Poecilopompilus badius Evans 1966

Poecilopompilus badius new species
Holotype. — 2, Panama: Barro Colorado Island, Canal Zone, 31 July 1956 (CWR) [KU].
This striking species is known to me from only four specimens. The claws are dentate throughout and the marginal cell of the fore wing unusually large and acute, characters which are shared with decedens (Smith) from northern South America. However, that species is very differently colored, slightly larger, and has the slope of Tl considerably stronger.
Description of type female. — Length 14 mm.; fore wing 13.5 mm. Body deep fusco-castaneous, the abdomen almost black; inner orbits with a small
yellow streak, lateral angles of posterior rim of propodeum and a streak on the upper side of the hind coxae yellow; vertex, temples, and upper part of mesopleura lighter castaneous than remainder of head and thorax; coxae fuscous, streaked with pale castaneous; femora fuscous, streaked with pale castaneous above; tibiae and tarsi fusco-castaneous except front legs slightly paler than the others; basal two antennal segments brownish-fuscous, third segment fuscous above, below pale rufo-castaneous like following several segments in their entirety, apical six segments weakly infuscated. Fore wing strongly suffused with light brown basally and on the anterior half, posterior apical portion more weakly suffused with brown; hind wings subhyaline. Body pubescence wholly light, fine but quite conspicuous over entire body; body setae rather short, those on the propodeum and coxae rather pale. Clypeus 2.2 X as wide as high, its apical margin truncate. Head 1.10 X as wide as high; MID .55 X TFD, .83 X HE; UID .63 X LID; antennal segment three 1.20 X UID. Ocelli in a flat triangle, POL and OOL subequal; vertex forming an even arc above eye tops. Pronotum short, its posterior margin angulate. Postnotum broadly concealed on mid-dorsal line. Propodeum sloping rather strongly and evenly from front to rear, declivity not well-defined nor its sides protuberant; corners of posterior rim strongly angulate. Front basitarsus with three comb-spines, the apical one .8 as long as second tarsal segment, but without other strong spines. All tarsal claws dentate. Longer spur of hind tibia .55 X as long as hind basitarsus. Fore wing with marginal cell removed from wing tip by only .62 X its own length, strongly pointed apically; SMC3 1.2 X as long as second, but more strongly narrowed above; basal and transverse median veins interstitial; hind wing with anal vein reaching media a short distance beyond cubital fork. First abdominal tergite with its slope rather low and even, about as in polistoides, the slope considerably less strong than in algidus or interruptus and their subspecies.
Distribution. — Costa Rica to Ecuador. (Map 34.) Paratypes. — Panama: 1 2 , same data as type except 17 March 1963 [USNM]. Costa Rica: 1 2, Golfito, 29 July 1957 (Truxal and Menke) [LACM]. Ecuador: 1 2 , 60 mi. S Guayaquil, Apr. 1963 (L. Pefia) [MCZ].
Variation. — The Barro Colorado paratype resembles the type closely in size and in standard measurements. However, it is in part somewhat paler in color; the greater part of the front is nearly black, but the occiput and vertex crest are light castaneous, and there are castaneous markings as a pair of streaks on the mesoscutum, on the sides of the scutellum, and on the upper part of the propodeum. The Costa Rica paratype is considerably larger (length 17.5 mm., fore wing 17 mm.). It is slightly darker than the type, the greater part of the thorax and propodeum being a very deep shade of brown, almost piceous. In this specimen MID is .53 X TFD, UID .60 X LID, antennal segment three 1.30 X UID, POL very slightly greater than OOL. The Ecuador specimen is similarly colored and has identical standard measurements except that antennal segment three measures only 1.25 X UID; this is the largest of the four specimens (length 20 mm., fore wing 18 mm.).