Pison rufigaster Pulawski, 2018

Pulawski, Wojciech J., 2018, A Revision of the Wasp Genus Pison Jurine, 1808 of Australia and New Zealand, New Guinea, and the Pacific Islands (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae), Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences 65, pp. 1-584 : 391-395

Pison rufigaster Pulawski , species nova

Figures 948 -959.

NAME DERIVATION.– Rufigaster is derived from two Latin words: rufus, red, and gaster (also Greek γ αστερ), belly, venter; with reference to the gaster color of this species; a noun in apposition to the generic name.

RECOGNITION.– Pison rufigaster has the second recurrent vein received near the middle of the second submarginal cell, black thorax and propodeum, all or largely ferruginous gaster, and ferruginous tibiae. It is most similar to P. peletieri , from which it differs in having small but not microscopic scutal punctures (punctures microscopically small in P. peletieri ), the clypeal lobe of the female prominent, with the free margin of the lamella obtusely arcuate (in the female of P. peletieri , the clypeal lobe is nonprominent, and the free margin of the lamella is truncate or nearly so), and in the male the free margin of the clypeal lamella roundly arcuate (rather than with a median point or acutely to obtusely angulate). Also similar is P. deperditum , in which the episcrobal area is ridged or rugose (punctate in P. rufigaster ) and the longitudinal ridges adjacent to the scutal posterior margin are twice as long as the ridges near the anterior margin of the scutellum (rather than about equal), and the female of P. frontale (male unknown), in which the clypeal lobe is not differentiated and the frons is conspicuously swollen above the antennal socket (in P. rufigaster , the clypeal lobe is well defined and the frons is not swollen).

DESCRIPTION.– Frons dull, minutely punctate, punctures less than one diameter apart. Distance between antennal socket and orbit slightly less than socket width in female, about equal in male. Occipital carina joining hypostomal carina. Gena narrow in dorsal view. Labrum not emarginate. Anteromedian pronotal pit round, about equal to midocellar diameter. Scutum foveate along flange, with short longitudinal ridges adjacent to posterior margin; scutal punctures fine but well defined, less than one diameter apart ( Fig. 950 ); interspaces microsculptured, dull. Tegula slightly enlarged. Mesopleural punctures slightly larger than those on scutum, nearly compressed against each other; many interspaces merging into fine ridges. Postspiracular carina present, 1.0-1.5 × as long as midocellar diameter. Metapleural sulcus not costulate between dorsal and ventral metapleural pits. Propodeum with irregular longitudinal carina separating side from dorsum and posterior surface and extending from gastral socket area toward spiracle; dorsum with conspicuous oblique ridges, in most specimens with middle carina in shallow sulcus; side ridged, punctate between ridges; posterior surface rugose dorsally, transversely ridged ventrally, with several conspicuous ridges radiating up from transverse carina just above gastropropodeal articulation. Forewing with three submarginal cells; second recurrent vein joining submarginal cell II at its midlength. Outer surface of hindtibia with evanescent spines. Punctures of tergum I about one diameter apart anterior to apical depression. Sternum II punctate throughout, punctures more than one diameter apart mesally ( Fig. 951 ).

Setae silvery, appressed on frons, thorax, and tergum I; on frons oriented ventrally on ventral half, oriented dorsally in dorsal half, radiating next to midocellus and, in addition, sparse, erect setae present on dorsal half (setae shorter than half midocellar diameter); on lower gena straight, erect, about as long as half midocellar diameter. Apical depressions of terga with ill-defined setal fasciae, fasciae silvery or golden.

Head, thorax, and propodeum black, female clypeus ferruginous next to lamella; mandible yellowish brown except narrowly black basally and dark apically; antenna ferruginous, apical flagellomeres dark in some specimens. Femora, tibiae, and tarsi ferruginous or femora partly black. Gaster ferruginous, but tergum I black (except apically in female from Warrumbungle National Park) and terga II-V with small, irregular black spots in some females from Almaden.

♀.– Upper interocular distance equal to 0.86-0.92 × lower interocular distance; ocellocular distance equal to 0.5-1.1 × hindocellar diameter, distance between hindocelli equal to 0.6-1.1 × hindocellar diameter; eye height equal to 0.98-1.00 × distance between eye notches. Clypeal lobe prominent, free margin of lamella obtusely arcuate ( Fig. 948 ). Dorsal length of flagellomere I 2.8-3.2 × apical width, of flagellomere IX 1.0-1.1 × apical width. Mandible: trimmal carina with small incision at about midlength. Length 6.0- 6.8 mm; head width 2.0- 2.2 mm.

♂.– Upper interocular distance equal to 0.98-1.0 × lower interocular distance; ocellocular distance equal to 0.8-0.9 × hindocellar diameter, distance between hindocelli equal to 0.7-1.0 × hindocellar diameter; eye height equal to 1.02 × distance between eye notches. Free margin of clypeal lamella roundly arcuate ( Fig. 949 ). Flagellomeres IV and V slightly to markedly convex

PARATYPES: AUSTRALIA: Australian Capital

Territory: Black Mountain , Dec 1982 , I.D. Naumann and J.C. Cardale (1 ♀, ANIC), 8 Jan 1988 ,

M.E. Irwin (1 ♂, UCD). New South Wales: Coolbaggie Forest Reserve 10 km E Eumungerie at

31°58.5ʹS 148°40.5ʹE, 27 Dec 2011, V. Ahrens and

W.J. Pulawski (1 ♀, CAS); 1 km W Eumungerie at

31°56.7ʹS 148°36.9ʹE, 24 Dec 2011, V. Ahrens and

W.J. Pulawski (1 ♂, CAS); Warrensburg National

Park, 20 Dec 1987, M.E. Irwin (2 ♀, UCD); Warrumbungle National Park at 31°16.9ʹS 148°59.1ʹE ,

V. Ahrens and W.J. Pulawski, 16 Dec 2009 (1 ♂,

CAS) and 17 Dec 2009 (1 ♀, CAS); Warrumbungle

National Park at 31°16ʹS 148°57ʹE, 17 Dec 1995,

M.E. Irwin (1 ♀, MNKB). Northern Territory: FIGURE 959. Collecting localities of Pison rufigaster Alawa , a northwestern suburb of Darwin , Sept 1997, Pulawski, sp. nov .

G.R. Brown (1 ♂, NTM) ; 33 km SSE Alice Springs at 24°01ʹS 134°01ʹE, 7 Nov 1979, I.D. Naumann (1 ♂, ANIC) ; Nangaloar: Nourlangie Rock in Kakadu National Park , 19 Nov 1979, I.D. Naumann (1 ♀, ANIC) . Queensland: Almaden, W.D. Campbell, Aug-Sept 1927 (1 ♀, AMS) , 10 Oct 1927 (2 ♀ reared from nests, AMS) , and Oct-Nov 1927 (10 ♀, AMS) ; 4 km NE Batavia Downs at 12°39ʹS 142°42ʹE, 22 Aug – 16 Sept 1992, P. Zborowski and L. Miller (1 ♂, ANIC) ; 3 km W Batavia Downs at 12°40ʹS 142°39ʹE, 18 June – 22 July 1992, P. Zborowski and S.E. Nielsen (1 ♂, ANIC) , 23 Aug – 16 Sept 1992, P. Zborowski and L. Miller (2 ♀, ANIC) , 16 Sept – 24 Oct 1992, P. Zborowski and T. Weir (1 ♂, ANIC) ; Bluff Range near Biggenden , 7-19 Aug 1971, H. Frauca (1 ♀, ANIC) ; Brisbane- Indooroopilly , Dec 1976, Z. Bouček (1 ♀, BMNH) ; Cedar Park at 16°49ʹ03ʺS 145°38ʹ05ʺE, 21 Jan 2002, J. Carpenter and A. Davidson (1 ♂, AMNH) ; Coen at 13°57ʹS 143°12ʹE, 20 Oct – 16 Nov 1993, P. Zborowski and M. Horak (2 ♀, 1 ♂, ANIC) , 16 Nov – 17 Dec 1993, P. Zborowski (5 ♀, ANIC) , 17 Dec 1993 – 13 Jan 1994, P. Zborowski and E.D. Edwards (1 ♀, ANIC) ; 39 km NE Dalby at 26°59.6ʹS 151°33.4ʹE, 3 Dec 2012, V. Ahrens and W.J. Pulawski (1 ♀, CAS) ; 9 km S Dingo Beach at 20°05.5ʹS 148°30.2ʹE, 12 Nov 2012, V. Ahrens and W.J. Pulawski (3 ♀, CAS) ; Edungalba , 1 Jan 1987, H. and A. Howden (1 ♂, ANIC) ; Fletcher Creek 43 km NW Charters Towers at 19°48.9ʹS 146°03.3ʹE, 20 Nov 2012, V. Ahrens and W.J. Pulawski (1 ♂, CAS) ; Hann River at 15°11ʹS 143°52ʹE, 17 Aug – 15 Sept 1993, P. Zborowski and S. Shattuck (2 ♀, 1 ♂, ANIC) , 20 Oct – 17 Nov 1993, P. Zborowski and M. Horak (1 ♀, ANIC) ; Maryborough at 25°32ʹS 152°44ʹE, 19 Oct 1998, R.W. Matthews (1 ♂, ANIC) ; 41 km E Moonie , 20 Dec 1976, E.M. Exley and T. Low (1 ♂, QMB) ; Pendland at 20°31.0ʹS 145°24.2ʹE, 18 Nov 2012, V. Ahrens and W.J. Pulawski (1 ♂, CAS) ; 2 km N Rokeby at 13°39ʹS 142°40ʹE, 13 Sept – 26 Oct 1993, P. Zborowski and D. Rentz (2 ♂, ANIC) , 26 Oct – 16 Nov 1993, P. Zborowski and M. Horak (2 ♀, 1 ♂, ANIC) , 16 Nov – 17 Dec 1993, P. Zborowski (8 ♀, ANIC) ; Split Rock 14 km SE Laura at 15°39ʹS 144°31ʹE, 24 June – 29 July 1992, P. Zborowski and E.S. Nielsen (13 ♀, 2 ♂, ANIC) , 24 Aug – 21 Sept 1992, P. Zborowski and L. Miller (11 ♀, 10 ♂, ANIC) , 30 Oct – 24 Nov 1992, P. Zborowski and A. Calder (6 ♀, ANIC; 5 ♂, CAS), 27 Apr – 28 May 1993, P. Zborowski and A. Roach (2 ♀, 1 ♂, ANIC) , 28 May – 26 June 1993, P. Zborowski and I.D. Naumann (2 ♀, 3 ♂, ANIC) , 26 June – 16 July 1993, K. Halfpapp and S. De Faveri (1 ♀, 1 ♂, ANIC) , 16 July – 18 Aug 1993, P. Zborowski and J. Balderson (1 ♂, ANIC) , 18 Aug – 16 Sept 1993, P. Zborowski and S. Shattuck (6 ♀, 1 ♂, ANIC) , 16 Sept – 19 Oct 1993, P. Zborowski and D. Rentz (5 ♀, ANIC; 5 ♂, CAS), 19 Oct – 18 Nov 1993, P. Zborowski and M. Horak (3 ♀, ANIC) , 18 Nov – 18 Dec 1993, P. Zborowski (5 ♀, 2 ♂, ANIC) , 18 Dec 1993 – 17 Jan 1994, P. Zborowski and E.D. Edwards (4 ♀, 4 ♂, ANIC) ; Split Rock 14 km SE Laura at 15°39ʹS 142°42ʹE, 21-26 June 1975, S.R. Monteith (1 ♂, ANIC) and 29 June – 24 Aug 1992, P. Zborowski and J.C. Cardale (18 ♀, 4 ♂, ANIC; 10 ♀, CAS) ; Taroom at 25°39ʹS 149°48ʹE, 9 Oct 1984, I.D. Naumann and J.C. Cardale (1 ♂, ANIC) ; 13 km SE Weipa at 12°40ʹS 143°00ʹE, 24 Oct – 15 Nov 1993, P. Zborowski and M. Horak (1 ♀, ANIC) , and 15 Nov – 16 Dec 1993, P. Zborowski (1 ♀, ANIC) ; no specific locality or date, Gilbert Turner (1 ♀, BMNH) .

Figures

FIGURES 948-952. Pison rufigaster Pulawski, sp. nov. (948) Clypeus and mandibles of holotype female; (949) Male clypeus and mandibles; (950) Female tegula and adja- cent scutum; (951) Female sternum II; (952) Basal flagel- lomeres of male.