Spalangia chontalensis Cameron 1884

Spalangia chontalensis Cameron

Spalangia brasiliensis Ashmead, 1904, p. 502 [female].—Bouček, 1963, p. 498. [New synonymy.]

Spalangia brasiliensis was described from one specimen. It is labeled: “Santarem, H. H. Smith Coll. Spalangia brasiliensis ♀ Type Ashm., Type No. 60553 U.S.N.M.”

Bouček (1963, p. 498) treated brasiliensis as a valid species, but he found it difficult to place with certainty from only a reading of Ashmead's description. Actually a study of the type of brasiliensis shows it to be a synonym of S. chontalensis Cameron. Bouček has redescribed and figured the type of chontalensis, and the type of brasiliensis differs from it in no significant way.

The type of brasiliensis shows the following diagnostic characters:

Head with dense umbilicate punctation, with smooth interstices, setae noticeably long; pronotum with a prominent, slightly irregular, anterior carinate margin, dorsal meson of pronotum smooth, lateral areas densely umbilicate-punctate, crossrow of closely set, deep punctures located just anterior to posterior margin of pronotum. Anterior half mesopraescutum smooth, posterior half densely covered with rugose pits, a narrow, longitudinal carina present on meson; each notaulix indicated by a row of five large, rectangular pits; scutellum with frenal crossrow of punctures complete, deep, closely set, scutellum otherwise smooth except for three pits in each posterolateral corner. Propodeum coarsely punctured laterally and on meson; petiole half as wide as long, with coarse, longitudinal rugae and prominent lateral bristles, interstices of petiole between longitudinal rugae minutely roughened; posterior margin of second gastral tergum broadly emarginate; gaster as long as thorax and petiole combined.

There are specimens of chontalensis from St. Vincent, W. I., labeled as Spalangia nigra Latr. by Ashmead, in the USNM collection. These were the basis for the St. Vincent record of nigra that was published by Riley (1894, p. 59). Other published West Indian records of nigra are undoubtedly based on this reference. Spalangia nigra is not known to occur in the Neotropical region.