Species-group organization of the Pan-American Dissomphalus (Hymenoptera, Bethylidae)

Abstract

Abstract: Dissomphalus is a cosmopolitan genus with 424 described species. Here, all 287 Pan-American species of Dissomphalus are analyzed in order to be allocated to species groups under an alpha taxonomic approach. Thirty-four species groups composed of species with known males were initially considered. The following six species-groups are newly proposed: chiapanus, confusus, cornutus, fungosus, lamellatus and napo. The following eleven species groups are fused into four: dissomphaloides with amplus, altivolans with apertus, xanthopus with microstictus, kansanus with secretus, basidentatus and stellatus with vallensis, and strabus with tuberculatus. Forty-seven incertae sedis species are grouped and 29 are newly grouped. A total of 35 species groups are now recognized and all of the 11 species known exclusively by females remain unallocated to groups. A pictorial key to the species groups is first proposed.