Hoplisoides pictus (F. Smith 1856)

Hoplisoides pictus (Smith)

Gorytes pictus Smith, 1856:365 [ Madras; type in British Museum (Natural History)].—Handlirsch, 1888:537 [translation to German of original description].—Cameron, 1890:240 [suggested it was only a variety of G. orientalis Handlirsch].—Handlirsch, 1895:893 [mentioned Cameron's 1890 suspicion].—Bingham, 1897:275, 276 [, Barrackpore, Calcutta, Madras; redescription].

Gorytes (Hoplisoides) pictus Smith.—Maidl and Klima, 1939:89 [listed].

Hoplisoides pictus (Smith).—Bohart, in Bohart and Menke, 1976:521 [listed G. capitatus Nurse in error as a synonym].

I have examined the unique female type of Gorytes pictus Smith from Madras. It is conspecific with a series of 16 females and 10 males from India and Pakistan, and with the four available Hoplisoides from Sri Lanka. Both sexes were taken at Deesa and Coimbatore, India, and in Karachi, Pakistan.

Gorytes capitatus Nurse (1902:86) is not a synonym of H. pictus as Bohart believed. The unique type (London) is a male, not a female as Nurse stated in his description. The confusion as to its sex was probably because the usually exposed seventh tergum is entirely retracted beneath the sixth so that the abdomen appears to be that of a female. Also, the flagellum is only slightly modified beneath, an unusual condition in Hoplisoides males. Nurse's species is known only from the type male and a male topotype from Deesa. It is distinguished from H. pictus by having a pair of large ivory spots on the propodeum and wide ivory bands on terga I, II, IV, and V. The propodeal spots are lacking or tiny in H. pictus and pale bands are present on terga 1 through III or IV but never on V. Among other differences male H. capitatus lacks the hind tarsal pecten and the occipital carina does not meet the hypostomal carina as in H. pictus. The unknown female of H. capitatus may be expected to have more extensive pale markings than the female of H. pictus.

Hoplisoides pictus is distinguished from other Ceylonese nyssonids by the non-petiolate second submarginal cell, the infumation in the marginal, second and third submarginal cells, non-clavate flagellum, inner eye margins not diverging strongly above, and the non-petiolate abdomen. It exhibits considerable variation in the extent of erythrism as detailed in the following descriptions. The few Ceylonese females are noticeably erythristic, perhaps because all are from rather xeric parts of the country. The type from Madras also is very erythristic. The yellow markings also vary in extent, and three females from Karachi and three males from Coimbatore, Deesa, and Karachi have ivory or white rather than yellow markings.

We collected three specimens of this rather uncommon species on sand or sandy loam at three localities in the more xeric parts of the Dry Zone at altitudes of 100 m or less.

FEMALE.—Length, 10.0 mm. Black, maximum erythrism as follows: mandible in middle, usually apex of clypeus, antenna, scutum, most of mesopleuron, metapleuron, legs except pale maculations, propodeum except enclosure and middle of posterior surface, abdominal segment I except pale apical band on tergum, tergum II except apex and occasionally in middle, base of sternum II and sternum VI; minimum erythrism as follows—middle of mandible, antenna, narrow line laterally on scutum, legs except pale maculations, propodeum except enclosure and middle of posterior surface, abdominal segment I except pale apical band on tergum, side of tergum II narrowly, anterolateral spot on sternum II and apex of sternum VI; the following usually yellow, occasionally ivory—basal third or less of mandible, clypeus except apex, narrow stripe along inner eye margin usually extending two-thirds toward anterior ocellus, short narrow streak along eye on gena, scape beneath, broad posterior pronotal margin and lobe, scutellum except extreme base, short band on metanotum, large subtriangular spot on mesopleuron below tegula, apical spot beneath on fore- and midfemora, stripe on outer surface of midtibia, stripe on basal half of outer surface of hind tibia, apical bands on abdominal terga I-IV, that on IV usually broader but absent in Karachi specimens, and narrower bands present or not on apices of sterna II–IV. Wings clear, an infumated spot covering most of marginal and second and third submarginal cells, stigma yellow, veins brown. Vestiture very short, appressed, silvery, not conspicuous except on clypeus; exposed part of tergum V with dense, short, suberect, brown setae.

Clypeus 2.6 times as wide as long, apex slightly emarginate across middle; interocular distance at base of clypeus 0.9 times that at anterior ocellus and half the head width; posterior ocelli closer to eye than to each other (1 : 1.2).

Metapleuron with weak longitudinal rugulae on lower half, posterior margin completely foveolate, height of lower pit 1.3 times diameter of anterior ocellus; propodeal enclosure with a median, weakly foveolate groove, elsewhere with close, slightly radiating rugulae that extend almost to sides.

Pygidium closely punctate, weakly rugulose, the sides meeting at about an angle of 45°.

MALE.—Length 8.2–10.3 mm. Black, erythrism less than in female, maximum as follows: flagelum beneath, trochanters and femora except pale areas, occasionally large blotch on upper section of lateral propodeal surface, first abdominal tergum except pale apical band occasionally preceded by a dark stripe, tergum II anterolaterally, sterna I and II except posterolateral pale spot on latter; minimum erythrism as follows—flagellum beneath, trochanters and femora except pale areas, abdominal tergum I except apical third with median black spot followed by white band, side of tergum II, sternum I and II except posterolateral spot; the following yellow, creamy or white—basal half or more of mandible, labrum, clypeus, broad band along inner eye margin extending two-thirds toward anterior ocellus, scape beneath, apical margin of pronotum including lobe, broad apical band on scutellum, occasional transverse bar on postscu-tellum, small or larger triangular spot on mesopleuron below tegula, mid- and hind coxae beneath entirely or in part, blotch at apex of fore- and midfemora, tibiae except streak on outer surface of fore tibia, fore- and midtarsi, hind metatarsus, apical bands of variable width on terga I-IV, that on IV broadest but occasionally reduced to narrow median line, and occasional posterolateral spot on sternum II. Wings and vestiture similar to female except second abdominal sternum with dense, short, suberect setae, and fifth tergum without dense, short, erect setae.

Face (Figure 19), interocular distance at antennal insertions 0.8 times that at anterior ocellus and 0.4 times head width; clypeus depressed laterally and with a fascicle of long curled setae; many of flagellar segments concave or otherwise modified beneath (Figures 31–33); posterior ocelli closer to eye than to each other (1 : 1.1); an acute tooth at juncture of hypostomal and occipital carinae (Figures 17, 18).

Thorax similar to female except sternaulus weakly elevated at middle but not dentate; hind tarsus with a pecten of long setae along inner margin (Figure 20); radiating rugulae of propodeal enclosure sometimes not extending to lateral groove.

Second abdominal sternum without a lateral longitudinal swelling as in H. thalia.

SPECIMENS EXAMINED (all Krombein et al. and USNM except as noted).—NORTHERN PROVINCE, Jaffna District: 1, Jaffna, Nov, Wickwar (Colombo).

EASTERN PROVINCE, Amparai District: 1, Ekgal Aru, 19Jun.

UVA PROVINCE, Badulla District: 1, Ulhitiya Oya, 15 mi (24 km) NNE Mahiyangana, 5, 6 Sep. Monaragala District: 1, Mau Aru, 10 mi (16 km) E Uda Walawe, 100 m, 24–26 Sep.

INDIA, South India: 1, South Malabar, Wa-layar Forests, 1000 ft (305 m), Sep, Nathan (Corvallis); 2, Moyar Camp, Nilgiri Hills, 2600 ft (795 m) Apr, and 2900 ft (885 m) Jan, Nathan (Corvallis); 1, Coimbatore, Nov-Dec, Nathan (London); 1, Coimbatore, 25 Sep-1 Oct, yellow pan trap, Noyes (London). Central India: 1, Jabalpur, 1600 ft (490 m), Aug, Nathan (Corvallis). 1, Patancheru, Hyderabad, Jul-Sep, Malaise trap, Bernays & Woodhead (London); 2, no. 5 [probably Barrackpore], Cameron coll. (London); 1m;, Bombay Presidency (London); 2, 1, Deesa, Sep, Nurse (London); 1, Bengal Presidency, Nuddea District, Mischindipore, 80 mi (128 km) from Calcutta (London).

PAKISTAN: 6, 2, karachi, 1 in Oct, 3 coll. by Comber (London).