Abstract
Braunilla Wasbauer et Kimsey is a small Neotropical genus comprised of 12 species distributed from Argentina to Mexico. The genus has received few taxonomic studies since its first description in 1927, other than nomenclatural preposition: Braunilla (=Balboana) was proposed by Wasbauer & Kimsey to replace the homonym Balboana. Herein, we catalog all the species classified as Braunilla, describe a new species, Braunilla dasilvae Simões et Waichert, sp. nov. (Brazil: Bahia), provide diagnoses, and an identification key to the species of the genus. We discuss the status of Braunilla chacoensis and Braunilla fraterna, which were missing in the most recent studies regarding the taxon. New synonymy is proposed for Braunilla auripennis (Fabricius, 1804) (=Pompilus chacoensis Shulz, 1906, syn. nov.); and Braunilla nigrina (Banks, 1946) (=Balboana nayaritama Evans, 1966, syn. nov.). Braunilla is now known for 11 species. This study represents an update to the taxonomy of an understudied genus, providing basis for future studies within the family, and an advance in the study of the Neotropical fauna.
References
- Banks, N. (1925) Psammocharidae from Panama. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology Harvard, 67, 327–338.
- Banks, N. (1943) Two New Genera in Psammocharide (Hym.). Psyche: A Journal of Entomology, 50, 82. https://doi.org/10.1155/1943/65053
- Banks, N. (1944) The Psammocharidae (Hymenoptera) taken at Kartabo and other localities in British Guiana. Zoologica Scientific Contributions of the New York Zoological Society, 29, 97–112. https://doi.org/10.5962/p.206633
- Cameron, P. (1893) Insecta. Hymenoptera. Fossores. Biologia Centrali-Americana: zoology, botany and archaeology, 2, 201. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.730
- Cameron, P. (1897) New Species of Hymenoptera from Central America. Annals and Magazine of Natural History, 19, 372. https://doi.org/10.1080/00222939708680536
- Cameron, P. (1912) On the Hymenoptera of the Georgetown Museum, British Guiana. Timehri: The journal of the Royal Agricultural and Commercial Society of British Guiana, 2, 424.
- Clusella-Trullas, S. & Nielsen, M. (2020) The evolution of insect body coloration under changing climates. Current Opinion in Insect Science, 41, 25–32. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cois.2020.05.007
- Dalla Torre, K.W. (1897) Fossores (Sphegidae). Catalogus Hymenopterorum hucusque descriptorum systematicus et synonymicus, 8, 275. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.8794
- Evans, H.E. (1966) A revision of the Mexican and Central American spider wasps of the subfamily Pompilinae (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae). Memoirs of the American Entomological Society, 20, 1–442.
- Evans, H.E. (1968) Studies on Neotropical Pompilidae (Hymenoptera) IV. Examples of Dual Sex-Limited Mimicry in Chirodamus. Psyche: A Journal of Entomology, 75, 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1155/1968/76089
- Evans, H.E. (1969) Studies on Neotropical Pompilidae (Hymenoptera) V. Austrochares Banks. Psyche: A Journal of Entomology, 76, 18–28. https://doi.org/10.1155/1969/50293
- Fabricius, J.C. (1804) Systema Piezatorum: secundum ordines, genera, species, adiectis synonymis, locis, observationibus, descriptionibus. Carolum Reichard, Brunsvigae, [Brunswick], 200 pp. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.10490
- Fiorini, R., Nunes, J., Almeida, D. & Hermes, M. (2026) Sexual association and description of the male of Braunilla nigrina (Banks, 1946) (Hymenoptera, Pompilidae, Pompilinae). Revista Brasileira de Entomologia. [submitted]
- Fernández, F., Rodriguez, J., Waichert, C., Decker, B. & Pitts, J. (2022) Twenty two years later: An updated checklist of Neotropical spider wasps (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae). Zootaxa, 5116 (4), 451–503. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5116.4.1
- Hines, H.M., Witkowski, P., Wilson, J.S. & Wakamatsu, K. (2017) Melanic variation underlies aposematic color variation in two hymenopteran mimicry systems. PLoS ONE, 12 (7), e0182135. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0182135
- Huber, J.T. (2017) Biodiversity of Hymenoptera. Insect Biodiversity, 419–461. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118945568.ch12
- Kohl, F.F. (1886) Neue Pompiliden in Den Sammlungen Des k.k. Naturhistorischen Hofmuseums. Verhandlungen Der Zoologisch-Botanischen Gesellschaft in Wien, 36, 307–346.
- Pitts, J.P., Wasbauer, M.S. & von Dohlen, C.D. (2006) Preliminary morphological analysis of relationships between the spider wasp subfamilies (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae): revisiting an old problem. Zoologica Scripta, 35, 63–84. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1463-6409.2005.00217.x
- Roig Alsina, A. (1988) Lista De Los Tipos De Pompilidae (Hymenoptera) Conservados En El Museo Argentino De Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia.” Revista Del Museo Argentino De Ciencias Naturales Bernardino Revadavia, 6, 39–56.
- Schulz, W.A. (1906) Die Hymenopteren Der Insel Creta. In: Spolia Hymenopterologica. Druck und Verlag der Junfermannschen Buchhandlung (A. Pape), Paderborn, pp. 1–356. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.59757
- Shimizu, A. (1994) Phylogeny and classification of the family Pompilidae (Hymenoptera). Tokyo Metropolitan University Bulletin of Natural History, 2, 1–142.
- Smith, F. (1866) Descriptions of new species of Brazilian Pompilidae. Journal of Entomology, 2, 263–270.
- Vardy, C.R. (2000) The New World tarantula-hawk Wasp Genus Pepsis Fabricius (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae). Part 1. Introduction and the P. rubra species-group. Zoologische Verhandelingen, 332, 1–86.
- Waichert, C., Rodriguez, J., Wasbauer, M.S., von Dohlen, C.D. & Pitts, J.P. (2015) Molecular phylogeny and systematics of spider wasps (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae): redefining subfamily boundaries and the origin of the family. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 175, 271–287. https://doi.org/10.1111/zoj.12272
- Wasbauer, M.S. & Kimsey, L.S. (1985) California Spider Wasps of the Subfamily Pompilinae. Bulletin of The California Insect Survey, 26, 1–128.
- Wasbauer, M.S. & Kimsey, L.S. (2019) Homonymy in Pompilidae: The case of Balboana Banks (Pompilinae, Priochilini). Journal of Hymenoptera Research, 74, 47–50. https://doi.org/10.3897/jhr.74.38414