The Wharton Lab

Hypopheltes Cushman, 1924: 11-12 (original description).

Type species: Hypopheltes pergae Cushman, 1924. Monobasic and original designation.

Townes et al. 1961

: 213, 447 (catalog; key).
Townes 1970: 56-57 (key to genera of Westwoodiini, short redescription).
Short 1978: 64, 258 (generic description; discussion of larval morphology).
Gauld, 1984: 225, 226, 230, 231 (key to genera of Australian Ctenopelmatinae; detailed generic redescription).
Gupta 1987: 355 (catalog).
Yu and Horstmann 1997: 454 (catalog).

Hypopheltes is monotypic, but there was noticeable variation in size of ocelli, propodeal carination, and antennal length among the material examined, both in those determined as H. pergae and among specimens determined simply as Hypopheltes. The exceptionally large ocelli and entirely pale coloration are distinctive amongst the known westwoodiines, and suggestive of nocturnal habits; several of the specimens examined were collected at lights. A revision of the genus is needed, particularly given the extensive geographic range of the material at hand.

A prominent sensillum is present on the frons near the dorsolateral margin of the torulus (see Fig. 2 above). Like the tyloids on the first flagellomere, these sensilla occur in Westwoodiini, Scolobatini, and some Perilissini. Perhaps because of the large size and pale coloration, this sensillum is most easily seen in H. pergae. The sensilla are more difficult to detect in other Westwoodiini, but appear to be present in all but Westwoodia ruficeps.

Along with other Westwoodiini, Hypopheltes can be differentiated from other Ctenopelmatinae by a combination of characters, including fore wing Rs+2r arising from or near the base of the stigma, cerci of females ventrally displaced, and first flagellomere with a large tyloid laterally (Fig. 4). The tyloid is in the form of a bare patch of numerous (> 20), irregularly arranged multiporous plate sensilla.

Hypopheltes is readily separated from all other westwoodiines by the combination of a large, deep glymma (best seen in Fig. 7 when enlarged) and extensively carinate propodeum. Members of the genus Gauldia have a similarly deep glymma but the propodeum is largely devoid of carinae. Known species of Hypopheltes are pale in coloration, as shown in the figures below, and have enlarged ocelli (Fig. 1).

Length: body 15-24 mm, fore wing 14-21 mm.
Head: Clypeal margin blunt, very slightly thickened medially, widely truncate. Clypeus 2.3-2.8 times as broad as long, convex in profile, lightly to moderately punctate, without a median transverse sulcus. Anterior tentorial pits elongate and distinctly impressed, epistomal sulcus clearly indicated throughout. Malar space 0.2-0.6 times basal width of mandible. Mandible with ventral tooth slightly longer than dorsal tooth, sides parallel over apical 0.7. Face 1.9-2.1 times as broad as long. Face dorsally with a small median tooth or tubercle, face moderately to densely punctate, slightly rugose medially. Interantennal area with a low (not elevated) median carina that extends posteriorly, often splitting into 2 carinae beyond posterior margin of torulus, though these sometimes less distinct. Frons shallowly concave immediately behind scape; area between antenna and eye very narrow, weakly convex, and sparsely setose. Widest diameter of torulus about equal widest diameter of median ocellus. Ocelli large to very large, distinctly elevated, and very close to one another, distance between eye margin and lateral ocellus 0.3-0.5 times its widest diameter. Frons and vertex polished, faintly and sparsely punctate. Antennae as long as to longer than body, with 39-45 flagellomeres. Length of first flagellomere about 0.8 times widest transverse diameter of eye, second flagellomere about as long as first. Occipital carina complete, joining hypostomal carina distinctly above base of mandible.

Mesosoma: Pronotum dorsally in profile concave, depressed medially, expanded anteriorly, anterior margin truncate, with poorly developed transverse sulcus giving rise to indistinct lateral groove of the pronotum; without epomia or weak transverse ridge. Mesoscutum convex in profile, sometimes lightly punctate; notauli deep, almost reaching posterior margin of mesoscutum. Mesopleuron with broad, fairly sharply defined longitudinal depression for reception of femur. Metapleuron polished, impunctate, carinately rugose, distinctly elevated medially. Propodeum weakly convex, pleural carina complete or nearly so, often interrupted medially, median longitudinal carinae nearly always complete, forming a diamond-shaped areola posteriorly, short anterior transverse carina present medially, posterior transverse carina present laterally, lateral longitudinal carina with at least some remnants present, propodeum otherwise smooth, polished, never rugose nor heavily punctate. Tibia and tarsus slender, longest tibial spur longer than greatest apical width of tibia.

Wings: Fore wing with areolet present, sessile or petiolate; 3rs-m about equal in length to 2rs-m; stalk of areolet, when present, opposite 2m-cu; 1cu-a opposite or distad base of Rs+M by less than 0.5 times its length, almost vertical; marginal cell relatively slender; first subdiscal cell not explanate distally. Hind wing with first abscissa of Cu1 slightly shorter than 1cu-a; distal abscissa of Cu1 tubular and deeply pigmented at least over basal 0.6, more weakly pigmented distally, less distinctly tubular, and sometimes not reaching wing margin.

Metasoma: Glymma deep, wide, the majority of the pit posteriorad dta; T1 narrow anteriorly, widening abruptly just before the middle, with spiracles protruding; S1 reaching 0.8 to 0.9 times distance to spiracle. Dorsal tendon attaches to a platform at the base of a very deep pit; pit excavated in tunnel-like fashion posteriorly.

Color: Orange.

Australia and southeastern New Guinea Gauld (1984).

We have seen Australian specimens from ACT, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria, and Western Australia as well as a single specimen collected 50mi W. of Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea.

The only confirmed host record is for a species of Perga (Pergidae) (Cushman 1924). The record of Pseudoperga belinda listed by Gauld (1984) for Hypopheltes sp. refers to a species placed in the subsequently described genus Gauldia (Zhaurova and Wharton 2009).

This page was assembled by Bob Wharton. It is part of a revision of the genera of Westwoodiini and Scolobatini conducted by Kira Zhaurova as part of her M. S. thesis in Entomology at Texas A&M University, completed in 2005, and published in part by Zhaurova and Wharton (2009).

This work would not have been possible without the groundwork provided by Ian Gauld’s study of the Australian fauna, and we are particularly grateful for his assistance in many aspects of this study. We also thank the following curators and researchers for extended loans of the material used for the revision of Scolobatini and Westwoodiini: David Wahl (AEIC), John LaSalle (ANIC), Ian Gauld and Gavin Broad (BMNH), Andy Bennett (CNC), Gabriel Melo (DZUP), Anders Albrecht and Pekka Malinen (FMNH), Ronald Zúñiga (INBio), Ken Walker (MVMA), Hege Vårdal (NHRS), Chris Burwell (QM), and Dave Furth (USNM). Matt Yoder provided considerable assistance along the way, particularly with databasing. Images used here were obtained through the combined efforts of Kira Zhaurova, Heather Cummins, and Patricia Mullins. Our use of PURLs (http://purl.oclc.org) follows the example of their use in publications by Norm Johnson. This content is based upon work conducted at Texas A&M University and supported by the National Science Foundation’s PEET program under Grant No. DEB 0328922 and associated REU supplement nos DEB 0723663 and DEB 0616851. Page last updated April, 2011.

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant Number DEB 0328922 with REU supplement DEB 0723663 and DEB 0616851.
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.