Revista Mexicana de Biodiversidad 83: 370-379, 2012

Mexican of (: : ), with description of three new species

Especies mexicanas de Exetastes (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae: Banchinae), con la descripción de tres especies nuevas

Andrey I. Khalaim1, 2 and Enrique Ruiz-Cancino1

1División de Estudios de Postgrado e Investigación, Facultad de Ingenieria y Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Tamaulipas, 87149 Cd. Victoria, Tamaulipas, Mexico. 2Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Universitetskaya nab. 1, St.Petersburg 199034, Russia. [email protected]

Abstract. Twenty one species and subspecies of Exetastes Grav. are recorded from Mexico. Exetastes arteagus sp. nov., E. gauldi sp. nov. and E. lascivus sp. nov. are described as new. Exetastes pasculus Gauld et Ugalde is recorded for the first time for Mexico. New data on distribution in Mexico and a key to the Mexican species of Exetastes are provided. The known Mexican fauna is closer to the Nearctic fauna than to the Costa Rican fauna: 13 out of 21 Mexican species and subspecies (62%) also occur in the USA and Canada, 4 species (19%) also occur in Costa Rica, and 3 species and 1 subspecies (19%) are known from Mexico only. The most abundant species of the in Mexico is E. tarsalis.

Key words: fauna, key, Mexico, new species, .

Resumen. Se registran 21 especies y subespecies de Exetastes Grav. para México. Se describen E. arteagus sp. nov., E. gauldi sp. nov. y E. lascivus sp. nov. Exetastes pasculus Gauld et Ugalde es registrada para México por primera vez. Se aportan datos nuevos sobre la distribución de Exetastes en México y una clave para identificar las especies. La fauna mexicana es más cercana a la neártica que a la de Costa Rica: 13 de las especies y subespecies mexicanas (62% del total) también se encuentran en Estados Unidos y Canadá, 4 especies (19%) ocurren en Costa Rica, y 3 especies y 1 subespecie (19%) se conocen solamente de México. Exetastes tarsalis es la especie más abundante del género en México.

Palabras clave: fauna, clave, Mexico, especies nuevas, taxonomía.

Introduction The genus is rather abundant in the Mexican ichneumo- nid fauna, and is often collected in various biotopes from Exetastes Grav. is a very large, almost worldwide lowlands to mountain regions, most commonly in open genus (not recorded from Australia) with 50 species in spaces. Some species are found on flowers. The majority the USA and Canada (Townes and Townes, 1978), and 18 of host records are from larvae of (Townes and species in Costa Rica (Gauld et al., 2002). Sixteen species Townes, 1978; Gauld et al., 2002). Host larva is destroyed were mentioned from Mexico by Ruiz et al. (2002), 14 of in its pupal chamber, usually in soil. The cocoon them were described by Cresson (1865, 1872, 1874) and is elongate eliptical, hard, and black (Townes and Townes, Cushman (1937). The genus includes mostly moderate to 1978; Gauld et al., 2002). large sized species, with fore wing length 5.2-13.5 mm. It The aim of the present work is to review the Mexican is very distinctive genus which may easily be distinguis- fauna of Exetastes, to estimate its relations to the Nearctic hed from other genera of Banchinae by the combination and Costa Rican faunas, and to provide a key to the species. of the nervellus intercepted very high, and the large subr- hombic areolet. All the species possess long and strong Materials and methods hind legs with enlarged coxae, and a robust, often short and decurved ovipositor. Some Mexican species possess Collections of the Universidad Autón