Kiwigaster variabilis, Fernandez-Triana and Ward, 2011

Fernandez-Triana, J. L., Ward, D. F. & Whitfield, J. B., 2011, Kiwigaster gen. nov. (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) from New Zealand: the first Microgastrinae with sexual dimorphism in number of antennal segments, Zootaxa 2932 (1), pp. 24-32 : 26-30

Kiwigaster variabilis, Fernandez-Triana and Ward , sp. nov.

( Figs. 1–9 )

Type locality. NEW ZEALAND: Mataraua Forest, Waoku Coach Road, 400 m, ND.

Type material. Holotype. Female ( NZAC), with labels as follows. First label: NEW ZEALAND ( ND): Mataraua Forest, Waoku Coach Road, 400 m, 9.ii.1995, Broad leaf forest, L. LeSage NZ-20. Second label: WAM 0515.

Paratypes. 1 ♂ ( NZAC). AK. Waitakere Ra. Jan 1981. J Noyes. NZAC04045383 . 1 ♂ ( NZAC). BP. Waenga Bush. Dec 1992 - Jan 1993. RC Henderson. Malaise trap. NZAC04045338 . 1 ♂ ( NZAC). BP. Waenga Bush. 20/10- 24/11/1992. G Hall. Malaise trap. NZAC04044311 . 1 ♂ ( NZAC). BP. Waenga , Lottin Pt Rd. 27/1/1993. RC Henderson. Litter. NZAC04044327 . 1 ♀ ( NZAC). BR. L. Rotoiti. 600m . Jan 1981. F Dodge. Malaise trap edge of Nothofagus forest. NZAC04044307 . 1 ♀ ( AMNZ). BP. Orete Forest , Te Puia Hut, 240 m . Jan-1993. JW Early. Screen sweep Podocarp /broadleaf forest. AMNZ71864 . 1 ♂ ( AMNZ). BP. Te Koau, track to Hovells Watching Dog. 240 m . Jan-1993. JW. Early. Screen sweep puriri-nikau-tawaroa forest. AMNZ71865 . 3 ♀ ( AMNZ). CL. Cuvier I, West ridge/lookout tk., 180 m . Mar-Apr 2000. JW Early & RF Gilbert. Malaise trap, forest. AMNZ71861 , AMNZ71862 , AMNZ71863 . 4 ♀ ( AMNZ). CL. Great Barrier I, Little Windy Hill, 220 m . Feb–Mar 2002, Dec 2002 – Jan 2003. P. Sutton. Forest edge, Malaise Trap. AMNZ71857 , AMNZ71858 , AMNZ71859 , AMNZ71860 . 1 ♂ ( NZAC). GB. Taikawakawa. 18/3-1/5 1993. G Hall. Malaise trap. NZAC04045049 . 1 ♂ ( NZAC). MC. Banks Peninsula , Prices Valley. Oct 1980. RP Macfarlane. Malaise trap edge of native bush. NZAC04044137 . 2 ♂ ( NZAC). MC. Banks Peninsula , Prices Valley. Nov 1980. RP Macfarlane. Malaise trap edge of native bush. NZAC04045267 , NZAC04045223 . 1 ♂ ( NZAC). MC. Banks Peninsula , Prices Valley. Apr 1981. RP Macfarlane. Malaise trap edge of native bush. NZAC04045342 . 4 ♂ ( NZAC). MC. Banks Peninsula , Prices Valley. Nov 1980. RP Macfarlane. Malaise trap edge of native bush. NZAC04044973 , NZAC04045113 , NZAC04045130 , NZAC04044277 . 1 ♂ ( NZAC). MC. Banks Peninsula , Prices Valley. Feb 1981. RP Macfarlane. Malaise trap edge of native bush. NZAC04045055 . 2 ♀, 1 ♂ ( LUNZ). MC. Kaituna Valley Scen. Res. 17/02/1979. JW Early. Sweeping Melicytus understory . 1 ♂ ( LUNZ). NC. Lees V. 550m . 20/01/1984. CA Muir. Sweeping vegetation in Nothofagus solanderi forest. 1 ♀ ( CNC). ND. Mataraua For. , Waoku Coach Rd. 400m . Mid Feb 1993. L LeSage. in a broadleaf forest. WAM 0514, WAM 0515 . 2 ♀ ( AMNZ). ND. Waima Forest , Hauturu track, 220 m . Mar-1993. JW Early. Screen sweep kauri-broadleaf-nikau forest. AMNZ71855 , AMNZ71856 . 1 ♂ ( CNC). NN. Hardwoods Hole. Mid Feb 1993. L LeSage. in Nothofagus forest. GOU 0410 . 1 ♂ ( NZAC). NN. Nelson. 8/6/1927. ES Gourlay. NZAC04045284 . 1 ♂ ( NZAC). NN. Nelson , Farewell Spit Rd. 12/1/1966. AK Walker. Beating. NZAC04044449 . 1 ♂ ( NZAC). SD. Shakespeare Bay . 21/2/1973. J McBurney. Litter. NZAC04044374 . 1 ♀ ( INHS). TK. Mt Messenger. mid Dec 1983. L Masner. WAM 0319 . 1 ♂ ( NZAC). TO. Kaimanawa Forest . 31/1/1971. HA Oliver. Malaise trap in Nothofagus forest. NZAC04044466 .

Diagnosis. This is the only known species of Kiwigaster .

Description. Female. Antenna length 2.3 mm (2.0– 2.7 mm), body length 2.6 mm (2.3– 2.8 mm), forewing 2.4 mm (2.2–3.0 mm).

Head. Glossa truncate and short, maxillary palps reaching half the length of mesosoma ( Fig. 9). Face with shallow, sparse punctures, and long, sparse, uniformly distributed setae. Face width at antennal base/face width at clypeus edge: 1.1X; intertentorial pit distance/face width at clypeus edge: 0.4X; compound eye height/head height: 0.7X; head height/width: 0.8X; face width at antennal base/head maximum width: 0.5X; malar space/basal width of mandible 0.7X. Clypeus semicircular in shape, its width/height: 2.0X. Anterior tentorial pits enlarged ( Fig. 1 ), 0.25X as large as clypeus width, 0.5X as large as mandibular width at base and 0.8X as large as malar space. Length/width of flagellomeres: 1st (3.2X), 2nd (3.3X), 8th (2.9X), 14th (1.6X), 15th (1.4X). Length of flagellomere 2/flagellomere 14: 2.2X. Ocello-ocular distance/posterior ocelli diameter: 1.8X; distance between posterior ocelli/ocelli diameter: 1.0X.

Mesosoma. Pronotum laterally with only the lower furrow, which is centrally located and only reaching half the length of pronotum ( Fig. 2 ). Mesoscutum 1.1X wider than long, mostly smooth, and covered by sparse, long setae. Mesoscutum with notauli well defined by deep sulcus that are 0.8–1.0X the mesoscutum length and run from the anterior edge of mesoscutum to the scuto-scutellar sulcus, meeting at the end ( Fig. 3 ). Notaular sulci with crossing costulae along their entire length. Scutellum smooth and covered by sparse, long setae. Scutellum length/width at base 1.2X. Scutellar suture as broad as notaular width, deep and with 12 costulae. Posterior band of scutellum polished but interrupted apico-medially by a costula. Scutellar lateral face with smooth and polished area occupying 0.9X or more of the face height, above the smooth area with a barely visible (or not visible at all) small striated area ( Fig. 4 ). Metanotum with anterior margin straight and closely appressed beneath posterior margin of scutellum, without exposing phragma. Mesopleuron smooth, polished and mostly glabrous (setae mostly on the anterodorsal and postero-ventral edges of mesopleura); thin, crenulate sulcus separating meso and metapleura. Metapleuron smooth, polished and mostly glabrous, with setae concentrated on the posterior half; metapleuron with a short, crenulate, longitudinal sulcus running from lower margin near metacoxa through spiracle. Metapleural carina with a relatively wide lamella. Propodeum largely smooth and polished, with some striated sculpture mostly on the apical half; propodeal areola well defined by carinae, sometimes with the anterior carinae only partially present – leaving the areola more or less open anteriorly ( Figs 4 , 5, 8 ).

Wings. Fore wing vein R1a 1.2X as long as stigma length; length of R1a 8.0–10X as long as the distance between its end and the end of 3RSb. Vein r 0.5–0.6X the maximum width of stigma; areolet ( Figs. 6 , 9) large, quadrangular, its height subequal to that of stigma and 1.7X the length of vein r; areolet width half the stigma length; vein 2M 6.0X (5.0–7.0X) as long as vein (RS+M)b. Vannal lobe of hindwing ( Fig. 6 ) small and narrow, margin straight centrally and with uniformly long setae which are as long as the vannal lobe width.

Legs. Metacoxae small, twice as large as the mesocoxae (always less than 3X) and shorter than first metasomal tergite ( Fig. 8 ). Metafemur 4.5X (4.0–5.0X) as long as wide. Metatibial spurs of equal size, their length 0.2X or slightly less than the length of metatarsomere 1 ( Figs 7, 8 ).

Metasoma. Mediotergite 1 parallel sided and elongate; basal width/apical width 1.0X; length/apical width 3.0X (3.0–3.5X); mediotergite 1 with small, smooth, basal depression; apical 3/4 with longitudinally striated sculpture ( Fig. 8 ). Mediotergite 2 transverse, trapezoidal (subtriangular) in shape; basal width/apical width 0.3X (0.3X– 0.4X); length/apical width 0.3X (0.2–0.3X); mediotergite 2 with longitudinal striae on most of its surface, sometimes with smooth posterior margin ( Figure 8 ). Mediotergite 3 about twice the length of mediotergite 2. Mediotergite 3 and following unsculptured, polished and uniformly covered by sparse setae. Hypopygium with acute tip slightly protruding beyond apical tergites; hypopygium mostly sclerotized and inflexible, but folded in the ventral 1/3 along the middle line, setting off a more translucent and flexible area. Ovipositor evenly curved downwards ( Fig. 9). Ovipositor sheaths fully setose, 1.0X (0.9–1.1X) as long as metatibia length.

Colour. Most of head, scape, pedicel and mesosoma light brown; medio tergites 1–2 and flagellomere mostly dark brown; face, propleuron, pronoto, part of mesoscutum, most of the latero tergites and sternites yellow; legs mostly bright yellowish-white; maxillary and labial palps white; ovipositor sheaths, forewing stigma and most of the wing veins light brown (ovipositor sheaths sometimes with dark spot apically).

Males. Similar to females.

Variation. The general colour pattern of head and mesosoma varies from mostly orange to light brown to dark brown, in all cases with yellow marks that vary in extension. Darker specimens tend to have a yellow spot near the genae contrasting with the rest of head which is mostly brown. There is variation in body size, fore wing length, and length of the notauli sulci. The anterior carinae bounding the propodeal areola are sometimes present or partially absent, giving the areola a variable degree of openness anteriorly. The described variation is sometimes present in specimens of the same locality, and we have not found consistent evidence to consider them as different species.

Biology/hosts. Unknown.

Distribution. Widely distributed in New Zealand ( Fig. 10). Records cover most of the North Island (except for its southern tip), as well as the northern half of the South Island. The lack of records in the lower North Island (and perhaps also in the lower half of the South Island) most likely represent under-collecting in those areas rather than true absence.

Etymology. The name refers to the variable number of antennal segments in males and females, as well as other variable characters (e.g. coloration of specimens, extension of the notauli sulci and propodeal carinae).

Figures

FIGURES 1–4. Kiwigaster variabilis. Figure 1: Head, frontal. Arrow shows anterior tentorial pit. Figure 2: Head and pronotum, lateral. Arrow shows lower pronotal furrow. Figure 3: Mesoscutum, dorsal. Arrow shows beginning of the notauli. Figure 4: Mesosoma, dorso-lateral. Arrow shows lateral face of scutellum.

FIGURES 5–8. Kiwigaster variabilis. Figure 5: Partial mesosoma and base of hind wing, dorso-lateral, Arrow shows vannal lobe. Figure 6: Fore wing, dorsal. Figure 7: Partial metatibia and two first segments of metatarsus, dorso-lateral. Arrow shows metatibial inner spur. Figure 8: Meso and metasoma, dorsal. Arrows show metacoxa and metatibial spur.