The Wharton Lab

Chrionota Uchida, 1957: 43. Type species Chrionota townesi Uchida, 1957. Monobasic and original designation.

A single species is known: Chrionota townesi Uchida, 1957.

I have examined the female specimen figured in Townes 1970) as well as two male specimens, all in AEIC. The above characterization is based largely on the original description, partly on the very brief redescription by Townes (1970), and partly on the specimens from the AEIC. The figures in Uchida (1957), Townes (1970) show slight differences in whether the eyes meet or are slightly separated ventrally and in the density of sculpture on the propodeum.

Chrionota is readily recognized and distinguished from all other Ctenopelmatinae by the combination of two female characters: the very strongly converging eyes (meeting or nearly so dorsal to the narrowed clypeus) and the elongate ovipositor which extends beyond the tip of the abdomen nearly the full length of the metasoma. The eyes are not as strongly converging in the male.

Head distinctly punctate. Frons without median horn or elevated carina. Clypeus of male strongly and somewhat abruptly narrowing laterally. Inner eye margins very strongly converging ventrally in female, densely setose. Mandible broader in female than male, ventral margin strongly carinate in female; apical teeth nearly equal in size. Hypostomal carina meeting occipital carina at base of mandible (based on specimen examined in AEIC). Female antenna at least as long as body, flagellomeres not short as in Olethrodotis. Notaulus apparently absent. Dorsal end of epicnemial carina distant from anterior margin of mesopleuron. Pleural carina well developed. Propodeum densely punctate; with both median and lateral longitudinal carinae as well as posterior transverse carina present, these carinae varying from weak but distinct to virtually absent; propodeal spiracle at least twice as long as wide. Fore wing areolet present. Female with hind leg posterior tibial spur about 0.3 times length of hind basitarsus; narrowly triangular basally, more strongly tapered over distal 0.5; tarsal claws simple. T1 exceptionally narrow and parallel-sided for most of its length, distinctly widening posteriorly from spiracle to apex; spiracle distinctly distad midpoint, positioned about 0.65 distance from base. Glymma and thyridium absent. Ovipositor nearly as long as metasoma; ovipositor laterally compressed, with distinct subapical notch.

Taiwan and adjacent parts of mainland China (Uchida 1957, Townes 1970).

Unknown.

This page was assembled by Bob Wharton as part of a larger collaborative effort on the genera of Ctenopelmatinae. This larger work would not have been possible without the groundwork provided by Ian Gauld’s study of the Australian and Costa Rican faunas, and we are particularly grateful for his assistance in many aspects of this study. We also thank David Wahl for useful feedback throughout our study. Matt Yoder provided considerable assistance with databasing issues, and our use of PURLs (http://purl.oclc.org) in this regard follows the example of their use in publications by Norm Johnson. This study was supported by the National Science Foundation’s PEET program under Grant No. DEB 0328922 and associated REU supplement nos DEB 0723663 and 0923134. Page last updated October, 2011.

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant Number DEB 0328922 with REU supplements DEB 0723663 and 0923134.
Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.