Diadasina singularis (Brèthes)

Diadasina singularis (Brèthes) View in CoL

( Figs. 4, 6 View Figures 1–6 , 8 View Figures 7–10 , 11 View Figures 11–12 , 16 View Figures 13–17 , 24 View Figures 23-24 )

Leptometria singularis Brèthes, 1910: 297 View in CoL . Holotype male, República Argentina? MACN, examined.

Diadasia callura Cockerell, 1918: 36 View in CoL . Lectotype female, Argentina, Santa Fé, Carcarañá, Bruner 53, USNM 22926, examined, present designation. New synonym.

DIAGNOSIS. This species is readily distinguished by the strongly elevated vertex in both sexes, and the broad apical yellow bands on T3 and T4 of the female. The antenna of the male is not crenulate and has short flagellomeres.

REDESCRIPTION: Female. Length, 7.5–8.5 mm; length of forewing 6.8–7.2 mm. Black, except reddish distitarsi (entire hind tarsus in some specimens), and yellowish tibial spurs. Pubescence greyish on head, mesosoma, proximal part of legs, and base of T1–T2, yellowish brown to bright orange brown on tibiae, tarsi, metasomal sterna, prepygidial fimbria, and pygidial fimbria, yellowish on basal part of T3–T5; apical bands on sides of T1 and on T2–T4, yellow. Hairs on scutum 0.8–1.3 ˟ MOD; on mesopleuron 2.2–2.7 ˟ MOD. Hairs on outer side of forebasitarsus bearing numerous short branches; hairs on outer side of hind tibia and basitarsus plumose. T1 at sides and T2–T4 with sharply defined apical band of dense, appressed hairs; bands on T3–T4 very broad, that on T3 along midline 3 ˟ MOD. Margins of scutum with punctures dense, but median part of posterior half with punctures irregularly distributed, separated by 1–5 times their diameter. Eyes weakly convergent below, proportion of upper to lower interocular distance, 1:1.05–1.10. Vertex strongly elevated behind ocelli, distance from median ocellus to vertex in frontal view 1.30–1.35 ˟ MOD. Last segment of labial and maxillary palpi with rounded apex.

Male. Length, 7.7–8.5 mm; length of forewing 5.8–6.8 mm. Color and vestiture similar to that of female, although hairs longer, those on scutum 1.3–1.9 ˟ MOD. With well-defined apical bands on T1–T6; bands shorter than those of female, that on T3 along midline 2 ˟ MOD. S6 with dense tuft of hairs on median longitudinal elevation, and bare at sides of it. Vertex strongly elevated behind ocelli, distance from median ocellus to vertex in frontal view 1.5–1.7 ˟ MOD. Flagellum not crenulate, proportion of four proximal flagellomeres 1:0.9:0.9:1; first flagellomere as long as its apical width, following three flagellomeres shorter than their apical width (0.8, 0.8, and 0.9 respectively).

COMMENTS ON TYPE MATERIAL: The male holotype of Leptometria singularis Brèthes bears three labels: “212.” “ Leptometria / singularis Br. ” and “ HOLOTYPE.” The small number label with a red contour corresponds to the old Burmeister collection. Although Burmeister pinned locality labels on some specimens, many others only have small number labels. Regrettably no record has survived the meaning of these numbers. The metasoma of the holotype is missing, but the non-crenulate antenna with short flagellomeres and the much elevated vertex behind the ocelli readily allows the identification of the species.

Cockerell (1918) based his species Diadasia callura on two female specimens from the Bruner collection with the numbers 53 and 51, both with the label “Carcarana/ Argentina ” The female with the number “53” which bears the labels “ Diadasia / callura/ Ckll TYPE” and “TypeNo./ 22926/ U.S. N.M.” is here designated as the lectotype. This specimen is conspecific and agrees in every detail with D. singularis (Brèthes) .

DISTRIBUTION: Argentina, provinces of Córdoba, Entre Ríos, Santa Fe , and Santiago del Estero.

MATERIAL STUDIED: Argentina. 1 F, Burmeister collection “172.” ( MACN) . Córdoba: 1 F, San Marcos Sierras , 24.xii.2006, A. Roig A. ( MACN) ; 1 F, Capital , 25.xi.1948, P. López ( IFML) . Entre Ríos: 1 F, Villaguay, 15.xi ( MACN) . Santa Fe: 1 F lectotype of Diadasia callura, Carcarañá , “53” ( USNM) ; 1 M, Carcarañá ( SEMC); 1 M, Santo Tomé, November, Stevenin ( MACN) ; 1 M, Alberdi , 24.ii.1911, J. Hubrich ( MACN) ; 2 F, Vera , 2.xi.1940, A. Ogloblin ( MLP) . Santiago del Estero: 2 M, Puerta del Jardín , 29.xi.1951 ( MLP) .