Aporus concolor (Smith 1862)

Aporus (Aporus) concolor (Smith)
Planiceps concolor Smith, 1860, Jour. Ent., 1: 80 [Type: 9, Mexico: Oaxaca:
Oaxaca (BMNH, no. 19, 765)]. — Cresson, 1867, Trans. Amer. Ent.
Soc, 1: 137. — Fox, 1893, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., (2) 4: 9 (Baja
California) . Pompilus (Planiceps) concolor Cameron, 1893, Biol. Centr.-Amer., Hymen.
II, p. 186. Pompilus monticola Cameron, 1893, ibid., p. 190-191 [Type: 8, Mexico:
Guerrero: Xucumanatlan, 7000 feet, July (HHS) (BMNH, no. 19,
745)]. New synonym. Aporus (Aporus) concolor Bradley, 1944, Trans. Amer. Ent. Soc, 70: 97.
This species was listed as unrecognizable by Bradley, and its synonym monticola omitted from consideration altogether. Actually the species is widely distributed in Mexico and also enters southwestern United States, where it has usually been misidentified as luxus Banks. The resemblance to luxus is, in fact, great, but SMC2 is generally longer and the second intercubital vein more sloping, and there are other differences as indicated in the key.
Description of type female. — Length 15 mm.; fore wing 9.5 mm. Color black, entire body and legs covered with brilliant bluish pubescence; wings fuscous, violaceous. Front and thoracic dorsum with three types of pile: the very short pubescence, some slightly longer setae which are curved backward, and some sparse, longer, fully erect setae. Erect setae also present on temples, propleura, and front coxae; scape with a few setae; thoracic dorsum with sparse setae, propodeum bare; front femora with a few setae below and on the sides; apex of abdomen setose. Lower margin of mandible with a sharp tooth. Clypeus 3 X as broad as high, its upper and lower margins both arcuate. Head 1.08 X as broad as high; front broad, MID .72 X TFD, 1.4 X LID, .95 X HE; UID 1.04 X LID. POL:OOL= 18:15; ocellar triangle broad, front angle more than a right angle; posterior ocelli about their own diameters from vertex crest. First four antennal segments in a ratio of about 33:7:20: 20, segment three 2.2 X as long as thick, .36 X UID. Vertex passing straight across between eye tops, crest rounded as seen in side view. Pronotal disc .8 X as long as wide, 1.3 X as long as mesoscutum, anteriorly descending gradually to somewhat lower plane of collar. Propodeum with a weak median
impression and an abrupt, oblique declivity. Front femora 2.4 X as long as wide; longer spur of hind tibia .45 X length of basitarsus. Fore wing with basal vein arising slightly basad of transverse median vein, lower section straight, then strongly arcuate above; marginal cell removed from wing tip by 1.25 X its own length; SMC2 1.7 X as broad as high, narrowed by slightly more than half (.55) above; second intercubital vein sloping slightly. Hind wing with anal vein not closely paralleling preaxillary furrow, curving up to meet the median vein slightly basad of origin of cubitus (fig. 3). Abdomen weakly compressed apically.
Plesiallotype (homotype of monticola Cameron). — $ , Mexico: Morelos: 3 mi. N. Alpuyeca, 3400 feet, 3 April 1959 (HEE) Description of plesiallotype male. — Length 8 mm.; fore wing 7 mm. Color black, pubescence reflecting bluish over much of thoracic dorsum and pleura, extreme sides of propodeum, and sides and apices of basal abdominal terga, elsewhere silvery and rather coarse, especially on the propodeal declivity. Wings hyaline, fore wing with a lightly infuscated apical band. Moderately dense, short erect hairs are present on the scape, front, vertex, temples, and propleura; much sparser and generally paler hairs are present on the thoracic dorsum, coxae, and abdomen. Clypeus twice as broad as high, its margin weakly convex. Head 1.1 X as broad as high; front broad, MID .70 X TFD, 1.5 X LID, subequal to HE; UID 1.4 X LID. POL and OOL subequal; ocelli in a broad, flat triangle, posterior ocelli separated from vertex crest by about their own diameters. First four antennal segments in a ratio of about 14:5: 6:7, segment three very slightly longer than thick, segments 4-12 each about 1.15 X as long as thick. Posterior margin of pronotum arcuate, with a weak median notch. Claws bifid; longer spur of hind tibia .7 X the basitarsus. SGP moderately broad, broadly rounded apically, with a high median ridge. Genitalia with the parameres evenly curved, not elbowed, bearing strong setae laterally and ventrally, but not on the inner margin; digiti with strong, knobbed setae, most of them strongly bent midway, the volsellae also with some knobbed setae at the base of the digitus; basal hooklets reduced to simple flaps, not hook-like; parapenial lobes slightly shorter than aedoeagus, much expanded apically (fig. 26).
Distribution. — Texas and California to Costa Rica. (Map 9.) Specimens examined. — 27 99,18 8 $ . Texas: 1 9 , Austin, Nov. 1900 (C. T. Brues) [MCZ]; 2 9 9, Alvin, 13 June 1956 (HEE) [MCZ]; 1 9, McDade, 27 June 1934 (J. E. Gillaspy) [MCZ]. New Mexico: 1 9 , White Sands Nat. Mon., Otero Co., 9 Sept. 1962 (HAS) [OSU]. Arizona: 1 9, Southwestern Res. Sta., Chiricahua Mts., 6 Sept. 1958 (PDH) [CIS]; 1 $, Portal, Cochise Co., 29 June 1963 (A. Raske) [CIS]. California: 19,1 8 , San Diego, Aug. (H. A. Hill) [MCZ]; 2 8 8 , Los Angeles Co. (Coquillett) [USNM]. Baja California: 1 2 , Colonia Guerrero, 10 Aug. 1959 [CAS]; 1 2 , San Quintin, 9 April 1938 (W. E. Simonds) [CAS]; 1 2 , Cabo San Lucas, 16 Mch. 1953 (P. H. Arnaud) [CAS]; 1 ?, 10 mi. E. San Ignacio, 39 Sept. 1941 [CAS]; 12,7 mi. N. Santa Anita, Hwy. 19, 1 July 1959 (HBL) [CAS]; 1 2, 19 mi. W. La Paz, 31 Dec. 1958 (HBL) [CAS]; 3 2 2, Sierra San Pedro Martir, La Grulla, 6500', 30 May 1958 (JP) [CIS]. Durango: 2 2 2, Durango, 6000 feet, 22-23 Oct. 1957 [OSU]; 1 8, 5 mi. W Durango, 14 May 1962 (FDP) [UCD]. Zacatecas: 1 2,3 8 8, 15 km. E Sombrerete, 28-31 July 1951 (HEE) [MCZ, CU]; 1 8, Fresnillo, 7000 feet, 15 Aug. 1947 (CDM) [AMNH]. Nayarit: 15,21 July 1954 (EIS) [CAS]. Jalisco: 12,8 mi. S Guadalajara, Sept. 1954 (FXW) [CAS]. Guanajuato: 1 8 , 25 mi. NW Salvatierra, 28 July 1954 (EIS) [CIS]. Distrito Federal: 1 2, San Jeronimo, 11 June 1946 (J. & D. Pallister) [AMNH]. Morelos: 2 2 2, 3 mi. NW Cuernavaca, 20-26 May 1959, 6500 feet (HEE) [MCZ]; 2 $ $ , 3 mi. N. Alpuyeca, 3400 feet, 3 April 1959 (HEE) [MCZ]; 1 2, Yautepec, 13 July 1963 (FDP) [UCD]. Guerrero: 1 8 , Xucumanatlan, 7000 feet, July (HHS) [BMNH]. Oaxaca: 1 2, Oaxaca [type, BMNH]; 1 2, Nochixtlan, 23 Aug. 1963 (HAS) [OSU]. Chiapas: 1 8, Ixtapa, 11 Apr. 1962 (FDP) [UCD]; 1 8, 20 mi. S Tuxtla Gutierrez, 12 Aug. 1963 (FDP) [UCD]. British Honduras: 1 8 , Augustine Mt. Pine Ridge, 3 July 1963 (CCP) [MCZ]. Costa Rica: 1 2 , 6 mi. W Turrialba, 3800 feet, 23 July 1963 (HAS) [OSU].
Variation. — In the available females, the front femora vary from 2.10 to 2.45 X as long as wide; the second submarginal cell varies from 1.7 to 2.0 X as wide as high, and is narrowed above by from .45 to .65. Females from Baja California are consistently more hairy and have the pubescence somewhat duller and more greenish than is usual in the species. The females from Costa Rica and from Nochixtlan, Oaxaca, have the front somewhat narrower than usual (MID .67 X TFD, .90 X HE in both); both are smaller than average, the fore wing measuring 8.5 mm. in the Costa Rica specimen, only 7.0 mm. in the Nochixtlan specimen. In several females POL and OOL are subequal.
In the males studied, the fore wing varies in length from 4.5 to 7.5 mm. There is little variation in color of the pubescence of the males except in specimens from southern California, which have the pubescence almost entirely dark, including the coarse, semierect pubescence on the propodeal slope. Two of four specimens from Zacatecas have the wings unusually pale, the apical band entirely absent, while the British Honduras male (the smallest seen) has the wings wholly lightly infuscated. The terminalia of eight males from diverse localities were extracted and found to exhibit little variation except that the SGP varies somewhat in width and may be subtruncate apically.
Map 9 • Aporus (AporusJ concolor (Smith)