Revision of the South American wasp genus Alophophion Cushman, 1947 (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae: Ophioninae)

Abstract

The species of the strictly Neotropical ophionine wasp genus Alophophion Cushman, 1947 are revised. New descriptions of all previously named species are provided, except Alophophion holosericeus (Taschenberg, 1875) for which the type series is lost and the name is herein considered a nomen dubium. The female of A. flavorufus is described for the first time. Four informal species groups are proposed based on the morphology of the mandibles, development of the malar space, and general proportions of the head (i.e., development of the face and gena). Whereas the genus previously included only seven named species, it is here expanded to include 44 species (not including the aforementioned nomen dubium), 38 of which are newly discovered and described and thereby increasing the diversity by over seven times. Alophophion now includes the following species groups and species: species-group A [A. new species 1, A. new species 2, A. new species 3, A. new species 4, A. new species 5, A. new species 6, A. new species 7, A. new species 8, A. new species 9, A. new species 10, A. new species 11, A. new species 12, A. new species 13, A. new species 14, A. new species 15, A. new species 16, A. new species 17], species-group B [A. filicornis (Morley, 1912), A. flavorufus (Brullé, 1846), A. politus (Morley, 1912), A. new species 18, A. new species 19, A. new species 20], species-group C [A. chilensis (Spinola, 1851), A. porculatus (Morley, 1912) and A. larseni (Enderlein, 1912), A. new species 21, A. new species 22, A. new species 23, A. new species 24, A. new species 25, A. new species 26, A. new species 27, A. new species 28, A. new species 29, A. new species 30, A. new species 31, A. new species 32, A. new species 33, A. new species 34, A. new species 35, A. new species 36], and species-group D [A. new species 37, A. new species 38]. A key to the four species groups and their included species is provided. Alophophion is confined to cold and/or dry areas of subequatorial South America, with a sole exception of Alophophion new species 1 which occurs in Marcapara, Peru. The genus is newly recorded from Bolivia and Ecuador, and more extensive and accurate distributions are summarized for A. chilensis, A. flavorufus, and A. politus. Alophophion flavorufus is newly recorded from Argentina.