Pristomerus flavicephalus, Klopfstein, Seraina, 2016

Klopfstein, Seraina, 2016, Revising Australian Pristomerus (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae, Cremastinae): species with a tooth on the hind femur, Zootaxa 4168 (2), pp. 201-238 : 214

Pristomerus flavicephalus n. sp.

Figures 10 , 26

Etymology. This species' name refers to its conspicuously yellow head.

Description. Fore wing length 8.0– 8.5 mm (holotype: 8.5 mm). Antenna with 38 flagellomeres. Mesoscutum with only a few punctures along front margin and sometimes along notauli. Scutellum without or with very few indistinct punctures, smooth in-between. Mesopleuron with strong and rather dense punctures, smooth in-between; below subtegular ridge smooth and with or without puncture, without parallel, diagonal carinulae. Metapleuron with juxacoxal carina absent or at most a short basal carina. Propodeal areas smooth with strong punctures. Hind coxa smooth and shining between strong punctures. Hind femur length to width ratio 3.2–3.3 (3.2) in both sexes, ventrally with a large tooth that is longer than width of hind tibia at mid length, and adjacent smaller teeth. Hind tibia 2.5–2.6 mm. Second tergite 1.6–1.7 (1.6) × longer than wide at base, smooth and shining. Ovipositor 2.1 × as long as hind tibia.

Colouration. Antenna uniformly brown. Head entirely yellow. Mesosoma dark brown, lighter on propleuron and with propodeum orange. Hind femur black or very dark brown, with apex yellow. Hind tibia yellow on the outer side, dark on the ventral side and at base and apex. Fore wing strongly infuscate, smoky-brown. Tergite 1 entirely orange or orange at base, black or brown on remainder, tergite 2 from orange at base to entirely black, tergites 3 onwards black or brown with wide, light apical bands that are often laterally interrupted by dark round mark.

Notes. This species is similar to P. bi c i n c t u s, but the very conspicuous colouration of the head and hind tibia and the somewhat larger size support that it is a separate species.

Material examined. Holotype ♀: Label data: 'Westwood. Q; 22.II.23; A. N. Burns' / 'Collection; A. N. Burns'; at NMV.

Paratypes: QLD—St George; 13.x.1954, leg. T.A.K.; 1 ♀ and 1 Ƌ, at BMNH.

Figures

FIGURE 10. Holotype of Pristomerus flavicephalus sp. nov. A. Habitus and ovipositor tip. B. Face. C. Mesoscutum and head from above. D. Head and mesosoma from lateral. E. Propodeum. F. Metasoma. Scale bars represent 1 mm (A) and 0.5 mm (B, C, D, E, F).

FIGURE 26. Distribution maps for the species covered in this work, with the exception of P. atrifemur Girault for which only specimens of uncertain identification or with vague locality data were available.