Allophrys Förster, 1869

Khalaim, Andrey I. & Broad, Gavin R., 2012, Tersilochinae (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) of Costa Rica, part 1. Genera Allophrys Förster, Barycnemis Förster and Meggoleus To w ne s, Zootaxa 3185, pp. 36-52 : 37-38

Allophrys Förster, 1869

Type species: Thersilochus oculatus Ashmead, 1895 .

Predominantly small species with body length 2.8–4.0 mm, rarely to 5.4 mm ( A. hansoni sp. nov.). Eyes of male enlarged and convergent dorsad so that temples are very narrow. Clypeus lenticular. Mandible slender with upper tooth longer than lower tooth. Flagellum of antenna more or less filiform, usually with 13–15 flagellomeres (18 flagellomeres in A. hansoni sp. nov.); flagellomeres 4–6 (flagellomeres 3–13 in A. hansoni sp. nov.) of all examined females and probably at least some males (e.g. A. divaricata Horstmann ) bearing finger-shaped sensory structures at apex on outer surface ( Figs 8 , 10 ). Occipital carina complete or absent dorsally. Hypostomal carina present ( Fig. 1 ). Mesosoma cylindrical or compressed laterally. Notaulus present or absent. Scutellum with lateral carinae developed only at extreme base. Foveate groove of mesopleuron present, variable shape and length, usually rather thin and sharp ( Figs 3 , 11 ) but sometimes short and weak ( Fig. 5 ). Propodeum with basal area narrow, widened anteriorly, usually short, or rarely with basal groove. Apical area of propodeum long and narrow, usually pointed anteriorly. Fore wing with vein 2 m-cu present or absent, slightly antefurcal to postfurcal. Veins Rs +2 r and Rs angled about 90°. Hind wing with vein cu 1& cu-a moderately to strongly reclivous (slanted more than 30° from horizontal). Legs slender or in some species slightly thickened, with hind tibial spurs almost straight to rather strongly curved at apex. Tarsal claws not pectinate. First metasomal segment slender, round in cross-section, gradually and very weakly widened from base to apex in dorsal view, without glymmae. Second tergite at least twice as long as anteriorly wide. Thyridia much longer than wide. Ovipositor short and thin, upcurved, without teeth neither dorsally nor ventrally ( Figs 6 , 12 ), its sheath 0.45–1.2 x as long as first tergite.

The genus can be distinguished from other Costa Rican tersilochine genera by the combination of a small propodeal spiracle, the first metasomal segment slender, round in cross-section and lacking glymmae, and the vein cu 1& cu-a of the hind wing moderately to strongly reclivous (slanted more than 30° from horizontal). Males are readily distinguished by their enlarged eyes.

This is a moderately small tropical genus with some described species throughout the world: A. oculata (Ashmead) from Grenada in the West Indies, A. divaricata Horstmann occurring from southeastern U.S.A. to northern Argentina ( Horstmann 2010), A. bruneiensis Khalaim from Brunei and A. occipitata Khalaim from Vietnam and India (Khalaim 2011). A few undescribed species are rather common in the Afrotropical region (Khalaim pers. obs.), and two undescribed species were recorded from Australia by Gauld (1984). Over ten species of Allophrys occur in Costa Rica; six distinct species are here described as new, all of them are rarely collected and represented by one to several specimens in our material. Over 800 specimens cannot be readily segregated in to discrete species at the moment, belonging to two species groups, and require further study.

Very little is known about the biology of any species of this genus. The only host record is from A. divaricata , which was reared from an unidentified sap beetle ( Nitidulidae ) in fallen guava fruits ( Psidium guajava L., Myrtaceae ) in Trinidad and Tobago ( Horstmann 2010). Morphologically Allophrys is very similar to the genus Phradis Förster , which in Europe parasitize larvae of nitidulid beetles of the genus Meligethes Stephens living in flowers of crucifers ( Khalaim et al. 2009). It is quite possible that both genera parasitize the same family of hosts in similar ecological conditions, but Allophrys predominate in the tropics and over 90% of Phradis species occur in the Holarctic region. Some species of Allophrys ( A. bruneiensis in Brunei and A. barycnemica sp. nov., A. megafrons sp. nov. and A. compressor sp. nov. in Costa Rica) also resemble the genus Barycnemis with their ventrally displaced antennae, elongate and sometimes strongly compressed mesosoma, thickened femora, apically strongly curved hind tibial spurs and short upcurved ovipositor. This may suggest that the host range of Allophrys exceeds nitidulid beetles living in flowers as similar adaptations in Barycnemis are associated with seeking hosts in soil and oviposition in active beetle larvae ( Horstmann 1981).

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 8. Allophrys sp., Ƥ: 1 — head, latero-ventro-posterior. Allophrys barycnemica sp. nov., Ƥ: 2 — head with antenna, left; 3 — mesosoma and hind leg (without tarsus), left. Allophrys bribria sp. nov., Ƥ: 4 — head with antenna, left; 5 — mesosoma and first metasomal segment, left; 6 — apex of metasoma with ovipositor, left. Allophrys compressor sp. nov., Ƥ: 7 — anterior part of mesosoma and head with antenna, left; 8 — flagellomeres 4 to 8 of antenna, left.

FIGURES 9 – 16. Allophrys megafrons sp. nov., Ƥ: 9 — head with antenna, left; 10 — flagellomeres 4 to 6 of antenna, left; 11 — mesosoma, mid and hind legs (tarsi incomplete), and first metasomal segment, left; 12 — apex of metasoma with ovipositor, left. Allophrys noyesi sp. nov., Ƥ: 13 — head with antenna, left. Barycnemis costaricensis sp. nov., Ƥ: 14 — head, mesosoma and first metasomal segment, left; 15 — hind leg (without coxa, tarsus incomplete); 16 — apex of metasoma with ovipositor, left.