Description of the male of Hymenoepimecis bicolor (Brullé, 1846) (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae, Pimplinae)

Sobczak, J. FLoffredo, A. P. SPenteado-Dias, A. MMessas, Y. FPádua, D. G

Wasps of the Polysphincta genus-group (sensuWahl and Gauld, 1998 or Polysphinctini sensu Towens, 1969) presents more than 200 described species ( Matsumoto, 2016 ) exclusively koinobiont ectoparasitoids of several spider families ( Dubois et al., 2002 ; Gauld and Dubois, 2006 ; Matsumoto, 2016 ). Most of taxonomic descriptions of polysphinctine wasps were based on female individuals, principally due to the presence of the ovipositor (see Gauld, 1991 ; Gauld et al., 1998 , 2002 ). Meantime, some interactions of these hymenopteran with spiders were documented only with emerged males (e. g. Sobczak et al., 2011 , 2017 ; Sobczak, 2012 ), hindering the association between males and females within the group. Sobczak et al. (2017) emphasized the importance of detailed descriptions of male genitalia to support future reviews and phylogenetic studies. Within Polysphincta group, Hymenoepimecis Viereck, 1912 (Ichneumonidae) wasps occur in the Neotropical region, from Mexico to Southern of Brazil ( Gauld, 2000 ; Gauld and Dubois, 2006 ; Gonzaga and Sobczak, 2007 ; Loffredo and Penteado-Dias, 2009 ; Sobczak et al., 2009 ; Pádua et al., 2015 ). The species of this genus are characterized by the presence of a pocket-like structure on the pronotum; a mesopleuron with epicnemial carina vestigial or absent; the absence of the vein 3 rs-m in fore wing ( Gauld, 1991 ); yellowish brown color and large ocelli ( Gauld and Dubois, 2006 ). Currently, Hymenoepimecis is composed by 20 valid species ( Yu et al., 2012 ; Pádua et al., 2015 ), of which 12 are known as parasitoids of spiders (summarized in Pádua et al., 2016 ). Regarding these interactions, it is known that the larva of some wasp species can induce the host spider to construct a modified web (cocoon web), which is subsequently used as substrate for the wasp larva’s cocoon ( Eberhard, 2000a , b , 2001 ; Sobczak et al., 2009 , 2014 ; Gonzaga et al., 2010 ;). The modified web is usually more stable and resistant than the normal web, increasing the wasp survival ( Eberhard, 2001 ). Gonzaga et al. (2010) described the interaction involving the spider Nephila clavipes (Linnaeus, 1767) (Araneidae) and the wasp Hymenoepimecis bicolor (Brullé, 1846), which follows the pattern of behavioral manipulation described above ( Gonzaga et al., 2010 ).(AU)