Matskási István (szerk.): A Magyar Természettudományi Múzeum évkönyve 91. (Budapest 1999)

Papp, J.: Five new Microchelonus species from the Neotropical Region (Hymenoptera, Braconidae: Cheloninae)

ANNALES HISTORICO-NATURALES MUSEI NATIONALIS HUNGARICI Volume 91. Budapest, 1999 pp. 177-197. Five new Microchelonus species from the Neotropical Region (Hymenoptera, Braconidae: Cheloninae) J. PAPP Department of Zoology, Hungarian Natural History Museum H-1088 Budapest, Baross utca 13, Hungary PAPP, J. (1999): Five new Microchelonus species from the Neotropical Region (Hymenoptera, Braconidae: Cheloninae). - Annls hist.-nat. Mus. natn. hung. 91: 177-197. Abstract - A short review of the nine Microchelonus species described from the Neotropical Region up to 1998. Descriptions of five new species in the genus Microchelonus from Argentina (four species) and Costa Rica (one species) are presented. The new species are compared to their nearest allies. Three known Microchelonus species are redescribed (M. brasiliensis BRUES, M. peruensis SHENEFELT, M. townsendi VIERECK). A checklist of the fourteen Microchelonus species distributed in the Neotropical Region is presented. With 86 original figures. INTRODUCTION The first Neotropical species of Microchelonus was described from Texas (U.S.A.), i.e. from the Nearctic Region, under the name Chelonus cautus by E. T. CRESSON in 1873, however, later the species was reported from Mexico and Central America too, i.e. from the Neotropical Region. Originally the description of M. blackburni was based on the specimen taken in Hawaii (Pacific Region) by CAMERON in 1881 (under the name Chelonus carinatus) which had been introduced between 1937-1944 into Mexico and Texas (McGoUGH & NOBLE 1955). In the twentieth century seven Microchelonus species were described by BRUES (1912), MARSH (1979) SZÉPLIGETI (1904) and VIERECK (1912, 1913). Considering the synonymization of the two names (M. sobrinus and M. szepligetii) currently nine Microchelonus species from the Neotropical Region are known. In the present paper five new Microchelonus species are added to the species indicated above, four originate from Argentina (M. angustus sp. n., M. bolsoni sp. n., M. constrictus sp. n., M. topali sp. n.) and one from Costa Rica (M. subplanus). Subsequently a checklist is presented enumerating the fourteen Microchelonus species registered in the Neotropical Region so far: