Cerceris marginula Dalla Torre 1897

Cerceris marginula Dalla Torre

Cerceris marginula Dalla Torre, C. G., 1897:467.

Cerceris marginata Cameron, 1900:117, pl. 7: figs. 11, 11a, b.—Ashmead 1899:296. [C. marginata Cameron preoccupied by C. marginata F. Smith, 1856:460, a species from Brazil.]

FEMALE.—Length 10 mm. Black with light yellow to creamy-white markings, pubescence generally short but longer on limited lateral areas; punctation generally coarse and crowded; body slender.

Head subequal in width to the thorax; black except frontal eye patches, a large part of the lateral clypeal lobe, the base of the mandibles, and a large patch on the scape of the antennae, all of which are creamy white; clypeal border with five distinct denticles, the medial and the two most lateral denticles much smaller than the other two; the clypeal process very slender with a truncate end that may be slightly rounded; mandibles bidentate, the more apical denticle slightly the larger; antennae normal in form, black to dark fuscous except for the patch on the scape.

Thorax black except for a band on the pronotum semidivided mesally, the entire metanotum, which may show a medial dark dividing line, and a small spot on each side of the pleuron, all of which are creamy white; enclosure rugose with the usual medial groove; tegulae smooth and black; mesosternal tubercle absent; legs black except for indistinct lines on the foretibiae; wings subhyaline but darker than normal for the genus, veins and stigma black.

Abdomen black except for a distinct band on tergum 1, which extends cephalad along the dorsopleural line, a patch on tergum 2 on the dorsopleural area at the basal end and a small spot laterally on the distal border (a solid line may appear on the distal margin of tergum 2 on Mexican specimens), a distinct band on the distal margin of tergum 3, most of sternum 1, and an evanescent patch on sternum 2, all of which are creamy white; first abdominal segment twice as long as broad; pygidium as illustrated (Figure 110c).

MALE.—Length 9 mm. Black with creamy-white markings; pubescence and punctation as on the female; body slender.

Head subequal in width to the thorax; black except for narrow frontal eye patches, a patch on the lateral clypeal lobe, and a patch on the scape, all of which are creamy white; border of the medial clypeal lobe a carina-like extension without denticles; hair lobes not waxed; mandibles without denticles; antennae normal in form, colored as on the female.

Thorax black except band on the pronotum sometimes broken medially, a spot on the pleuron, the metanotum sometimes broken medially; and evanescent spots on the propodeum, all of which are creamy white; tegulae smooth and black; enclosure heavily rugose with the usual medial groove; mesosternal tubercle absent; legs all black except for a limited stripe of clouded white on all tibiae; wings subhyaline with all veins and stigma black.

Abdomen black except for a band on tergum 1, which extends cephlad along the dorsopleural line, one small lateral spot and a larger lateral patch on tergum 2, narrow bands on terga 3, 4, 5, and 6, the latter three becoming more or less broken, all of sternum 1, bands on sterna 2 and 3, lateral spots on sterna 4, 5, and 6, the last very small and evanescent, all of which are creamy white; length of first abdominal segment subequal to three times its width; pygidium as illustrated (Figure 110e).

Both females and males from Cerro Verde National Park, El Salvador, 6450 feet elevation, where a large series of C. marginula Dalla Torre were taken by the author and other collectors, differ from specimens taken 26 miles west of Tuxpan, Michoacín, Mexico, in that they show no yellow band on the second tergum. Small light spots, however, do appear laterally on both sexes from Central America. The type in the British Museum is in very poor condition; abdominal markings are faint and difficult to distinguish. The metanotum of the type female shows only two spots. Females from both Central America and Mexico show a solid creamy-white metanotum that, in a few cases, does show a medial dark division line. A variable amount of creamy white may appear on some hind trochanters, but usually they are immaculate. Markings on Mexican material are more yellow.

TYPE.—The type female of Cerceris marginata Cameron taken in Costa Rica at Volcan de Irazu, 6000 to 7000 feet elevation (Rogers), is at the British Museum (21.1,375).

DISTRIBUTION.—Southern Mexico into Central America to Panama. Specimens are as follows:

CENTRAL AMERICA: COSTA RICA: ♀, San Jose, San Jose Province, 7 July 1963 (CD and DRM). EL SALVADOR: 4♀, 17♂, Cerro Verde National Park, 6810 ft, 29 June 1963 (DC and MEI); 58♀, 180♂, Cerro Verde National Park, 6450 and 6800 ft, 5 July, 2 August 1963 (S and B). PANAMA: ♀, El Volcan, Chiriqui River, 25 February 1936 (WJG).

MEXICO: CHIAPAS: ♀, San Cristobal, 10 July 1956 (JWM); ♂, 7 mi E San Cristobal, 1 August 1952 (EEG and CDM); 2♂, 39 mi E same locality, same date, same collectors; ♂, 16 mi W same locality, 16 July 1957 (PDH); ♀, 9 mi S same locality, 30 July 1957 (JAC and BJR); 2♂, Nachic, 8000 ft, 27 April 1959 (HEE). DISTRITO FEDERAL: ♂, Desiertos de los Leones, 26 May, 1946 (J and DP). JALISCO: ♀, Guadalajara, 23 July 1951 (PDH). MEXICO: ♀, west slope, Cortez Pass, 9000 ft, 13 July 1954 (UKE); ♀, same locality, 8500 ft, same date (RRD); 4♀, Real de Arriba, Temascaltepec, 12–13 July 1933 (HEH and RLU). MICHOACÁN: ♀, 3 mi E Carapan, 6500 ft, 10 July 1959 (HEE); ♀, Patzcuaro, 15 July 1965 (HEE); ♂, 8 km E Quiroga, 7500 ft, 6 August 1962 (HEE); ♀, 4♂, 26 mi W of Tuxpan, 7950 ft, 9 August 1957 (HAS); ♀, 60 mi E Zamora, 24 June 1957 (JAC and BJR). MORELOS: ♀, 15 km N Cuernavaca, 26 June 1951 (HEE); ♀, 8 mi N Cuernavaca, 8800 ft, 23 May 1959 (HEE). PUEBLA: ♂, Chautapehual, N of Zacapoaxtla, 5300 ft, 19 June 1961 (UKE); ♀, 14 mi W Huauchinango, 17 June 1951 (HEE). VERACRUZ: ♀, Orizaba, 1862 (Biart); ♀, same locality, 19 March 1908 (FK).

PREY RECORD.—Apion chrysocomum Gerstaecker, Apion species and Polydrosus species. All were taken in association with C. marginula Dalla Torre at Cerro Verde National Park, El Salvador.

PLANT RECORD.—None