Dufourea maura (Cresson, 1878)

Dufourea maura Female	Dufourea maura Male

Panurgus maurus Cresson, 1878: 61 (“♀” = ♂ description).

Diagnosis.TThe main diagnostic characters of this species are black body pubescence, shorter clypeus, shiny propodeal triangle, and sparsely punctate mesoscutellum. Those observed only in the male: simple hind femur and hind tibia, hind femur with basoventral spine, and the central process in S6 is angulate. This species is similar to D. dilatipes in its large size and broad head, however the latter has brown body pubescence, longer clypeus, dull propodeal triangle, and densely punctate mesoscutellum; the male has expanded hind legs and the central process in S6 is gradually curved.

FEMALE: Length 9.5-10 mm.

Head:

Dufourea maura female head

1) head considerably broader than long, 1.27:1; compound eyes subparallel; OVD = 2.5MOD, OOD = 3MOD, IOD = 2MOD. 2) supraclypeal area markedly convex and protuberant, somewhat dulled medially, lower margin rounded; clypeus mostly shiny, slightly dulled laterally, apically protuberant, considerably broader than long (2.5 times), apical margin horizontally straightened; epistomal sutures extending to compound eye; labrum much broader than long, almost fully exposed, mandibles fitting beneath the large labral process when closed. 3) mandible bi-dentate. 4) genal area above subequal in breadth to compound eye in lateral view, becoming very narrow below. 5) pubescence rather short, quite thin and inconspicuous, dark in general; black erect pubescence covering supraclypeal area above level of lower margin of antennal sockets; area between lower margins of antennal sockets and upper margin of clypeus largely bare. 6) punctures coarse, deep and well separated over most of clypeus (1-3pd); apically deep and well separated (~1pd) on the markedly convex supraclypeal area, becoming fine and extremely dense basally; distinct, dense and rather fine on upper part of face below ocelli (

Mesosoma:

8) pubescence rather long, dark and erect, quite thin and inconspicuous, well separated throughout mesoscutum, not obscuring surface below; lateral pronotal areas and pronotal lobes covered in shorter more dense pubescence. 9) mesoscutum somewhat shiny, punctures of two sizes, smaller punctures fine and close laterally (≤ 1pd), becoming finer and crowded along extreme anterior and lateral edges, larger punctures separated by 2-3pd, becoming sparse in center of disc, especially posteriorly (~3pd), but not crowded even between notaulice and tegula; mesoscutellum mostly shiny, very faintly impressed medially, punctures large more dense apically and laterally where the surface is somewhat dulled (1-2pd), basally shiny and impunctate; mesopleuron mostly shiny becoming dull anteriorly, with punctures minute and rather close (1-2pd), larger punctures separated by 2-4pd; hypoepimeral area shiny, punctures dense (1-2pd) becoming sparse on lower 1/3; propodeal triangle 2/3 as long as mesoscutellum, shiny, rather finely and completely striate or reticulate, adjacent dorsolateral surface densely punctate (1-2pd), punctures of two sizes, lateral propodeal surface anteriorly shiny becoming dull and imbricate posteriorly, punctures separated by 4-5pd. 10) legs black basally, becoming somewhat reddened on the more apical tarsal segments; spurs, especially the mid and hind pair, very long and slender, entirely dark, becoming slightly reddened apically; mid tibial spur ¾ as long as mid basitarsus. 11) tegula black in large part, becoming somewhat yellowish-hyaline along margin, dull and obscurely punctate anteriorly, becoming shiny and impunctate posteriorly, with a few dark thin hairs near anterior margin. 12) wings lightly infuscated, veins and stigma more brownish-red, recurrent veins entering 2nd submarginal cell about equally distant from base and apex.

Metasoma:

13) terga smooth, the more basal terga shiny, T1-T3 with small well separated punctures (>3pd), T4-T5 with somewhat coarser and denser, evenly distributed punctures (>1.5pd); apical impressed areas smooth and impunctate, dark brown, nearly uniform in colour to basal areas, slightly reddish, discal pubescence very short and obscure, suberect, dark, becoming somewhat dark brown-black on the more apical terga. 14) sterna with dark, erect apical pubescence, becoming more dense on apical sterna; S1 with sparse pubescence basally, S2 and S3 with long pubescence laterally and short to bare centrally, S5 with dense pubescence, becoming longer apically.

MALE: Length 10 mm.

Head:

Dufourea maura male head

1) head much broader than long, 1.33:1; compound eyes very slightly convergent below; distance from lateral ocellus to vertex = 2.5MOD, distance from lateral ocellus to compound eye = 3.5MOD, distance between lateral ocelli = 2.5MOD. 2) clypeus flattened, nearly 3 times as broad as long; labrum much broader than long, entirely exposed by the closed mandibles. 3) mandible bi-dentate. 4) genal area slightly broader than compound eye, slightly narrowed below. 5) pubescence largely dark black, some pale hairs on genal area; longest hairs on mandible, lower genal area, and apical clypeal margin, most dense on supraclypeal area between antennae. 6) punctures below ocelli fine and densely crowded (

Mesosoma:

8) pubescence dark laterally, largely dark brown-black on dorsum of mesosoma, less dense centrally, mesopleuron entirely bare. 9) mesoscutum and mesoscutellum shiny, very finely and rather irregularly punctate, punctures somewhat separated in center of discs (2-4pd), becoming very close but not crowded at extreme sides (

Metasoma:

13) terga somewhat shiny, minutely punctate, punctures more dense and fine near basal margin (2-3pd) becoming more sparse apically; apical impressed areas entirely impunctate, more or less reddened; discal pubescence, suberect, thin and obscure, largely pale on the more basal terga, becoming more erect, conspicuous and dark brown-black on the more apical terga. 14) S1-S5 relatively simple, S3 flattened with a lateral spine, S4 with slightly protruding lateral areas, centrally flattened with lateral spine as in S3, S5 with apical margin rather broadly concave, concavity not as deep as in D. dilatipes, S6 with central protrusion angulate, with a pair of short, oblique, subapical carinae and a median, apical process, on each side of which the margin is slightly produced, yellowish-hyaline, pubescence dark, long and well separated.

Genitalia: Dorsal view
Ventral view

Dufourea maura genitalia, dorsal view

Dufourea maura genitalia, ventral view

Distribution:

In Canada, this species is known from southern British Columbia to Ontario (see Map).

Map: Canadian distribution of Dufourea maura