The Wharton Lab

Physotarsus melotarsus Zhaurova, 2009: 9-10, 39-40. Holotype female, Texas A&M University.

The holotype was collected at light after 11 pm; one of the paratypes was also collected at light. The species is thus likely to be nocturnal.

Lateral ocelli separated by 1.8X their widest diameter from each other and 1.7X their widest diameter from eye margin. Antennae with 27-28 flagellomeres. Pronotum impunctate, rugose medially and along posterior margin. Mesoscutum densely punctate over entire suface. T1 about 1.6-1.8X as long as broad. Face yellow, frons medially and occiput black. Mesosoma black and yellow (Fig. 2). Metasomal tergites mostly black with apical margins yellow. Hind femur and tibia orange, tarsomeres and pretarsus black. Fore wing entirely hyaline.

Physotarsus melotarsus is one of several species with a black and yellow mesosoma, a distinctly punctate mesopleuron, and a completely hyaline wing. It differs from all but P. foveatus Zhaurova and P. tonicus Zhaurova in having the entire mesoscutum deeply punctate. The face is completely yellow in P. melotarsus and partially to completely black medially in P. foveatus and P. tonicus.

Known only from Texas, USA.

Hosts unknown.

Material Examined. Holotype & (TAMU): [USA, Texas] first line of data label: “Casa Blanca Intern.” second line: “St. Park, Laredo, TX” third line: “III-8-01, At Light” fourth line: “After 11:00 pm” fifth line: “W.F. Chamberlain”. Paratypes: Texas, 1 male, Crockett Co., 16.7 mi W Ozona, 9.v.1997 (Gillogly & Schaffner) (TAMU), 2 females, Fredericksburg, 5 & 7.v.1998 (H&M Townes) (AEIC), 1 female, 8 mi SW Port Mansfield, 18.iii.1994 (WF Chamberlain) (TAMU), 1 female, San Ygnacio, 18.iii.1994 (WF Chamberlain) (TAMU), 1 female, Sutton Co., 16 mi W Sonora, 11.v.1997 (Gillogly & Schaffner) (TAMU). Additional material (not paratype): 1 male, Texas, Sinton, vi.1975 (V Nealis) (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 AEIC 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.