The Wharton Lab

Physotarsus flavipennis Zhaurova, 2009: 9-10, 25-26. Holotype female in AEIC.

This species forms a group with several others described in Zhaurova and Wharton (2009). These species are defined by the deep, truncate emargination of the male subgenital plate. Physotarsus flavipennis is much different in appearance because of its larger body size and distinctive wing color.

Lateral ocelli separated by about 1.0X their widest diameter from each other and about 2.0X their widest diameter from eye margin. Antennae with 44-47 flagellomeres. Pronotum mostly glabrous, sparsely punctate along anterior margin. Mesoscutum shiny, very sparsely punctate on anterior 0.3. T1 about 1.7X as long as broad. Head yellow with a median black stripe on frons and vertex. Mesosoma yellow and black. Metasoma with T1-T6 yellow on basal half, black on apical half. Hind femur predominantly orange, proximal 0.6 of tibia yellow, rest dark orange to brown, tarsomeres yellow. Fore wing light yellow-brown, apex infumate.

The distinctly punctate mesopleuron in combination with the distinctive wing color (Fig. 4) readily separates this relatively large-bodied species from all other described Physotarsus. Both P. adriani Gauld and P castilloi Gauld have similarly bicolored wings but much smoother bodies.

This species is known only from central Texas.

Hosts unknown.

Material Examined. Holotype female (AEIC, Type No. 3852): [USA, Texas] first line of data label: “Fredericksburg” second line: “V.11.1988 Tex.” third line: “H. & M. Townes”. Paratypes: 14 females, 9 males, same data as holotype except dates ranging 30.iv–17.v.1988 (AEIC, TAMU); 1 male, Texas, Kerrville, 12.v.1988 (H&M Townes) (AEIC).

This page was assembled by Bob Wharton and Kira Zhaurova, and is part of a revision of the genus Physotarsus (Zhaurova and Wharton 2009). Material examined for this revision was borrowed from the Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, the American Entomological Institute, Gainesville (AEIC), The Natural History Museum, London, the U. S. National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D. C., and INBio, Costa Rica. We are particularly grateful to David Wahl for the extended loan of the specimens listed above, as well as to Matt Yoder for the electronic interface and to Heather Cummins and Mika Cameron for assistance with literature and figures. We would also like to acknowledge the kind assistance of Ian Gauld, David Wahl, Andrew Bennett, and Gavin Broad for information exchange about ichneumonids during the course of this work. Our use of PURLs (http://purl.oclc.org) for the web interface follows the example of their use in publications by Norm Johnson. The work was conducted at Texas A&M University and supported by NSF/PEET grant no. DEB 0328922 and associated REU supplement # 0723663. Page last updated October 2010.

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