Megaplastopria Ashmead, 1903: 31

MASNER, LUBOMÍR & GARCÍA R, JOSÉ LUIS, 2002, The Genera Of Diapriinae (Hymenoptera: Diapriidae) In The New World, Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2002 (268), pp. 1-138 : 87-89

Megaplastopria Ashmead, 1903: 31 .

Xyalopria Kieffer, 1907: 300 . NEW SYNONYMY.

DIAGNOSIS (♀ 3): Medium to large­size individuals, (2.5–5.5 mm); body predominantly dark brown to black, rarely lighter, with lighter appendages, predominantly smooth and glabrous, with scattered long bristles, heavy hairy cushions and foamy structures; occiput usually with sharply pointed upright spine medially, spine usually bordered posteriorly by raised transverse edge making occipital flange steplike; A1 with remarkable longitudinal keels, especially ventrally, apical rim sharp, often spinelike on outer edge; female A12 often largest segment; male A3– A14 strongly elongate, cylindrical, not knotted, with long, erect scattered bristles, always with distinct irregular sculpture, matte; male A1 relatively short, always distinctly shorter than A3; anterior scutellar pit moderately to strongly elongate, relatively deep, without longitudinal keel; anterior margin of S2 always with two hairy depressions.

DESCRIPTION (♀ 3): HEAD. Head in dorsal view globular, with antennal shelf strongly projecting, rather large, anterior margin of shelf bladelike, often angular medially ; frons unarmed; antennal shelf large, bladelike projecting, not margined posteriorly; temple behind eye relatively short, receding; level of torulus in middle or upper half of eye; eye remarkably large, much larger than malar space, subcircular, only slightly higher than long, posterior orbit of eye straight; ommatidia relatively small, not convex; malar sulcus not developed, cheek rarely with shallow declivity; ocelli remarkably large; oral carina well developed; postgena with massive cushion consisting of foamy structures and dense hairs; occiput usually with sharply pointed upright spine medially, spine usually bordered posteriorly by raised transverse edge making occipital flange steplike, occipital flange well developed, rather broad; head in frontal view with face distinctly elongate; mandible bidentate, normally equidentate; anterior margin of clypeus moderately flexed; epistomal sulcus often well developed; tentorial pit present but shallow; hypostomal bridge present, narrow; palpi rather long and slender, palpal formula 5–2; female antenna 12­segmented, clava nonabrupt, clavomeres progressively incrassate toward apex, A12 often remarkably enlarged, distinctly higher than wide, often as long as two or three preceding antennomeres, ventral pit not developed, A1 with longitudinal keels, especially ventrally, keels rarely rudimentary, apical rim sharp, often spinelike on outer edge; male antenna 14­segmented, remarkably long and slender, A1 relatively short, A2 very small, spherical, A3 longest of all segments, A4 sexually modified with sexual carina, A3–A14 strongly elongate, cylindrical, not knotted, with long erect scattered bristles, always with distinct irregular sculpture, matte, with special brushes on A7 and A8 moderately developed. MESOSOMA. Pronotum in dorsal view relatively well developed, with shoulders prominent but obscured by heavy pronotal cushion; side of pronotum rather flat; epomium usually developed dorsally, with vertical part usually obscured by heavy pronotal cushion; pronotal cushion heavy, mixed with foamy structures; propleuron with extensive foamy structures, covered partly by dense pilosity or cushion; mesoscutum generally longer than wide, slightly convex; parapsidal and anterior parallel lines not developed; tegula remarkably large; anterior scutellar pit moderately to strongly elongate, relatively deep, without longitudinal keel, as long as scutellar disc, with anterior margin straight, and posterior margin subacute; scutellar disc subquadrate with median longitudinal keel more or less developed, lateral keels of disc sharp, area on disc between lateral keel and median keel often distinctly depressed, posterolateral corners of disc sharply rectangular; axilla rather large, broadly confluent with scutellar disc, with posterior margin sharp and oblique (45°); axillar depression relatively small but deep, with abundant foamy structures; mesopleuron rather flat, trapezoidal, wider ventrally than dorsally, oblique median line entirely absent; sternaulus rudimentary, indicated posteriorly above midcoxa; fore and middle coxa often connected by longitudinal groove; dorsellum well developed, lateral keels always well produced, median keel usually absent, rarely rudimentary; metapleuron predominantly with dense appressed silvery pilosity; metasternum with foamy structures; median keel of propodeum strongly produced anteriorly into long, slender spine pointed backward, spine often overlapping posterior margin of propodeum, area between plica and median keel relatively glabrous, sides of propodeum with dense, appressed, silvery pilosity; plica moderately developed; posterior margin of propodeum deeply V­shaped excavate; forewing often infuscate, venation reaching basal third of wing, submarginal vein almost straight, stigmal vein rudimentary, basal vein not developed; legs long and slender, trochanters remarkably elongate, femora and tibiae constricted basally, strongly clavate distally; posterior femur apically with flanges; apex of foretibia with moderate to rudimentary spine dorsally; tarsi not compressed. METASO­ MA. Petiole distinctly elongate, cylindrical, with strong longitudinal keels, predominantly glabrous dorsally, with hairs ventrally and laterally, sometimes with rudimentary foamy structures posterolaterally, with deep longitudinal groove posteroventrally; metasoma past petiole elongate, anterior margin of syntergite distinctly wider than petiole, syntergite in lateral view entirely glabrous, and highly shining, almost flat dorsally, posterior margin of syntergite and following tergites with fine dense punctures; posterolateral corners of tergites remarkably angular, not appressed to sternite, often flared out, loosely fitting; anterior margin of S2 with 2 hairy depressions, specialized spot on S2 not developed.

RECOGNITION AND RELATIONSHIPS: Megaplastopria can be recognized by the combination of several character states, however, two of them appear constant in all species, viz., the structure of male antenna (A1 vs. A3, structure of A3–A14) and the presence of two hairy depressions on base of S 2 in both sexes. Megaplastopria differs from Trichopria by specialized male antenna as well as by presence of two hairy pits on base of S 2 in both sexes; however, several undescribed Neotropical species of Megaplastopria lack some of the generic attributes and appear closer to Trichopria .

DISTRIBUTION: The genus is restricted to the Neotropics, with 12 species described. We examined rich material from CNCI with specimens from Mexico to Brazil; no specimens were examined from the Greater Antilles, but one species is described from Grenada (Lesser Antilles).

BIOLOGY: Host unknown. All members of Megaplastopria are found in lower and mid altitudes (rain and cloud forests).

Mimopria Holmgren Figures 65, 66

Figures

Figs. 61–69. 61, Leucopria cylindricornis n. sp. female habitus, lateral view; 62, Megalastopria sp. female habitus, lateral view; 63, Mimopriella sp. female petiole, dorsal view; 64, Mimopriella sp. female habitus, lateral view; 65, Mimopria comes Borgmeier female head, dorsal view; 66, M. comes female habitus, lateral view; 67, Mitropria sp. female head, lateral view; 68, Monelata sp. female habitus, dorsal view; 69, Monelata sp. female habitus, dorsal view.