The Wharton Lab

Physotarsus gineus Zhaurova, 2009: 9-10, 28-29. Holotype female in AEIC.

This is Physotarsus species 1 in the analyses conducted by Zhaurova and Wharton (2009).

Lateral ocelli separated by about 1.8X their widest diameter from each other and about 2.0X their widest diameter from eye margin. Antennae with 28-29 flagellomeres. Pronotum largely glabrous, sometimes sparsely punctate or slightly rugose medially. Mesoscutum shiny, very sparsely punctate on anterior 0.3. T1 about 2.3X as long as broad. Head pale yellow with black median stripe on frons and vertex; occiput black. Mesosoma largely black with yellow markings on mesoscutum, mesoscutellum and propodeum. Metasomal segments largely black with thin yellow apical trim. Hind femur and tibia orange, tarsomeres dark brown. Fore wing hyaline, apex weakly infumate.

Physotarsus gineus is distinguished from all other black and yellow species with a distinctly punctate mesopleuron by the weakly infumate spot on an otherwise hyaline wing (Fig. 2). It is otherwise similar in color pattern to species with a more densely and extensively punctate mesoscutum, especially P. melotarsus Zhaurova.

This species is known from the border of Texas and southern New Mexico, across Arizona to the southern corner of Nevada.

Hosts unknown.

Material Examined. Holotype female (AEIC, Type No. 3854): [USA, Arizona] first line of data label: “nr Roosevelt L” second line: “IV.27 47 Ariz” third line: “H & M Townes”. Paratypes: 2 females, 1 male, same data as holotype except dates ranging 21–29.iv.1947 (AEIC); Arizona, 1 male, Ajo, 9.iv.1947 (H&M Townes) (AEIC), 2 males, Maricopa Mountains, 10–13.iv.1947 (H&M Townes) (AEIC), 1 male, Sabino Canyon, 16.iv.1947 (H&M Townes) (AEIC); 1 male, USA, Texas, Gaines Co., 22 mi. W. Seminole, 25.iv.1971 (CR Ward) (TAMU). Additional material (not paratype): 1? (metasoma missing) USA, Nevada, Overton, 12.v.1930, Prosopsis glandulosa (honey mesquite) (EW Davis) (USNM).

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 and Bob Kula 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.