Pison novaecambriae 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 : 300-303

Pison novaecambriae Pulawski , species nova

Figures 708 -715.

NAME DERIVATION.– Novaecambriae, a genitive of Nova Cambria, Latin for New Wales, an abbreviation for New South Wales, a noun of the Latin first declension.

RECOGNITION. – The female of Pison novaecambriae resembles those of P. auratum , P. perplexum , and P. vestitum in having the clypeal middle lobe slightly concave just above the lamella. Unlike P. auratum , it has the setae of the frons and clypeus silvery (rather than golden), the flagellum black (rather than flagellomere I to I-V yellowish reddish), and the gaster all black, and the apical depressions on terga (except tergum I) with silvery fasciae with golden tinge (rather than tergum I being ferruginous and/or the setae of tergum II being all black). It differs from P. vestitum in having the setae of tergum I appressed (rather than erect), those of the lower gena straight, curved apically (rather than sinuous), and the clypeal lamella narrower, with corners closer to each other than to the eye margin or equidistant (rather than closer to the eye margin than to each other). It differs from P. perplexum as follows: the propodeum has a longitudinal carina extending from the gastral socket area toward the spiracle and the dorsum is predominantly punctate, the transverse ridges of the propodeal posterior surface do not extend onto the propodeal side, the wing membrane is only slightly infumate, the tibiae are ferruginous, and the apical depressions of terga III-V are brown. In P. perplexum , the propodeum has no longitudinal carina extending from the gastral sock- et area toward the spiracle and the dorsum is irregularly ridged, the transverse ridges of the posterior propodeal surface extend onto the posteroventral part of the side, the wing membrane is conspicuously infumate, the tibiae are all black, and the apical depressions of terga III-V are black.

The male of Pison novaecambriae lacks any prominent distinctive feature and can be recognized only by a combination of a long suite of characters. It has the setae of the lower gena straight (curved apically), the flagellum cylindrical, without tyloids, dorsal length of flagellomere I 2.9-3.0 × apical width, the free margin of the clypeal lamella acutely angulate, mandible simple apically, the punctures of the mesopleuron and propodeal dorsum less than one diameter apart, tergum VII at most with a rudimentary median carina apically, its apical margin not emarginate or slightly emarginate, sterna II-VI evenly punctate, without any particular features, sternum VIII conspicuously emarginate apically but otherwise without any special characters (flat, punctate), and tibiae and tarsi ferruginous. It differs from Pison marginatum in having the punctures of the metapleuron about as large as those of the adjacent part of the propodeum (markedly smaller than those of the propodeum in P. marginatum ).

The male of P. novaecambriae is strikingly similar to P. vestitum . They differ mainly by the setae of tergum I, appressed in the former and erect in the latter. In certain P. novaecambriae the setae are subappressed on the sides of tergum I, approaching the condition found in P. vestitum . In P. vestitum , however, the setae of the lower gena are sinuous, not straight and curved apically, as they are in P. novaecambriae .

DESCRIPTION.– Frons dull, finely punctate, punctures less than one diameter apart. Occipital carina expanded, joining hypostomal carina. Labrum not emarginate. Anteromedian pronotal pit transversely elongate, about as long as midocellar diameter. Propleuron sparsely punctate anteriorly. Scutum not foveate along flange, without short longitudinal ridges adjacent to posterior margin; scutal punctures of medium size, less than one diameter apart; interspaces microsculptured. Tegula enlarged. Mesopleural punctures about as large as those on scutum, less than one diameter apart. Postspiracular carina absent. Metapleural sulcus 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 punctate, punctures less than one diameter apart ( Fig. 710 ), many interspaces merging into minute, inconspicuous ridges; side punctate, interspaces merging into minute ridges; posterior surface coarsely ridged, punctate between ridges. Posteroventral forefemoral surface finely punctate, punctures more than one diameter apart. Hindcoxal dorsum with outer margin sharply carinate. Punctures of tergum I one diameter apart or less on horizontal area. Sternum II densely punctate throughout.

Setae silvery; erect on upper frons and also forming patch of appressed, laterally oriented setae on each side beneath midocellus; erect on scutum but considerably inclined in some males (scutal length varying from about 0.5 midocellar diameter in most specimens to slightly more than one midocellar diameter in some males); on lower gena straight, curved apically, subappressed to suberect, up to 1.5 × as long as midocellar diameter; not concealing integument on clypeus in and tarsi ferruginous. Gaster black, apical depressions of terga brown, tergum I partly ferruginous in some females.

♀.– Upper interocular distance equal to 0.66-0.70 × lower interocular distance; ocellocular distance equal to 0.9 × hindocellar diameter, distance between hindocelli equal to 0.9 × hindocellar diameter; eye height equal to 0.92-0.94 × distance between eye notches. Free margin of clypeal lamella obtusely angulate ( Fig. 708 ); clypeal surface slightly concave just above lamella. Dorsal length of flagellomere I 2.8-2.9 × apical width, of flagellomere IX 1.4-1.5 × apical width. Mandible: trimmal carina with small incision at about two thirds of length; acetabular carina, in some specimens, with two rows of punctures. Tergum VI elongate ( Fig. 711 ), narrowly rounded apically, in some specimens with well-defined median carina. Length 10.5-14.2 mm; head width 2.8-3.4 mm.

♂.– Upper interocular distance equal to 0.70-82 × lower interocular distance; ocellocular distance equal to 1.0-1.3 × hindocellar diameter, distance between hindocelli equal to 1.1-1.3 × hindocellar diameter; eye height equal to 0.88-0.92 × distance between eye notches. Free margin of clypeal lamella sharply angulate ( Fig. 709 ). Dorsal length of flagellomere I 2.9-3.0 × apical width, of flagellomere X 1.3 × apical width. Sternum VIII conspicuously emarginate apically ( Fig. 712 ). Genitalia: Figs. 713, 714 . Length 8.1-10.3 mm; head width 2.2-3.0 mm.

GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION (Fig.715).– Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales.

RECORDS.– HOLOTYPE: ♀, AUSTRALIA: Australian Capital Territory: Canberra, 23 Dec 1979, E.McC. Callan ( ANIC).

PARATYPES: AUSTRALIA: Australian Capital Territory: Black Mountain , 1 Apr and 9 June 1970, J.C. Cardale (2 ♀, ANIC) ; Canberra, E. McC. Callan , 12 Dec 1979 (1 ♀, 1 ♂, ANIC) , 23 Dec 1979 (1 ♀, 1 ♂,

ANIC), 17 Jan 1980 (1 ♂, ANIC), 29 Jan 1980 (1 ♀,

ANIC), 4 Feb 1980 (1 ♀, ANIC), 2 Mar 1980 (1 ♂,

ANIC), 10 Nov 1980 (1 ♀, ANIC), 26 Nov 1980

(1 ♂, ANIC), and 22 Dec 1980 (1 ♀, ANIC). New

South Wales: Gilgandra Flora Reserve at 31°39.7ʹS

148°46.3ʹE, 30 Dec 2011, V. Ahrens and W.J.

Pulawski (1 ♀, CAS); Wahroonga, northern suburb of Sydney, 24 Nov 1975, A. Musgrave (1 ♂, AMS) ;

Warrumbungle National Park at 31°16.9ʹS

148°59.1ʹE, V. Ahrens and W.J. Pulawski, 16 Dec

2009 (1 ♀, 1 ♂, CAS), 17 Dec 2009 (3 ♀, 2 ♂,

CAS), 21 Dec 2009 (1 ♂, CAS), 22 Dec 2009 (1 ♀,

CAS), and 24 Dec 2009 (2 ♂, CAS); Wollemi

National Park (northern edge) at 32°23.4ʹS

150°24.8ʹE, V. Ahrens and W.J. Pulawski, 7 Jan FIGURE 715. Collecting localities of Pison novaecam- 2012 (7 ♀, 2 ♂, CAS) and 8 Jan 2012 (3 ♀, CAS). briae Pulawski, sp. nov .

Figures

FIGURES 708-711. Pison novaecambriae Pulawski, sp. nov. (708) Female clypeus and mandibles; (709) Male clypeus and mandibles; (710) Propodeal dorsum of female; (711) Female tergum VI.

FIGURES 712-714. Pison novaecambriae Pulawski, sp. nov., male. (712) Sternum VIII (ventral surface); (713) Genitalia in dorsal view; (714) Genitalia in lateral view.