Anagyrus bellator (De Santis, 1972)

(Figs 3, 4)

Xiphomastix bellator De Santis 1972: 46, 47 (illustration). Type locality: Loreto, Misiones, Argentina. Subsequent references: De Santis 1979: 189 (catalog); Loiácono et al. 2001: 158 (type information).

Xiphomastix nigriceps De Santis 1972: 46 –47. Type locality: Loreto, Misiones, Argentina. Subsequent references: De Santis 1979: 189 (catalog); Loiácono et al. 2001: 158 (type information). Syn. n.

Anagyrus bellator (De Santis): Noyes 1979: 146; Noyes 1980: 173 (list); Noyes 2000: 45 –46 (mentioned).

Anagyrus nigriceps (De Santis): Noyes 1979: 148; Noyes 1980: 173 (list, comments); Kerrich 1982: 400 (comments); Noyes 2000: 29 (revived combination).

Paranusia bellator (De Santis): Kerrich 1982: 400 –401.

Apoanagyrus nigriceps (De Santis): Noyes & Hayat 1994: 305.

Type material examined. Holotype female of Xiphomastix bellator De Santis [MLPA] on slide (Fig. 3) labeled: 1.

“Loreto (Prov. de Misiones) Col. Ogloblin 12-IV-1934 ”; 2. “ Xiphomastix bellator Det. De Santis HOLOTIPO 2691/1 [in pencil, MLPA type number added later] ♀ [in pencil] MUSEO DE LA PLATA ”. The holotype is in good condition, mounted dorsoventrally, with the head plus antennae detached from the body.

Holotype female of Xiphomastix nigriceps De Santis [MLPA] on slide labeled: 1. “Loreto (Prov. de Misiones) Col. Ogloblin 22-IV-1931 ”; 2. “ Xiphomastix nigriceps Det. De Santis HOLOTIPO 2692/1 [in pencil, MLPA type number added later] ♀ [in pencil] MUSEO DE LA PLATA ”. The holotype is in good condition, mounted dorsoventrally, with the head and antennae detached from the body.

Distribution. Argentina: Misiones (De Santis 1972).

Hosts. Unknown.

Taxonomic notes. Both names were based on single females (De Santis 1972) collected by A.A. Ogloblin in the same locality during the same month. In the original description of Xiphomastix nigriceps, De Santis (1972) failed to specify any concrete differences between it and X. bellator . The only differences between the two holotypes are in fact quite minor and likely within intraspecific variability. The holotype of A. bellator has the base of F3 whitish whereas the holotype of A. nigriceps has F3 entirely dark. Coloration of F3 of the female antenna varies in some other species of Anagyrus such as A. lopezi (De Santis) (De Santis 1964) and A. quilmes described below. The ovipositors in both holotypes are very long (as in Fig. 4), extended to the base of the gaster anteriorly and markedly exserted beyond the gastral apex (by about 0.25× of total ovipositor length). Apparent differences in head coloration and sculpture of the frontovertex in the holotypes of A. bellator and A. nigriceps, as noted by Kerrich (1982), are likely due to differences in clearing and other artificial factors in the process of slide-mounting. This was done by A.A. Ogloblin, so almost certainly L. De Santis had never seen their natural colors. It is also likely that head color can be variable in this species.

Anagyrus bellator appears to be very close to, and possibly synonymous with, the southern Nearctic and Neotropical species A. pulchricornis (Howard), which is quite variable in coloration of the head, mesosoma, and funicle segments of the female antenna (Noyes 2000). Because we do not have any material of A. pulchricornis for a thorough comparison, we leave the question of their likely conspecificity open for further investigation. In this regard, coloration of the scape of the female antenna may or may not be of diagnostic value: in A. pulchricornis, the scape is “blackish with a small, white, external spot basally and a white subapical band in distal one-third” (Noyes 2000, p. 45; also see his fig. 46, p. 266), whereas in the holotypes of A. bellator and A. nigriceps the scape is darkened as a short band only in the middle (De Santis 1972, his fig. 14, p. 47 and fig. 9, p. 46, respectively).