Anoplius acapulcoensis (Cameron 1893)

Anoplius (Arachnophroctonus) acapulcoensis (Cameron) new combination
Pompilus acapulcoensis Cameron, 1893, Biol. Centr.-Amer., Hymen. II, p. 198 [Type: S, Mexico: Guerrero: Acapulco, Sept. (HHS) (BMNH, no. 19, 685)]. — Dalla Torre, 1897, Catal. Hymen., VIII, p. 270.
Psammochares bellicosus Banks, 1912, Jour. N. Y. Ent. Soc, 19: 224 [Type: $, Arizona: Palmerlee, Sept. (MCZ, no. 13, 666)]. New synonym.
Lophopompilus autilone Banks, 1919, Canad. Ent., 51: 82 [Type: 8 , Florida: Fort Myers, 7 May 1916 (J. C. Bradley) (CU, no. 679)]. New synonym.
Anoplius (Arachnophroctonus) bellicosus Evans, 1951, Trans. Amer. Ent. Soc., 76: 246-248.
It is unfortunate that the well-established name bellicosus must be abandoned in favor of acapulcoensis, a somewhat awkward name based on a specimen from the southern extremity of the range. The type, like other specimens from southern Mexico, is more strongly bluish than most specimens from northern Mexico and the United States, paralleling a trend seen in several other species of Pompilinae (Anoplius subcylindricus , Pompilus occidentalis) . The type and other specimens from southern Mexico also average small for the species, but there seems little justification for recognizing acapulcoensis and bellicosus as distinct subspecies.
Female. — Length 13-23 mm. Black; wings fuliginous, reflecting bluish. Pubescence entirely dark, reflecting deep bluish, violaceous, or blue-green. Front and vertex with a small amount of short hair; propodeum with only some very short, inconspicuous hair. Head broader than high, the vertex forming an even arc above the eye tops. Clypeus with a strong median arcuate emargination. Front broad, MID .56-.61 X TFD; front angle of ocellar triangle greater than a right angle, POL and OOL subequal; antennal segment three only .70 to .85 X UID. Posterior margin of pronotum arcuate, at most with a very vague median angulation. Propodeum sloping rather evenly, slightly more declivous on the posterior third. Front basitarsus with three comb-spines, the spines somewhat longer than the width of the tarsus at their base. Fore wing with the marginal cell removed from the wing tip by about its own length; SMC3 strongly narrowed above, often nearly triangular.
Description of type male. — Length 10.5 mm.; fore wing 9 mm. Black; wings fuliginous, reflecting bluish; pubescence reflecting bluish over much of body, except silvery on sides of front. Erect black setae numerous on clypeus, front, and vertex; pronotum and propodeum each with sparse, dark setae; venter with very sparse, dark setae except subgenital plate with a median row of suberect setae. Clypeus twice as broad as high, its apical margin weakly concave. Head 1.12 X as wide as high; MID .61 X TFD, .94 X HE; UID subequal to
LID; POL: OOL = 14:15. First four antennal segments in a ratio of about 12:6:11:12, segment three 1.9 X as long as thick. Pronotum arcuate behind; propodeum with the slope very gradual, then much steepened just before posterior margin. Last segment of front tarsus very slightly asymmetrical, inner claws of this tarsus more strongly curved than outer claws. Fore wing with SMC3 subtriangular. SGP strongly elevated and setose medially. Genitalia with the parameres slender, gently curved; digiti strongly bent about mid-way and somewhat broadened here, their entire surface covered with sinuous setae of moderate length (as figured by Evans, 1951, fig. 80).
Distribution. — El Salvador to Arizona and Texas, east to Florida and north to New Jersey. This species occurs chiefly at low elevations (usually below 4000 feet) and is therefore absent from a large portion of central Mexico. For U. S. records, see Evans, 1951. (Map 47.)
Mexican and Central American specimens examined. — 20 9 9, 32 5 8 . Mexico: Chihuahua: 1 9 , 92 km. N Chihuahua, June [AMNH]; 1 9,2 $ $, Chihuahua, 12 Aug. 1951 (HEE) [MCZ]; 1 8 , 17 mi. W Chihuahua, 5900 feet, 23 June 1956 (HAS) [OSU]; 1 9, 25 mi. S Chihuahua, 11 Aug. 1951 (PDH) [CIS]; 1 5 , 18 mi. W Jimenez, 10 Aug. 1951 (HEE) [MCZ]; 1 5 , Santa Clara Canyon, 5 mi. W Parrita, 6 July 1954 (EIS) [CIS]. Sonora: 1 9 , Cornelio, 7 Oct. 1938 (R. H. Crandall) [CU]; 1 9 , 10 mi. NE Cananea, 16 Aug. 1959 (Werner and Nutting) [UA]. Sinaloa: 4 9 9, Los Mochis, July, Sept. (C. T. Dodds, RRD) [USNM, MSU]; 2 5 5,8 mi. S Elota, 2 July 1963 (FDP) [UCD]. Nayarit: 1 9, Ahuacatlan, 18 July 1951 (PDH) [CIS]. Guerrero: 1 5 , Acapulco, Sept. (HHS) [type, BMNH]. Oaxaca: 2 99,2 5 5, 4 mi. S Tehuantepec, 18 July 1952 (EG & CM) [CIS, MCZ]; 1 9 , 7 mi. NE Juchitan, 18 July 1952 (EG & CM) [CIS]; 1 5 , 16 mi. N Juchitan, 2 July 1955 [KU]; 3 8 8 : , El Camaron, 20 mi. E Oaxaca, 7 Aug. 1956 (JWM) [CIS]; 1 9 , 2 8 8 , 23 mi. S Matias Romero, 14 Aug. 1963 (FDP) [UCD]. Chiapas: 1 9,3 8 8 , 15 mi. W Las Cruces, 27 July 1952 (EG & CM) [CIS]. Veracruz: 1 9 , Veracruz, 20 June 1951 (HEE) [MCZ]; 1 9 , km. 25, RR from Sureste, Aug. 1944 (M. Guerra) [AMNH]; 2 9 9,1255, Minatitlan, 26 Aug.-l Sept. 1961 (RRD) [MSU]. Guatemala: 1 9, Tiucal, 20 Aug. 1961 (M. Irwin) [UCD]. El Salvador: 1 5, Quezaltepeque, 18 June 1963 (M. Irwin) [UCD].
Variation. — As noted above, specimens from Guatemala southern Mexico are consistently rather intensely bluish, while those from northern Mexico and the United States show considerable variation in this regard, often having the pubescence brownish-violaceous, with limited bluish reflections. Southern specimens also average somewhat smaller. For example, the available males from southern Mexico (Guerrero, Oaxaca, and Chiapas) have a mean length of the fore wing of 10.8 mm. (ranging from 9.0 to 12.5 mm.), while the comparable figures for Chihuahua are 13 (12-15), Arizona 12.5 (9.515), Florida 13 (11.5-15). The genitalia of the type and other specimens from southern Mexico seem identical to those of U. S. specimens.

Anoplius (Arachnophroctbnus) acapulcoensis (Cameron)
(also widely distr. in so. U.S.) A Anoplius (Ar.) echinotus (Fox)
(also widely distr. in no. So. America) O Anoplius (Ar.) semirufus (Cresson)
(also widely distr. in eastern U.S.)
margin rounded, with a series of short, thick spines. Genitalia (fig. 51) with the parameres slender, strongly setose, the sub-basal squama distinct although not strongly produced as in vividus; digiti subspatulate, densely clothed with strong, mostly straight setae.
Distribution. — Brazil and Bolivia north to the Guianas and to Costa Rica. See Banks, 1947, for South American records. (Map 47.)
Central American specimens examined. — 5 5 2,7 8 $ . Panama: 4 2 2,4 $ $ , Barro Colorado IsL, Canal Zone, March, April, JuneAug. (CWR) [KU, KSU]. Costa Rica: 1 2,1 $ , Turrialba, May, Aug. (F. Schrader, CCP) [USNM, MCZ]; 1 S, Tilaran, Guanacaste Prov., 25 Feb. 1964 (HEE) [MCZ].
Variation. — The variation in size and in the depth of the clypeal emargination of the females seems to bear little correlation to geography. Males with the least amount of silvery pubescence, as described above, occur in Costa Rica, Panama, and Colombia, and all males seen from these areas have the wings uniformly fuliginous. One Panama male shows some banding of the tergites with silvery, differing little in this regard from some individuals from British Guiana, which tend toward the maximum in silvery pubescence.