Apiomerus bahianus Wygodzinzky 1953

Agriocleptes bahianus Wygodzinzky, 1953

(Figs. 1–2).

Discussion: Agriocleptes bahianus was described based on a single female from Bahia state, Brazil (Wygodzinsky 1953). The female of this species was considered very close to A. albosparsus (Stål, 1854), and the differences between them were based only in color pattern (Wygodzinsky, 1953). The two diagnostic characteristics for A. bahianus are the dark metapleura and posterior coxae, and the posterior femora with wide, dark, sub-basal annuli (Wygodzinsky 1953; Forero 2002). The female examined here, from Mato Grosso state, Brazil, was identified as A. bahianus because of the blackish metapleura and posterior coxae, despite having pale, instead of dark, wide sub-basal annuli (Figs. 1–2).

Wygodzinsky (1953) stated that some of the species of Agriocleptes could be in fact just geographical races of the same species. For instance, he mentioned that the A. stali group (A. stali Wygodzinsky, 1946, A. bergi Wygodzinsky, 1953, and A. wygodzinskyi Prosen & Martínez, 1953 [as A. zischkai Wygodzinsky, 1953, see Forero & Giacchi 2001]), species in which males share similar genitalic structure and the main differences are found in the color pattern (Wygodzinsky 1953). Detailed observations on the male and female genitalia of A. bahianus and A. albosparsus might provide further evidence to test the validity of these species.

Specimen examined: BRAZIL, 1 female, Mato Grosso, Diamantino, Rio Arinos [14° 25´S – 56° 29´W], 24-X-2002, E. Furtado leg. [MNRJ].