The Wharton Lab

Peakelestes Gauld, 1997. Type species: Peakelestes hirsutus Gauld, 1997. Monobasic and original designation.

The genus is known from a single species:
Peakelestes hirsutus Gauld, 1997

I have not seen specimens of this species; the above characterization is taken from the original description.

Peakelestes is characterized by the long, upwardly curved ovipositor lacking a distinct subapical notch and the ususual presence of a posteriorly-directed spur off the middle of the anal vein of the fore wing. The complete absence of the distal abscissa of CU1 in the hind wing is also an unusual feature. Among perilissines, only some of the Tetrambon species have comparably long ovipositors but in Tetrambon, the ovipositor is straight or only weakly upcurved. The ovipositor of some species of Lathrolestes are also quite long though I have not seen any in which they are as long as in the figure of Peakelestes given in Gauld (1997). Gauld (1997) placed Peakelestes in his Coelorhachis group of genera.

Clypeus with ventral margin thickened and bluntly rounded, without small lateral tooth; ventral margin convex; epistomal sulcus distinct throughout, clypeus rather flat in profile. Malar space distinct, about equal in length to basal width of mandible. Mandible with ventral tooth distinctly longer than dorsal tooth. Ocelli small, lateral ocellus distinctly shorter than distance between ocellus and eye. Female antennae about as long as body or slightly longer; first flagellomere apparently without a tyloid. Hypostomal carina joining occipital carina above base of mandible; occipital carina complete. Dorsal end of epicnemial carina distant from anterior margin of mesopleuron. Notaulus weak. Pleural carina complete, well-developed; propodeal carinae absent except for vestiges of lateral longitudinal carinae posteriorly. Posterior hind tibial spur at least 7x longer than maximum width at base; tarsal claws apparently simple. Fore wing areolet absent; stigma relatively broad, Rs+2r arising at or near midpoint. Hind wing with distal abscissa of CU1 completely absent. T1 not long and slender, distinctly broadening posteriorly, dorsal carinae absent; with broad, shallow basal depression at dorsal tendon attachment; glymma deep, extending into median basal depression, the two glymmae not meeting on each side posterior to basal depression. T2 thyridium absent. Ovipositor evenly upcurved, very long, much longer than hind tarsi, without a distinct dorsal subapical notch; ovipositor sheath long, narrow, slender; male unknown.

Known only from Costa Rica; described from three specimens.

Biology and hosts are unknown.

This page was assembled by Bob Wharton as part of a larger collaborative effort on the genera of Ctenopelmatinae. This 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 and to Gavin Broad for exchange of information on Perilissini. 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 1026618. Page last updated June, 2011.

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant Number DEB 0328922 with REU supplements DEB 0723663 and number 1026618.
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.