Zoologische Mededelingen, 85 (November 2011)G.G.M. Schulten; H.R. Feijen; C. Feijen: The genus Bellimeris Betrem (Hymenoptera: Scoliidae, Campsomerinae)

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Diagnostic characters for females of the genus Bellimeris Betrem, 1972

Medium-sized to large species (19-28 mm). Body integument black but tergites 1-2, 1-3 or 1-4 with broadly or narrowly interrupted narrow yellow apical margins. Vestiture white and brown to golden-brown black on apical segments of the metasoma. Two recurrent veins. Two submarginal cells, three discoidal cells. Length of vertical plate on hind femora about two-thirds the length of femur. Larger hind tibial spur brownish, apically rounded, distinctly and gradually broadened and excavated (spatulate). Smaller spur similar or less distinctly broadening towards the apex.

Head.— Somewhat broader than long. Frons strongly convex, vertex strongly raised above ocellar triangle. Spatium frontale, frons and vertex deeply and densely punctate.

Mesosoma.— Callosities broad and rather densely punctate. Lower area of the mesopleuron divided by a sharp crest. Transition between punctate dorsal portion of upper plate of metapleuron and vertical portion well defined or rather gradual. Vertical portion impunctate or punctate just below transition with dorsal portion and with some punctures along anterior and posterior suture. Spiracular angles punctate or impunctate, spiracular areas impunctate. Pronotum, mesoscutum, scutellum, metanotum and dorsal and lateral portions of propodeum deeply and densely punctate. Propodeum with mid dorsal portion distinctly convex and with an irregular broad impunctate median stripe that apically terminates in a flat or slightly raised ridge. Upper inner corner of lateral dorsal portion punctate with small punctures. Transition of lateral dorsal portion to vertical lateral and posterior vertical portions rounded and without a carina. Upper area of posterior mid vertical portion concave and mostly densely and deeply punctate over some distance below sharp transition with dorsal mid portion, area below punctate zone impunctate but covered with parallel running white hairs.

Metasoma.— Tergites 3 and 4 with an irregular pre-apical line of punctures. Area between this line and posterior margin largely impunctate. Tergite 3 basally smooth and without a gradulus.

Females of the genus Sericocampsomeris share certain characteristics with the genus Bellimeris such as a strongly convex frons, a raised area between the antennal sockets, the broad, densely punctate callosities and the large vertical plate on the underside of the hind femora. Sericocampsomeris females differ in particular from the genus Bellimeris by a more or less rounded crest on the lower portion of the mesopleuron; an only partial punctate head, a less dense and less deep punctation of the mesosoma, in particular of the mesoscutum, scutellum, metanotum and dorsal lateral and vertical portions of the propodeum; an impunctate inner corner on the dorsal lateral portion of the propodeum; a weak carina in the upper corner of the transition between the dorsal and lateral vertical portions of the propodeum; a rounded, not well defined transition between the dorsal and posterior vertical portion and a less concave and a more punctate posterior vertical portion. The hind tibial spurs are apically rounded and excavated but not distinctly broadened towards the apex. However, sometimes the larger spur looks weakly spatulate.