Paracyphononyx semiplumbeus (Taschenberg 1869)

Paracyphononyx semiplumbeus (Taschenberg) new combination
Pompilus semiplumbeus Taschenberg, 1869, Zeitschr. Ges. Naturwiss., 34: 66
[Type: 2, Brazil: Congonh, Parana (Univ. Halle, Germany; not
seen by writer)].— Holmberg, 1881, An. Soc. Cient. Argent., 12: Pompilus iratus Smith, 1873, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (4)11: 444 [Type: $,
Brazil: Para (BMNH, no. 19, 566)]. New synonym. Pompilus boucardi Cameron, 1893, Biol. Centr.-Amer., Hymen. II, p. 204, pi.
11, figs. 24 & 24a [Type: $, Panama (no further data) (Boucard)
(BMNH, no. 19, 704)]. New synonym. Pompilus annulipes Fox, 1897, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 49: 256-257 [Type:
$, Brazil: Corumba, April (CM)]. Synonymy by Banks, 1947. Allocyphonyx semiplumbeus Banks, 1947, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., 99: 438
(Brazil, Argentina).
Female. — Length 12-16 mm. Head and thorax black, except the pro
notum with a strong yellowish band along its posterior margin, the scape sometimes with a pale spot below; abdomen ruf o-f err ugi nous except first segment black at extreme base; wings moderately infuscated, darker along outer margin. Head, thorax, basal two segments of antennae, and greater part of legs clothed in greater part with a heavy glaucous, somewhat silvery pubescence; the pubescence of the vertex, parts of the thoracic dorsum, the under side of the tibiae, and apical annuli on the tarsal segments is dark; abdomen covered with fine, pale pubescence. Temples and propleura with short, white hair; last several sternites with fine, darker hair. Labrum about 1.7 X as wide as long; clypeus about twice as broad as high; malar space about half as long as width of mandibles at their base. Front moderately broad for the genus, MID .55.58 X TFD; UID .90-.98 X LID; ocellar triangle rather broad, POL slightly exceeding OOL; third antennal segment .95-1.05 X UID. Pronotum subangulate behind; postnotum much constricted on the midline, overhung by the median elevation of the metanotum; propodeum with a well-defined oblique declivity on the posterior third. Legs strongly spinose; ultimate tarsal segments with a median row of spines beneath. SMC3 strongly narrowed above, often subtriangular.
Description of holotype male of boucardi. 30 — Length 12 mm.; fore wing 10.3 mm. Head and thorax black, abdomen wholly rufo-ferruginous, antennal flagellum ferruginous except infuscated on upper side, more especially apically; body with yellowish-ivory markings as follows: scape beneath, posterior pronotal margin very broadly, last two tergites with large median spots, front femora with an apical spot, middle tibiae with a basal spot, hind tibiae with a long basal streak, all tarsal segments except apical ones broadly annulated basa'ly with whitish, all spurs whitish. Wings hyaline, fore wing with a fuscous outer marginal band. Body extensively clothed with a heavy silvery pubescence, including basal two antennal segments and most of the legs, on the abdomen tending to form whitish basal bands on the basal four segments; the pubescence is dark on the vertex, the anterior part of the mesoscutum, the scutellar disc, the metapleura and sides of the propodeum; on the propodeal declivity it is coarse and erect as usual in this genus. Head, prothorax, and front coxae with rather dense, short, white hairs. [Labrum well exserted; clypeus about twice as broad as high, its apical margin weakly concave.] Malar space long, nearly half as long as the scape and about half as long as the width of the mandibles at their base. Front of moderate width, MID .58 X TFD, 1.04 X LID, .9 X HE; UID subequal to LID. Ocellar triangle broad, the front angle greater than a right angle; POL and OOL subequal. First four antennal segments in a ratio of about 23:6:32:32, segment three 2.7 X as long as thick; segments 5-12 slightly crenulate in profile, the lower margin of each arcuately swollen, the upper margin weakly concave [segments beyond nine missing in type]. Pronotum broadly arcuate behind; postnotum nearly
30 A few structures which are broken or missing in the type are filled in (in brackets) from specimens from Campinas and Nova Teutonia, Brazil. as long as metanotum; propodeum short, sloping steeply and rather evenly. Last segment of front tarsus very slightly asymmetrical. Fore wing with the third submarginal cell subtriangular. Abdomen somewhat flattened above [SGP abruptly truncate apically, its margin rather jagged, with a median projection and a pair of lateral projections, with some very stout apical spines. Genitalia with the parameres slender, elongate although shorter than in the preceding species; digiti rather slender apically, bare in the center and with some stout bristles surrounding the bare area, the bristles on the inner margin, and those at the base of the digitus, stronger and more numerous than in the preceding species, but the aedoeagus more weakly setose.]
Distribution. — This species is not uncommon in Brazil and also occurs in Argentina. The only specimen I have seen from outside these two countries is the type of boucardi, from Panama, but this specimen is so similar to Brazilian material that I cannot believe that it is not conspecific.
Central American specimens examined. — 1 S , Panama (no further data) (Boucard) [BMNH].
Variation. — The males from Brazil and Argentina show considerable variation, particular in coloration and in shape of the SGP, but this does not seem the place to describe this variation in detail. Some males from Brazil have the last four abdominal segments black, and there is some variation in the color of the antennae and in the width of the stripe on the pronotum. MID varies from .57 to .63 X TFD and POL frequently exceeds OOL. The SGP is always more or less truncate apically and weakly to rather strongly irregular, often tridentate as described above. The genitalia of the specimens examined show little variation of importance. The genitalia of the type are missing, so it will never be possible to check these against Brazilian specimens.