Asolenopsia Kieffer, 1921: 36–41

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 : 65-67

Asolenopsia Kieffer, 1921: 36–41 .

Euplacopria Ferrière, 1929: 157 . NEW SYNONYMY.

DIAGNOSIS (♀ 3): Small to medium­sized individuals (2 mm); body light colored, yellowish brown to ferrugineous, predominantly smooth and shining, only sparsely hairy, with few long scattered hairs, hairy cushions or foamy structures moderately developed; eye distinctly higher than long, inverted droplike shape, with posterior orbit slightly sinuate, ommatidia large and convex, raspberry­like; frons unarmed, antennal shelf unmargined posteriorly; propodeum moderately long, sculpture well visible, finely rugulose, partly matte, median keel strongly developed, ridgelike to highly crestlike, not pointed anteriorly; plicae well developed; entire syntergite with scattered long semidecumbent hairs.

DESCRIPTION (♀ 3): HEAD. Head in dorsal view subglobular, frons unarmed, antennal shelf relatively small and shallow, unmargined posteriorly; temple behind eye relatively short, receding; torulus in level with lower half of eye; eye distinctly higher than long, inverted droplike shape with posterior orbit slightly sinuate, ommatidia large and convex, raspberry­like; oral carina minute to well developed; postgena with short pegs and appressed pilosity; occipital flange very narrow; mandible bidentate, lower tooth longer; hypostomal bridge well developed; palpi short, papal formula appearing 5–2; female antenna rather short, 11–12­segmented, with indistinct multisegmented clava (5–8 segments), clavomeres noncompact, with moderate gaps; male antenna appearing 13­segmented, A3 and A4 fused, A3 with two whorls of bristles, A4­A14 with one whorl of bristles each. MESOSOMA. Pronotum in dorsal view well developed at sides, pronotal shoulders sometimes strongly prominent, but pronotum behind shoulders almost abruptly flexed, anterior margin of pronotum with hairy cushions, propleuron with foamy structures and dense short pilosity; mesoscutum about as long as wide, moderately convex, parapsidal and anterior parallel lines not developed; anterior scutellar pit rather large, transverse, shorter than scutellar disc; scutellar disc subcircular to subquadrate, only moderately convex, only rarely elevated, median keel not developed, lateral keels remarkably sharp, sometimes elevated; posterior margin of axilla sharp, axillar depression deeply excavate, with foamy structures; mesopleuron relatively flat or with 2 convexities, oblique median line weakly indicated; dorsellum well developed, at least lateral keels sharp; metapleuron rather matte, finely rugulose with more abundant pilosity; metasternum with foamy structures and no furca; propodeum moderately long, with only scattered pilosity, sculpture well visible, fine­ ly rugulose, partly matte, median keel strongly developed, ridgelike, sometimes crestlike, not pointed anteriorly; plica well developed; posterior margin of propodeum sometimes produced in laminae; wings primarily developed, relatively long and narrow, anterior margin of forewing sometimes slightly wavering, stigmal vein relatively well developed, sometimes strongly incrassate, almost spherical, forewing behind stigmal vein often with transverse band of specialized zone of strong and curved microtrichia on both sides, wings frequently lost (alectomy or bitten off); legs long and slender, with little modification except for moderately compressed tarsi. METASOMA. Petiole in dorsal view subquadrate to slightly transverse or distinctly elongate, cylindrical, almost smooth, without keels, partly covered with pilosity; metasoma past petiole moderately to distinctly convex, entire syntergite usually with scattered, long, semidecumbent hairs; specialized spot an S2 not developed.

RECOGNITION AND RELATIONSHIPS: Asolenopsia is presented here in the broader sense, i.e., including Euplacopria as a junior synonym. Asolenopsia gibba , new species, illustrates another borderline state of characters in Asolenopsia ; originally we thought it may represent an independent genus. The important synapomorphy of Asolenopsia is the shape of the eye, which is somewhat inverted and droplike, with the posterior orbit slightly sinuate, and with the ommatidia large and raspberry­like. The differences in number of antennomeres as well as the armature of the propodeum appear to blend gradually in larg­ er material already at hand (CNCI).

DISTRIBUTION: Tropical lowlands of Central and South America.

BIOLOGY: Members of Asolenopsia are moderately to highly specialized associates of ecitonine ants ( Neivamyrmex , Labidus , Eciton ) ( Loiácono, 1981). Their wings are primarily developed but subsequently bitten off by ants or cast off spontaneously (alectomy). Winged adults are also collected in light traps.

Asolenopsia gibba , new species Figures 10, 12

DESCRIPTION: Holotype, ♀: Length 2 mm; body entirely ferrugineous­brown, antennae

and legs slightly lighter, metasoma past petiole darker; forewing almost clear, with slight yellowish tinge, especially in area of basal and median veins; parts of body with fine to rough granular microsculpture as follows: posteromedian part of occiput, frons along inner orbit and below toruli, ventral side of scapus, pronotal shoulders dorsally, margins of anterior scutellar pit, most of scutellar disc, metanotum, dorsellum, posteroventral corner of mesopleuron, entire metapleuron, entire propodeum and petiole, all coxae, finer granulation on A1, all femora and tibiae; side of pronotum medially with horizontally running fine rugulosities; remaining parts of body smooth and shining; body pilosity light yellow. HEAD. Head in dorsal view slightly wider than long (48:44); head in lateral view distinctly higher than long (52:44); temple, opposite to pronotal shoulder, deeply excavate; eye distinctly higher than long (30:19); posterior orbit slightly sinuate; eye distinctly larger than malar space (30:10); female antenna with 12 segments, antennal segments in relative proportions (55:11), (10:8), (15: 7), (14:9), (12:10), (11:11), (7:11), (9:12), (9: 12), (10:12), (11:12), (18:12). MESOSOMA. Mesosoma in relative proportions length/ width/height (87:56:65); vertical part of pronotal shoulders with dense brush of yellowish pilosity; mesoscutum slightly longer than wide (41:39); anterior scutellar pit subcircular, slightly shorter than length of scutellar disc; scutellar disc highly elevated, humped dorsal surface slightly concave; propodeal keel bluntly projecting anteriorly, in lateral view enclosing hole formed from opposite side by longitudinal keels of dorsellum; venation in forewing not exceeding basal third of wing length (80:220). METASO­ MA. Petiole slightly wider than long (17:15); anterior margin of syntergite as wide as petiole (17:17), posterior part of syntergite without micropunctures; cercus in large subcircular depression.

MALE: Allotype. Very dissimilar to female; generally much darker, granular microsculpture reduced only to pronotal shoulders; temple opposite to pronotal shoulder not excavate; scutellar disc less humped; antenna generally similar to males of Acanthopria , apparently 13­segmented, A3 partly fused with A4, A4 to A14 stalked proximal­

ly, A3 with two whorls of bristles, A4­A14 with one whorl of long bristles, A4 not modify, without spine or carina.

TYPE MATERIAL: 7♀, 13. Holotype, ♀ ( CNCI no. 22449), COSTA RICA, Heredia, Pto. Viejo , 50 m rainforest, February 1980, W. Mason . Allotype, 13 ( CNCI), PANA­ MA, Bocas del Toro, Rio La Gloria , 8 km W. Rambala, 8°59̍4̎N–82°13̍57̎W, 35 m, January 8, 2001, sweeping, trail in rainforest, J.L.García . Paratypes ( CNCI, MIUP, MIZA): 1♀, COSTA RICA, Heredia, Braulio Carillo National Park , 400–500 m, April 11, 1985, trail in rainforest, L. Masner s.s. (metasoma and petiole glued aside) ; 1♀, Limon, Hitoy Cerere Biological Reserve, 100 m, January 14–18, 1991, J.S. Noyes: 1♀, Guanacaste GCA, Est. Pitilla, 750 m, February 27, 1996, MT & YPT, J. Noyes: 1♀, PANAMA, Bocas del Toro, P.N. La Amistad, Wekso­Teribe , 50 m, October 17–24, 1999, YPT, A. Santos ; 2♀, same as allotype.

ETYMOLOGY: Gibba (Latin) in reference to humped shape of the scutellum. The gender is feminine.

DISTRIBUTION: Costa Rica, Panama.

BIOLOGY: Unknown.

VARIATION: Very little variation was encountered in seven females studied.

Auxopaedeutes Brues Figures 15, 16, 17, 18, 19

Figures

Figs. 10–20. 10, Asolenopsia gibba n. sp. female, lateral view; 11, Asolenopsia sp. female, lateral view;12, Asolenopsia gibba n. sp., female habitus, dorsal view; 13, Asolenopsia sp. female habitus, lateral view; 14, Asolenopsia sp., female forewing; 15, Auxopaedeutes lyriformis Brues, male antenna; 16, A. lyrifornis female, dorsal view; 17, A. lyriformis female head, dorsal view; 18, A. lyriformis female metasoma, ventral view; 19, A. lyriformis female habitus, lateral view; 20, Avoca collaris n. sp. female habitus, dorsal view.