New species Polyphrix misa and Polyphrix tullu from Peru

NEWS - Researchers report and describe new species of insects: Polyphrix misa and Polyphrix tullu during the project “Discovery new species and Amazon Cam” funded by the “Programa Nacional de Innovación para la Competitividad y productividad - Innóvate Perú”.

Polyphrix Townes 1972 is a small neotropical genus consisting of four species with P. varians Townes 1970 and P. stellata Tedesco & Santos 2009 previously recorded. Both species have been reported from Peru. P. varians is the type species and was first described from Brazilian specimens, but the generic description was reported from Peru.

These species show a triangular mandibular morphology, the apex width of the mandible is less than 0.5 of the base width. No epomia. Hindwings with 1-Cu veins almost as long as the cross veins cu-a.

Propodeum with concave anterior margin and sculpted surface behind anterior transverse carina with strong and widely spaced transverse wrinkles. Thyridium is longer than wide and the tip of the ovipositor ends in a long and narrow point.

Polyphrix can be distinguished from other genera of Cryptini by the combination of characters the dorsal margin of the pronotum is strongly and uniformly swollen. Areolete is transversely rectangular, transverse groove at base of propodeum is very wide, shallow and almost entirely smooth. Propodeum with strong and straight transverse wrinkles.

P. misa can be distinguished from all other species by mesosoma entirely orange, metasomal tergites 2-8 black with apical white line and hind femur is black. Very similar to P. varians, the difference being that the hind femur is black and the genal orbit is pale yellow and interrupted in the middle of the gena.

New species Polyphrix misa and Polyphrix tullu from Peru 2

P. tullu can be distinguished from all other species by its mostly black pronotum and mesoscutum, black metasomal tergites 2-8 with a white line at the tip and orange hind femur. This species is very similar to P. stellata, the difference being the metasoma with black tergites 2-8 with white tips and the pronotum with a black upper edge.

Lita Inga and Mabel Alvarado from the Department of Entomology, Museo de Historia Natural, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos in Lima showed that in Peru, especially the Loreto and Madre de Dios Departments, is a previously overlooked Polyphrix hotspot.

Original research

Lita Inga dan Mabel Alvarado (2024). Two new species of the genus Polyphrix Townes 1972 (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae, Cryptinae) from Peru. Zootaxa 5497 (2): 267–275 DOI:10.11646/zootaxa.5497.2.6

Guinea grass (Panicum maximum)

Guinea grass or buffalo grass or green panic ( Panicum maximum ) is a plant species in Poaceae, annual grasses, growing upright to form clumps, strong, cultivated in all tropical and subtropical regions for very high value as fodder. P. maximum reproduces in very large pols, fibrous roots penetrate into the soil, upright stems, green, 1-1.5 m tall and have smooth cavities for diameters up to 2.5 mm. Propagation is done vegetatively and generatively. Ribbon-shaped leaves with a pointed tip, very many, built in lines, green, 40-105 cm long, 10-30 mm wide, erect, branched, a white linear bone, often covered with a layer of white wax, rough surface by hair short, dense and spread. The flower grows at the end of a long and upright stalk, open with the main axis length to more than 25 cm and the length of the bunches down to 20 cm. Grains have a size of 3x4 mm and oval. Seeds have a length of 2.25-2.50 mm and each 1 kg contains 1.2 - 1.5 million seeds. Guinea grass has two varieties. P...

Longfol edelweiss (Anaphalis longifolia)

Longfol edelweiss ( Anaphalis longifolia ) is a plant species in Asteraceae, everlasting shrub, upright, woody and branched, up to 10 meters high and 1 meter in diameter, 20 cm in height every 13 years, ribbon-shaped leaves and longer than other species in the genus and grows in the tropics at an altitude of 800-1600 m. A. longifolia has a single root with fibers forming branches. Cylindrical stems, upright, at each point grow many branches in a circle in all directions, branches up. The bark is thin, rough, brownish green and is easy to peel off. Ribbon-shaped single leaf, 12-20 cm long, 0.5-1.0 cm wide, drooping or divergent growth pattern, thin, hairy and white waxy, spreading out or facing, having a midrib, a linear walking bone, thickened edge, the upper surface is green and the lower surface is whitish. The flowers grow at the tip of the stem in a capitulum with many florets, sitting together surrounded by involucrum, each consisting of 5-6 flower heads, yellow, 5 mm wide, s...

Indian shot (Canna indica)

Puspa midra or Indian shot ( Canna indica ) is is plant species in Cannaceae, annual, shrub 0.5-2.5 meters high, depending on variety, erect stems, unbranched and leaf midrib arranged overlapping to form pseudostems and hermaphrodite flowers. C. indica forms a branched rhizome, 60 cm long which is divided into rounded segments and is covered in two stripes by pale green or purple scaly leaves. The rhizome has tubers that contain very large starch grains. The surface has transverse furrows, the underside appears white roots and numerous shoots. The leaves sit alternate and spiral or arranged in two rows, very large and divided into a leaf midrib, short stalk and blade. The strands are 30-60 cm long, 10-20 cm wide and have linear veins, green or purple-green, the base blunt or narrowly pointed and the apex immediately tapering or sharp. Hermaphrodite flowers, pedicels 0.2-1 cm long and red or yellow-orange, except in some cultivars 4.5-7.5 cm long. The sepals are triangular in shape a...

Dlium