Pison laeviventer 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 : 247-249

Pison laeviventer Pulawski , species nova

Figures 571 -573.

NAME DERIVATION.– Laeviventer is derived from two Latin words: laevis, meaning smooth, and venter meaning belly, stomach, a noun in apposition; with reference to the largely impunctate sterna.

RECOGNITION.– Pison laeviventer has three submarginal cells and the setae appressed on tergum I. It is characterized by the absence of the longitudinal carina separating the propodeal side from the dorsum and the posterior face, in combination with a black gaster and ferruginous tibiae and tarsi. Several species are similar, but P. laeviventer differs from all of them in having only a few, sparse punctures on sterna II-IV (except sternum II laterally), rather than sterna densely punctate. The posterior propodeal surface punctate throughout is a subsidiary recognition feature. These characters presumably allow recognition of the unknown male.

DESCRIPTION.– Frons dull, finely punctate, punctures less than one diameter apart. Labrum not emarginate. Anteromedian pronotal pit roundly elongate, about as long as ⅔ × midocellar diameter. Scutum minutely foveate or not foveate along flange, without longitudinal ridges adjacent to posterior margin; scutal punctures well defined, averaging less than one diameter apart; interspaces unsculptured. Tegula not enlarged, its apical margin acutely angulate. Mesopleural punctures larger than those on scutum, at center averaging about one diameter apart; interspaces slightly microsculptured. Postspiracular carina absent. Metapleural sulcus costulate between dorsal and ventral metapleural pits. Propodeum without longitudinal carina separating side from dorsum and posterior surface and extending from gastral socket area toward spiracle; dorsum, side and posterior surface punctate (punctures less than one diameter apart), posterior surface rugose ventrally. Forewing with three submarginal cells; second recurrent vein joining submarginal cell III. Posteroventral forefemoral surface with relatively large punctures, some of which are up to 2-3 diameters apart. Hindcoxal dorsum with outer margin sharply carinate in distal half. Punctures of tergum I well defined, averaging less than one diameter apart on horizontal part anterior to apical depression. Sterna II-IV aciculate, with a few, sparse punctures (except punctures dense on sternum II next to lateral margin).

Setae silvery in most specimens examined, but golden on frons, pronotum scutum, and propodeal dorsum in female from Carnarvon National Park, Queensland; on frons short, mainly appressed (but some setae on upper frons erect, about half as long as midocellar diameter), appressed on postocellar area, scutum, and tergum I; not concealing integument on clypeus; on lower gena suberect to subappressed, either sinuous or curved apically, about as long as midocellar diameter. Apical depressions of terga I-IV with silvery or golden, setal fasciae.

Head, thorax, propodeum, gaster, and femora black, mandible dark reddish apically. Tibiae and tarsi ferruginous.

♀ ( Fig. 572 ).– Upper interocular distance equal to 0.74-0.76 × lower interocular distance; ocellocular distance equal to 1.1-1.2 × hindocellar diameter, distance between hindocelli equal to 0.9-1.1 × hindocellar diameter; eye height equal to 1.00 × distance between eye notches.

Free margin of clypeal lamella rounded ( Fig.

571); lamella divided laterally by transverse sulcus into upper and lower part. Dorsal length of flagellomere I 2.8-2.9 × apical width, of flagellomere IX 1.5-1.6 × apical width. Mandible:

trimmal carina with small incision at about midlength. Length 9.6-12.7 mm; head width

2.6-3.2 mm.

♂.– Unknown.

GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION (Fig. 573).–

New South Wales, Queensland. FIGURE 573. Collecting localities of Pison laeviventer Pulawski , sp. nov.

RECORDS.– HOLOTYPE: ♀, AUSTRALIA: New South Wales: Warrumbungle National Park at 31°16.9ʹS 149°04.8ʹE, 2 Jan 2012 V. Ahrens and W.J. Pulawski ( AMS).

PARATYPES: AUSTRALIA: no other data (1 ♀, SAM) . New South Wales Warrumbungle National Park at 31°16.9ʹS 148°59.1ʹE, 31 Dec 2011, V. Ahrens and W.J. Pulawski (1 ♀, CAS) ; Wollemi National Park (northern edge) at 32°23.4ʹS 150°24.8ʹE, 7 Jan 2012, V. Ahrens and W.J. Pulawski (1 ♀, CAS) . Queensland: Carnarvon National Park at 25°03.6ˈS 148°14.1ˈE, 1 Dec 2012, V. Ahrens and W.J. Pulawski (1 ♀, CAS) .

Figures

FIGURES 571-572. Pison laeviventer Pulawski, sp. nov., female. (571) Clypeus and mandibles; (572) Body in dorsal view.