PHYTODIETUS (WEISIA) QUEENSLANDICUS, A NEW SPECIES

A N N A L E S Z O O L O G I C I (Warszawa), 2010, 60(4): 553-557
PHYTODIETUS (W
WEISIA) QUEENSLANDICUS,
A NEW SPECIES FROM AUSTRALIA (HYMENOPTERA:
ICHNEUMONIDAE)
AGATA KOSTRO-AMBROZIAK
Department of Invertebrate Zoology, Institute of Biology, University of Bialystok,
ul. Świerkowa 20B, 15-950 Białystok, Poland; e-mail: ambro@uwb.edu.pl
Abstract.— A new ichneumonids species from Australia, Phytodietus (Weisia)
queenslandicus sp. nov., is described and illustrated. A key to the Australian, Ethiopian
and Oriental species of the subgenus Weisia Schmiedeknecht, 1907 is presented.
Key words.— Tryphoninae, Queensland, Australian Capital Territory, new species, key.
INTRODUCTION
According to Townes (1969), Weisia Schmiedeknecht, 1907 is a one of the four subgenera of the genus
Phytodietus Gravenhorst, 1829 belonging to the subfamily Tryphoninae. One of the main diagnostic character of this subgenus is absence of areolet of the fore
wing which is present in other Phytodietus subgenera. So far, eleven species of Phytodietus (Weisia)
have been recorded, of which three species from the
Ethiopian, one from the Neotropical, four from the
Palearctic and three from the Oriental regions (Yu and
Horstmann 1997, Kolarov 2003, Kasparyan 2007,
Kostro-Ambroziak 2007). Specimens of Weisia are
rarely collected and knowledge about many species is
limited to the original description. Only Oriental (Kaur
and Jonathan 1979) and Palearctic (Kosto-Ambroziak
2007) species of this subgenus are keyed. Gauld (1984)
mentioned an undescribed species of Weisia, from
Australia, deposited in the Natural History Museum in
London. During my visit to this collection I found two
females belonging to the subgenus Weisia of the genus
Phytodietus. Four further specimens of the same undescribed species I found in the material from collection of the Australian National Insect Collection (ANIC).
These specimens in body colour are similar to some of
the Ethiopian and Oriental species of Weisia, but it is
really new species, description of which is given below.
PL ISSN 0003-4541 © Fundacja Natura optima dux
doi: 10.3161/000345410X550409
Additionally, I provide a key to the Australian, Ethiopian and Oriental species of the subgenus Weisia.
MATERIALS
AND METHODS
Studied materials were obtained from Museums
through the courtesy of the curators indicated in parentheses:
ANIC – Australian National Insect Collection,
(CSIRO), Canberra, Australia (Dr Nicole
Fischer);
BMNH – The Natural History Museum, London, United
Kingdom (Dr Gavin Broad).
Specimens were examined with Leica S8APO dissection miscroscope. The measurements were taken
with a calibrated ocular micrometer attached to Zeiss
Stemi SV 6 stereomiscroscope. Photographs were taken using a low vacuum scanning electron miscroscope:
Hitachi S-3400N in the Museum and Institute of Zoology Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw, Poland and
Leo 1455VP in the Natural History Museum in London,
United Kingdom. Whole insect photograph was taken
using Canon 5D mark II digital camera. Drawings were
made using CorelDRAW X5 software.
The terminology of the external structures follows
Gould (1997) and terminology of wings follows Townes
(1969).
554
A. KOSTRO-AMBROZIAK
TAXONOMY
Key to the Australian, Ethiopian and Oriental
species of the subgenus Weisia Schmiedeknecht
1. Mesoscutum and propodeum black; metasomal tergites black but from second to eighth with yellow
sides; radial cell more than 0.35 times as long as
wide; epicnemial carina of mesopleuron present
(Philippines) . . . . minutus Kaur et Jonathan, 1979
–. Mesoscutum, propodeum and metasomal tergites
yellow or orange with or without black marks; radial cell less than 0.35 (usually about 0.3) times as
long as wide; epicnemial carina of mesopleuron
absent or present . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
2. Distance between first intercubitus and second
recurrent vein less than 2.4 times length of intercubitus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
–. Distance between first intercubitus and second
recurrent vein more than 2.5 (usually more than
3.0) times length of intercubitus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
3. Face distinctly punctured; face black-yellow; temple
and vertex black with slender yellow stripe around
eye (South Africa) . . . . meridionalis Benoit, 1959
–. Face weakly punctured; face and temple yellow;
vertex yellow with black median spot . . . . . . . . . . 4
4. Nervellus of hind wing broken at or a little above
the middle; hind wing with complete and distinct
veins; occipital carina present and complete; hind
tibia darkened at base and apex (India, Philippines) . . . . . . . . pitambari Kaur et Jonathan, 1979
–. Nervellus of hind wing broken below the middle or
not broken; hind wing with incomplete or nebulous
veins; occipital carina present but incomplete; hind
tibia darkened only at apex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
5. Nervellus of hind wing broken below the middle;
clypeus evenly convex and without transverse
bend; mesoscutum yellow with black figure (Madagascar) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . citrinus Seyrig, 1932
–. Nervellus of hind wing not broken; clypeus convex
and with transverse bend; mesoscutum orange,
anteriorly with not large darkened mark (The
Republic of the Congo) . . . . . . bredoi Benoit, 1959
6. Occipital carina absent; nervellus of hind wing
slightly broken below the middle; hind tibia darkened at base and apex (India) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . namkumensis Kaur et Jonathan, 1979
–. Occipital carina present, but incomplete; nervellus
of hind wing not broken; hind tibia darkened only at
apex (Australia) . . . . . . . queenslandicus sp. nov.
Phytodietus (W
Weisia) queenslandicus sp. nov.
(Figs 1–9)
Etymology. The species named after Queensland,
from where the holotype was collected.
Material examined. Holotype. Female. Australia,
Queensland, Mt. Tamborine, 21 December 1976, (I. D.
Galloway) (BMNH). 1 female, Australia, Queensland,
Kuranda. 1,100ft., 3 May–20 June 1913 (R. E. Turner)
(BMNH, 1913–438); 2 females, Australia, Queensland,
Paluma Dam, 12–13 May 1980, collected at light (I. D.
Naumann, J. C. Cardale) (ANIC); 1 female, Australia,
Queensland, 15.47S 145.17E, Moses Creek, 4 km N by E
Mt. Finnigan, 14–16 October 1980, collected at light, ex
ethanol (J. C. Cardale) (ANIC); 1 specimen (without
metasoma), Australian Capital Territory, Canberra,
1–2 April 1979, Malaise trap (C. R. Tidemann) (ANIC).
Diagnosis. Ph. queenslandicus sp. nov. in body
colour is similar to Ph. pitambari, Ph. namkumensis
and Ph. citrinus. From Ph. pitambari and Ph. namkumensis it differs by hind tibia darkened only at apex
and additionally from Ph. pitambari also by not broken nervellus and by incomplete veins of hind wing.
The new species differs from Ph. citrinus by the presence of black marks on hind coxa and propodeum,
not broken nervellus of hind wing and by difference
in distance between first intercubitus and second recurrent vein (respectively 3.5–4.1 times in Ph. queenslandicus and 1.8 times in Ph. citrinus length of first
intercubitus).
Description. Female. Body length 5.1–6.9 mm.
Head (Figs 1, 2). Face 0.65–0.71 times as long as
wide, weakly convex medially, smooth, weakly punctate and polished. Clypeus smooth, evenly convex, its
apical margin without notch in centre. Upper tooth of
mandible slightly longer than lower one. Malar space
0.50–0.56 times as long as basal width of mandible.
Occipital carina not complete, not joining hypostomal
carina. Temple behind eye narrowed and slightly
rounded. Antenna with 34–37 flagellomeres; flagellomeres 1 to 4 unspecialized, not appreciably broader than
distal.
Mesosoma (Figs 3, 4). Pronotum smooth, without
striations. Epomia absent. Mesoscutum 1.21–1.45 times
as long as wide, impunctate, smooth and polished.
Notauli absent. Whole mesopleuron impunctate,
smooth and polished; speculum without pubescence.
Epicnemial carina present but weak and short. Metapleuron smooth and polished. Submetapleural carina
complete, not expanded anteriorly into a lobe. Pleural
carina absent. Propodeum polished and smooth, without subapical crests, transverse dorsal wrinkles or longitudinal groove.
Wings (Figs 6, 7). Fore wing length 4.16–6.08 mm.
Areolet absent. Radial cell 0.25–0.29 times as long as
wide. Distance between first intercubitus and second
recurrent vein 3.54–4.14 times length of intercubitus.
Nervulus inclivous and slightly postfurcal. Second
recurrent vein with 2 bullae. Cubitus distinct beyond
recurrent vein. Hind wing length 2.5–3.9 mm. Nervellus
not broken. Discoidella absent. Brachiella very short.
PHYTODIETUS (WEISIA) QUEENSLANDICUS, A NEW SPECIES FROM AUSTRALIA
555
2
1
4
3
5
6
1 mm
1 mm
7
Figures 1–7. Phytodietus (Weisia) queenslandicus sp. nov., female. (1) Head, front view; (2) head, dorsal view; (3) mesosoma, lateral view;
(4) mesoscutum, dorsal view; (5) second and third tergites of metasoma; (6) fore wing; (7) hind wing.
556
A. KOSTRO-AMBROZIAK
8
pedicel ventrally yellow. Metasoma in general pale yellow; mesoscutum medially with wide vertical black
band; propodeum with transverse black band on basal
half. Legs in general yellow; hind coxa with black mark
dorsally, hind tibia black at apex and hind tarsus
dark brown. Metasoma pale yellow, black marks only
on sides of second and/or third tergites and medially on
fifth to seventh tergites. Wings hyaline, very faintly
brownish with pale brown veins. Ovipositor sheath
black.
Male. Unknown.
Distribution. Australia: Australian Capital Territory, Queensland.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
9
Figures 8–9. Phytodietus (Weisia) queenslandicus sp. nov., female.
(8) hind leg; (9) adult (holotype), lateral view.
Radiella beyond intercubitella very short and cubitella
beyond intercubitella absent.
Legs (Fig. 8). Hind femur 4.8–5.5 times as long as
wide. Lateral spur of hind tibia 0.58–0.63 times as long
as first metatarsus. Hind tibia with numerous strong
bristles. Hind fifth tarsal segment 0.59–0.65 times as
long as third.
Metasoma (Fig. 5). Tergites polished and smooth,
with short and sparse hairs. First metasomal tergite
1.25–1.32 times as long as posteriorly wide; evenly
tapered from apex to base. Median basal pit of first tergite moderately deep, not surrounded by carinae. Median dorsal carinae absent. Dorsolateral edge of first tergite rounded between spiracle and base. Second tergite
0.83–0.94 times as long as anteriorly wide and
0.64–0.72 times as long as posteriorly wide; with distinct gastrocoelus.
Colour (Figs 8, 9). Head pale yellow with black mark
on the top of vertex. Antenna black with scape and
Thanks to Nicole Fischer (ANIC), Gavin Broad
(BMNH), Melle Agnie’le Touret-Alby (National Museum
of Natural History, Paris, France), Eliane De Coninck
(Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren, Belgium)
and Roy Danielsson (Museum of Zoology Lund University, Lund, Sweden) for loans of the type materials, and
other specimens, of Phytodietus, and to Gavin Broad
also for hospitality during my visit to BMNH. Special
thanks to Sergey Belokobylskij for providing useful
criticism of the manuscript. Magdalena KowalewskaKozłowska, Marcin Kamiński and Lauren Howard
helped with the SEMs and Janusz Kupryjanowicz with
digital photo.
This research received support from the SYNTHESYS Project http://www.synthesys.info/ which is financed by European Community Research Infrastructure
Action under the FP6 “Structuring the European Research Area” Programme.
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PHYTODIETUS (WEISIA) QUEENSLANDICUS, A NEW SPECIES FROM AUSTRALIA
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todietus Gravenhorst, 1829 (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) from Poland. Annales Zoologici, 57(4): 823–826.
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Received: October 10, 2010
Accepted: November 20, 2010