NEOTROPICAL SPECIES OF PSEN AND PSENEO (HYMENOPTERA, SPHECIDAE, PSENINI) by J. P. VAN LITH Allard ¥ ter s on straat 28c, Rotterdam Abstract The following new species from Central and South America are described and illustrated: Psen (Psen) metallicus (<$), paranaensis ($ and $) and erythrocnemus ($ and $ ) and Psen (P seneo) canalicus ( $ ) , auriger ( $ and $ ) , aureolus ( $ and $ ) , funicularius ($), magnificus ( 9 ) , taschenbergi ( $ and $ ) , auriventris ( ? ) and eliasi ( $ and $ ) . Keys to all American species, supplementary descriptions, illustrations of male genitalia and new records are given. Since Malloch's revision of the Nearctic Psenini (1933), a study of the North American Pseneo was published by Krombein in 1950. Cameron (1891) described eight Psenini from Mexico, six of which belong to the subgenera Psen and Pseneo. More recently a few Central American species were published by Pate (1946) and Bohart & Grissell (1969). From South America only two species, both belonging to Pseneo (Taschenberg, 1875, and Brèthes, 1910), were known. The total number of Psenine forms from North and South America now amounts to over 100 (partly still unpublished), of which 35 occur in Central and South America. Many institutions and private collectors kindly sent me their material for study. Of course, I am aware that there are still many unsorted Psenini waiting for a name label in other museums and also that the collections which I could study usually contain only small samples of the Neotropical Psenine fauna. Yet I hope that the keys presented in this paper may form a useful basis for further studies of the Neotropical Psenini. There are certainly good reasons to consider Psen and Pseneo distinct genera, as Bohart & Grissell (1969) do. However, pending the solution of some problems relating to Palaearctic and Indo-Australian Psenini, I prefer to maintain, provisionally at least, Psen and Pseneo as subgenera of Psen Latreille, in accordance with Malloch (1933) and Gittins (1969). Gittins' key to the genera and subgenera is apparently based on Nearctic forms and needs some re-construction to include also the Neotropical species. I am much indebted to the authorities of the museums and to the private collectors who entrusted me with their material. In particular I am grateful to the institutions who sent me valuable types (museums of Buenos Aires, Cambridge (Mass.), Halle). They are mentioned in the following list, together with the symbols used in the text. I am also much obliged to Mr. Colin R. Vardy of the British Museum (Natural History), London, who was always very helpful to me, especially during my visits there.
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