Wushenia australiensis, Kittel, Rebecca N. & Austin, Andrew D., 2013

Kittel, Rebecca N. & Austin, Andrew D., 2013, Remarkable range extension of the previously monotypic braconid genus Wushenia Zettel (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Cheloninae), with description of a second species from Australia, Zootaxa 3694 (5), pp. 486-492 : 489-491

Wushenia australiensis sp.nov.

( Figs 5–10 )

Types. Holotype: AUSTRALIA, New South Wales: ♀ “Careel Bay, Avalon Bay, NSW, 15. Dec. 1964, D.K. McAlpine, Mangroves” (K351883) (AMS).

Paratypes: AUSTRALIA, New South Wales: 1♀, 2♂, same data as holotype (K351883) (AMS, WINC); 1♀, 1♂, Careel Bay, N. South Wales, 11. Feb. 1964, D.K. McAlpine, mangroves (K351884) (AMS); 1♀, 2♂, 1 unknown, Careel Bay, Avalon Bay, NSW, 15. Dec. 1964, D.K. McAlpine, mangroves (K351882) (AMS, WINC); 1♀, 3♂, Careel Bay, Avalon Bay, NSW, 15. Dec. 1964, D.K. McAlpine, mangroves (K351881) (AMS); 1♀, Careel Bay, N. South Wales, 11. Febr. 1964, D.K. McAlpine, mangroves (K351886) (AMS); 1♀, Careel Bay/Avalon, N. South Wales, 14. March 1963, D.K.Mc Alpine, mangroves (K351885) (AMS).

Description. Length of female body 2.95–3.4 mm, male 2.7–3.45 mm; ratio of length of antenna to body 0.8– 0.9; ratio of length of fore wing to body 0.8–0.9; ratio of metasoma to mesosoma 0.9–1.

Head. Antenna with 23 antennomeres; ratio of length of third antennomere to fourth 1.1; length of third, fourth and terminal segments to width 3.3x, 3.4x and 3.3x in female, 4x, 3.9x and 3.8x in male; ratio of width of face to height in frontal view 1.5–2; ratio of width of clypeus to height 1.5–1.9 in female, 1.7–2.2 in male; clypeus with two teeth; ratio of malar space to base of mandible 1.1; ratio of lower tooth to upper mandibular tooth 0.75; median carina on face absent; hypoclypal depression medium in size; clypeus and face finely rugose; frons and vertex rugose; hypostomal carina extending to occipital carina; ratio of length of eye in dorsal view 2–2.6 of temple; ratio of posterior ocelli:LOL:POL:OOL 1:0.7:0.8: 2.5 in females, 1:0.5:0.7: 2.1 in males.

Mesosoma. Scutellum not shiny, flat, finely rugose; notauli absent; medial area of mesoscutum finely rugose; mesopleuron punctate; sternaulus absent; propdeum rugose without visible carina; ratio of posterior spur to barsitarsus 0.5; ratio of hind tibia to hind tarsus 1; ratio of length of hind coxa, hind femur, hind tibia and hind tarsus to their width 2.3, 3.7, 4.5, 11; ratio of height of mesosoma to length 1.2; fore wing: SR1 straight; 2-SR+M postfurcal; 2-R1 absent, ratio of 1-R1 to length of pterostigma 1; ratio of width to length of pterostigma 3.5–4.7; R extending to apex of wing; ratio of r:3-SR:SR-1:r-m: 2-SR 1:1.3:10:2:5.

Metasoma. Oval in dorsal view; ratio of metasoma width to length 0.4–0.52; metasoma in lateral view flat; longitudinal keels on first tergite 0.2–0.4 of tergal length; tergites rugose; third tergite without lobes or teeth posteriorly; ratio of length of three metasomal tergits 1:0.9:1.1.

Color. Body generally orange (some specimens have darker patches on dorsal mesosoma and metasoma probably due to preservation or age), interocellar area dark, wing venation and parastigma light brown, pterostigma brown, wing surface with infuscate broad band below pterostigma.

Distribution. This species in only known from the type locality; Avalon Bay, NSW, Australia.

Biology. Although the host is unknown for this species, the type material was all collected in coastal mangroves, and so the lepidopteran host is most likely associated with feeding on mangrove trees.

Etymology. The species name refers to the first record of Wushenia from Australia.

Figures

FIGURE 5. Lateral habitus, paratype female of Wushenia australiensis sp. nov., scale line = 1 mm.

FIGURES 6 – 10. Holotype female of Wushenia australiensis sp. nov.: (6), head, anterior view, scale line = 0.5 mm, (7), head, dorsal view, scale line = 0.5 mm, (8), fore wing showing open subdiscal cell (arrowed), scale line = 1 mm, (9), mesosoma, dorsal view, scale line = 0.5 mm, (10), metasoma, dorsal view, scale line = 0.5 mm.