Holopyga iheringi du Buysson, 1901

Lucena, Daercio A. A., Santos-Neto, Pedro E., Zanella, Fernando C. V. & Almeida, Eduardo A. B., 2022, Taxonomic review of the elampine cuckoo wasps from northeastern Brazil (Hymenoptera: Chrysididae), with the description of three new species, Zootaxa 5213 (3), pp. 201-235 : 220

Holopyga iheringi du Buysson, 1901

( Fig. 12 )

Holopyga iheringi du Buysson, 1901: 99 . Holotype ♀. BRAZIL, Rio Grande do Sul, Ihering (NHMW: examined by photos).

Extended diagnosis (female). Body 9 mm. Head breadth 1.4× height, metallic bluish green, densely foveate on vertex, becoming sparser on gena and transversely cross-ridged on scapal basin; vertex with sparse, pale, long setae, becoming longer and denser on gena and along inner ocular margin; eye with scarce microtrichia among ommatidia (magnification above 100×, oblique view); F1 length 4.3× breadth, 1.7× longer than F2; F2 as long as F3; F4–F11 progressively shorter; F11 slightly truncate apically; malar space 0.3× MOD; subantennal distance 0.5× MOD; POL 3.4× OL; 0.8× OOL; scape, pedicel, and F1 metallic bluish green, F2 brown with green highlight; F3–F11 brown; mandible castaneous brownish, with metallic green highlight basally. Mesosoma densely foveate, largest and deepest foveae on scutellum and metanotum; bluish green, bluer on pronotum, mesopleuron and scutum; metanotum and posterior declivity of propodeum with bluish purple highlights; pronotum and metapleuron-propodeum faintly striate; yellowish pale setae short and sparse, denser on mesopleuron and metanotum; tarsal claw with three subsidiary teeth; legs mostly metallic green, tarsomeres light brown with greenish highlights; wing membrane fuscous with brown veins. Metasoma densely foveate, particularly on T1 and T3, with short, suberect, yellowish pale setae on terga; T1 bluish green, anterior declivity of T1 with broad impunctate marginal areas, with punctate bands of small punctures medially; T2 with anteromedial dark blue band, posterior margin with purple highlight, punctation on disc finer and sparser than on T3; T3 mainly blue with metallic green highlight marginally, slightly depressed posteromedially, marginal border slightly notched medially; sterna metallic green, densely punctulate, with dense, semidecumbent, yellowish pale setae.

Male. Same as female, except: meso- and metasoma greener; tarsomeres light brown, lacking green highlight; apical margin of T3 truncate medially.

Variation. Specimens vary from 8.1 to 9.5 mm in total body length. The female specimen from Igarassu-PE differ from specimens collected in different localities by two discrete features: basolateral margin of T3 slightly angulate, and disc of T3 with longitudinal, impunctate, polished stripe. In all other features the examined specimens are identical.

Material examined. Holotype ♀. BRAZIL, Rio Grande do Sul ( NHMW). Minas Gerais: Passos, iii.1964, C. T. Elias ( MZSP 04570 : 1♂). Pernambuco: Igarassu, Usina São José, Zambana, 11.xi.2008, Araújo & Santos leg. ( RPSP: 1♀). Rio Grande do Sul: Candiota, Chácara da Hortec , 13.i.2000 ( MCPPV: 1♀). Pântano Grande, 01.xii.1995, Clemens Schlindwein ( MCPPV: 1♀). Tenente Portela, Parque Turvo, 04.xii.1985, J. R. Cure ( MCNZ: 1♂). Quaraí, Estância S. Roberto, 14.xi.1985, J. R. Cure ( MCNZ: 1♀).

Distribution. BRAZIL (Minas Gerais, Pernambuco, Rio Grande do Sul) ( Fig. 17 ).

Host. Unknown.

Floral records. Eryngium horridum (Apiaceae) .

Remarks. Holopyga iheringi most resembles H. luzulina Dahlbom. This species is readily distinguished from H. luzulina based on the relatively large-sized body, with specimens of H. iheringi usually exceeding 8.5 mm long (against 7.5 mm of H. luzulina ). Additionally, H. iheringi is easily distinguished by the inner margin of tarsal claw with three subsidiary teeth (two teeth in H. luzulina ), F1 bluish green (greenish brown in H. luzulina ), and the body color predominantly greenish blue (green in H. luzulina ). Images of the holotype female housed at the Museum of Natural History Vienna were made available by Rosa et al. (2020). The extended diagnosis above is based on a female from Candiota, Rio Grande do Sul state. The female specimen illustrated in the Figure 12 is from Igarassu, Pernambuco state. The sole record of this species in northeastern Brazil is within the Atlantic Forest Biome, therefore, it is possible that this species does not occur in the Caatinga.

Figures

FIGURE 12. Holopyga iheringi du Buysson, female.A. Habitus, lateral left view; B. Mesosoma, dorsal view; C. Head, frontal view; D. Metasoma, dorso-lateral left view; E. Metasoma, dorsal view; F. T1–T2, dorsal view; G. T3, dorsal view. Scale bars: 0.5 mm (F), 1 mm (A, B, C, D, E, G).

FIGURE 17. Geographical distribution of three South American species of Holopyga (left); individual records for each species shown on the maps on the right. Type locality of Holopyga iheringi du Buysson is signed with a question mark–see Comments under the species section.