsus maculipennis

description: Physotarsus maculipennis (Cresson, 1874) (Figs 44, 45)
Tryphon maculipennis Cresson, 1874: 392. Lectotype ɗ in Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia. Tryphon maculipennis: Dalla Torre 1902: 298 (catalog); Cresson 1916: 40 (lectotype designation). Scolobates maculipennis: Townes 1946: 39 (new combination).
Physotarsus maculipennis: Townes & Townes 1966: 139 (catalog); Townes in Townes & Townes 1966: 330 (description of genus; designation of P. maculipennis as type species); Townes 1970b: 102 – 103 (copy of original generic description, listing the type species); Yu & Horstmann 1997: 455 (catalog).
Diagnosis. Lateral ocelli separated by 0.9X their widest diameter from each other, and about 1.8–2.0X their widest diameter from eye margin. Antenna with 35–38 flagellomeres. Pronotum and mesoscutum glabrous, impunctate. T1 about 2.2–2.4X as long as broad. Head entirely orange. Mesosoma mostly orange, sometimes with black markings laterally. Metasomal T1–T3 largely reddish brown. Hind leg orange, tarsomeres 2–4 pale yellow to nearly white. Fore wing fuscous, with at least one pale yellowish spot or band distally (Fig. 44).
This species is most similar to P. varicornis, with which it shares the smooth body, pectinate claws, and dark wing with pale subapical band. Physotarsus varicornis is a distinctly darker species.
Description. Female: Body (Fig. 44) 8.3–9.7 mm, fore wing 9.0– 9.2 mm. Head (Fig. 45): Clypeal margin widely truncate laterally, with thick, somewhat broadly angulate central lobe. Clypeus about 3.0X as wide as long, divided medially by transverse depression, with two small basolateral lobes weakly protruding in profile. Face densely covered with short setae; setae longer, less dense on clypeus. Anterior tentorial pits elongate and upcurved laterally. Malar space 0.5–0.6X width of mandibular base. Face 1.8X as broad as long, prominently protruding medially, face densely, finely punctate. Interantennal area flat, area immediately behind antennae weakly concave laterally, turning convex before reaching ocelli. Anterior margin of torulus situated at about 0.7 of eye height. Interantennal distance greater than distance between lateral ocelli. Widest diameter of torulus 1.4X widest diameter of median ocellus. Lateral ocelli separated by 0.9X their widest diameter from each other and about 1.8–2.0X their widest diameter from eye margin. Area between lateral ocelli flat, area behind ocelli not sharply declivitous. Antenna with 38 flagellomeres, first flagellomere 3.8– 4.5X longer than wide, 1.4X widest transverse diameter of eye, second flagellomere 0.6X length of first. Occipital carina present on ventral 0.2–0.3 of head. Mesosoma: Anterior margin of pronotum medially slightly emarginate, laterally rounded, slightly upcurved. Lateral groove of pronotum unsculptured, present on dorsal 0.3. Pronotum and mesoscutum glabrous, impunctate. Epicnemial carina parallels anterior margin of mesopleuron. Mesopleuron largely impunctate medially, weakly punctate to nearly impunctate and sparsely pubescent ventrally. Propodeum with pleural carina complete to variously interrupted medially; impunctate medially, quite densely setose laterally. Tarsal claws almost fully pectinate. Fore wing stigma narrow, about 4.1–4.4X longer than wide; Rs+2r arising from basal 0.35–0.40 of stigma; marginal cell about 2.5–3.1X longer than wide; 2rs-m 1.3–2.5X longer than abscissa of M between 2rs-m and 2m-cu; Cu1a about 0.8-0.9X length of 2cu-a; cu-a weakly antefurcal, rarely interstitial relative to Rs&M. Hind wing M+Cu nearly straight; basal abscissa of Rs about 1.4X longer than rs-m; 1st abscissa of Cu1 about 2.0–3.0X longer than cu-a. Metasoma: T1 about 2.2–2.4X as long as broad; surface in profile concave basally, evenly convex over posterior 0.7–0.8, dorsal tendon anchored within distinct depression, depression gradually becoming shallower posteriorly, continuing for most of length of T1 as a shallow median groove; spiracles usually weakly protruding in profile; dorsolateral carina usually extending about 0.6–0.8X distance to spiracle. Cerci short but distinctly protruding.
Male. Antenna with 35-36 flagellomeres, first flagellomere 4.3–5.0X longer than wide. Venation more variable than in female: Fore wing 2rs-m 0.9–2.2X length of abscissa of M between 2rs-m and 2m-cu. Hind wing with basal abscissa of Rs 1.4–1.8X longer than rs-m; 1st abscissa of Cu1 about 1.7–4.0X longer than cu- a. Subgenital plate with margin widely truncate, not emarginate. Aedeagal margin not toothed. Otherwise as in female.
Color. Head varying from orange to dark orange, 25% of specimens with small black crescents immediately posteriorad antenna. Antenna usually orange basally, pale orange to yellow in middle and subapically, with apical 1–6 flagellomeres usually (85%) dark brown. Mesosoma mostly orange, half of specimens with black markings laterally, maximally as a lateral streak extending along anterior margin of pronotum, across middle of mesopleuron, ventral margin of metapleuron, and onto base of petiole. Metasoma with T1–T3 usually reddish brown, though varying from orange to brown, remaining tergites usually pale orange. Anterior two pairs of legs orange to pale orange basally (usually through femur), becoming pale orange to yellow distally. Hind leg orange with tarsomeres 2–4 always, 1 and/or 5 sometimes pale yellow to nearly white. Fore wing fuscous basally, infumate apically and ventroapically, with large, pale yellowish spot or band subapically distad stigma and often (50%) with additional pale spot or band immediately basad stigma; stigma dark (Fig. 44).
Material Examined. Lectotype ɗ (ANSP, Type No. 874.1): [MEXICO, Orizaba] only line on data label: “ MEX.” Additional material examined: MEXICO, Chiapas, 1 Ψ 3 mi N Arriaga, 16.ix.1967 (RH&EM Painter) (AEIC), 20–25 mi N Huixtla, 3000 ft, 1.vi.1969 (Peterson) (CNC); 1 ɗ Durango, 5–10 mi SE Durango, 6500 ft, 9.vii.1972 (B&C Dasch) (AEIC); Jalisco, 1 Ψ Chapala, 15.x.1968 (GE Bohart) (AEIC), 1 Ψ Guadalajara, 16.vii.1951 (HE Evans) (AEIC), 1 ɗ same locality, 23.vii.1939 (CH Townes) (AEIC); San Luis Potosi, 1 Ψ El Salto, 21.vii.1962 (AEIC), 1 Ψ 6 mi E. Xilitla, 2000 ft, 31.vii.1962 (RH&EM Painter) (AEIC), 1 ɗ Xilitla, 30.vii.1962 (RH&EM Painter) (AEIC); 1 ɗ Sinaloa, 20 mi E Concordia, 3000 ft, 12.viii.1964 (Mason) (CNC); Veracruz, 1 ɗ 34 mi E Jalapa Puente Nacional, 18.viii.1960 (Howden) (CNC), 1 ɗ Orizaba, 4079 ft, 27.vi.1972 (B&C Dasch) (AEIC).
Remarks. Specimens available for study represent a diversity of localities throughout Mexico and exhibit a considerable amount of variation. The most readily observed differences are in the color patterns on the mesosoma and wings, and in the relative lengths of the fore wing 2rs-m cross-vein and hind wing cu-a. The most variable features were not correlated, thus darker specimens were variable in number of pale spots on the wing and in relative length of the wing veins. Details of the color variation are noted in the redescription, which is based on all the material examined except for the specimen from Durango, which has the wings more nearly hyaline basally and is thus only doubtfully included here. In the lectotype, the mesosoma is completely orange (lacking dark markings laterally and on the pronotum), and the fore wing has a single, rounded, discrete, pale spot extending from the anterior margin immediately distad stigma to and almost or barely touching distal abscissa of M. Both flagella are completely absent on the lectotype, but in the original description, the flagellum is described as honey yellow basally, black apically, and with a broad, pale yellow band subapically. We have interpreted this as a single, variable species but once longer series from single localities become available, it may be possible to delineate additional species.
description: Published as part of Zhaurova, Kira & Wharton, Robert, 2009, A revision of Physotarsus Townes (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae: Ctenopelmatinae), with description of 18 new species, pp. 1-52 in Zootaxa 2207 on pages 36-37, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.189753