Pison icarioides Turner

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 : 224-228

Pison icarioides Turner

Figures 508 -522.

Pison icarioides Turner, 1908:521 , ♀. Lectotype: ♀, Australia: Queensland: Mackay (BMNH), present designation, examined. – Turner, 1916b:595 (in key to Australian Pison ), 599 (subgeneric placement, recognition characters); Menke, 1968a:3 (has a semipetiolate gaster); R. Bohart and Menke, 1976:337 (in checklist of world Sphecidae ); Cardale, 1985:263 (in catalog of Australian Sphecidae ); Naumann, 1993:184 ( Australia: Queensland: Heathlands area in Cape York).

LECTOTYPE DESIGNATION.– Turner (1908) did not indicate the number of specimens studied, but two females are present in The Natural History Museum, London. I have selected as lectotype the one bearing the label in Turner’s handwriting “ Pison (Aulacophilus) icarioides Turner , Type”, and the other one as a paralectotype.

RECOGNITION. – Pison icarioides has only two submarginal cells, and the second is unique: it is either shortly petiolate ( Fig. 515 ) or its anterior margin is unusually narrow ( Fig. 514 ), equal to about 0.06-0.25 × length of posterior margin. Also unique is elongate tergum I (length about 1.4 apical width), markedly elevated above the apical depression ( Fig. 517 ); also, the setae of the propodeum are fully appressed, completely concealing the integument on the posterior surface ( Fig. 512 ) as well as on the apical half of tergum I ( Fig. 516 ).

DESCRIPTION.– Frons dull, minutely punctate, punctures less than one diameter apart. Occipital carina expanded subdorsally and dorsally, joining hypostomal carina. Labrum not emarginate. Anteromedian pronotal pit transversely elongate, about as long as midocellar diameter. Pronotal collar swollen, elongate ( Fig. 510 ). Propleuron either densely punctate throughout (specimen from Mid Queensland) or sparsely punctate mesally. Scutum not foveate along flange, without longitudinal ridges adjacent to posterior margin; scutal punctures minute, less than one diameter apart. Scutellum with slightly foveate sulcus along anterior margin. Tegula slightly enlarged, its outer margin nearly straight in anterior half ( Fig. 511 ). Mesopleural punctures fine, less than one diameter apart. Postspiracular carina present or absent; when present, about as long as midocellar diameter. Metapleural sulcus not costulate between dorsal and ventral metapleural pits. Propodeum with ill-defined longitudinal carina separating side from dorsum and posterior surface and extending from gastral socket area toward spiracle; dorsum either finely punctate, without ridges or obliquely ridged, finely punctate between ridges; side minutely punctate (interspaces merging into minute ridges anteriorly and ventrally), with a few conspicuous ridges posteroventrally in most specimens; posterior surface punctate, in most specimens with several short, conspicuous ridges emerging from gastropropodeal articulation. Forewing with two submarginal cells, second cell shortly petiolate in specimens from Brisbane and Mid Queensland ( Fig. 515 ); posterior margin of second submarginal cell in other specimens equal to 2.3 × its height, anterior margin extremely short, equal to about 0.06-0.25 × posterior margin ( Fig. 514 ). Posteroventral forefemoral surface minutely punctate, punctures up to several diameters apart. Hindcoxal dorsum with outer margin carinate apically. Tergum I markedly convex in apical third, markedly elevated above level of apical depression ( Fig. 517 ); tergal length about 1.4 × apical width ( Fig. 516 ); punctures less than one diameter apart. Sternum II sparsely punctate apicomesally (punctures several diameters apart).

Setae silvery on clypeus and basal half of tergum I, golden on upper frons, thorax, propodeum, and remaining gaster ( Fig. 513 ); appressed on thorax, propodeum, and tergum I, suberect on lower gena and up to about 0.5 × midocellar diameter long; completely concealing integument on clypeus, posterior propodeal surface ( Fig. 512 ), and apical third of tergum I ( Fig. 513 ). Apical depressions of terga with golden setal fasciae (that of tergum I may be silvery).

Head, thorax, and propodeum black, but scape, pedicel and several basal flagellomeres (at least ventrally) ferruginous; clypeal lamella brown to yellowish reddish, mandible ferruginous except dark brown apically. Apices of femora, tibiae, and tarsi ferruginous. Tergum I ferruginous to black, remaining terga black, apical depressions of terga II-V brown.

♀.– Upper interocular distance equal to 0.86-0.90 × lower interocular distance; ocellocular distance equal to 1.3-1.7 × hindocellar diameter, distance between hindocelli equal to 1.2-1.3 × hindocellar diameter ( Fig. 509 ); eye height equal to 1.08-1.12 × distance between eye notches. Free margin of clypeal lamella broadly, roundly triangular ( Fig. 508 ). Dorsal length of flagellomere I 2.0 × apical width, of flagellomere IX 0.9-1.0 × apical width. Mandible: trimmal carina with small incision at about half length. Length 10.2-11.3 mm; head width 2.3-2.6 mm.

♂.– Upper interocular distance equal to 0.92 × lower interocular distance; ocellocular distance equal to 1.5 × hindocellar diameter, distance between hindocelli equal to 1.3 × hindocellar diameter; eye height equal to 1.00 × distance between eye notches. Free margin of clypeal lamella acutely angulate. Dorsal length of flagellomere I 1.7 × apical width, of flagellomere X 1.1 × apical width. Sternum VIII broadly emarginate apically ( Fig. 518 ), in lateral view: Fig. 519 . Genitalia: Figs. 520, 521 . Length 7.5 mm; head width 2.1 mm.

GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION (Fig. 522).–

Eastern New South Wales, eastern Queensland.

RECORDS.– AUSTRALIA: New South Wales:

Narrabeen, a suburb of Sydney (1 ♂, ANIC) .

Queensland: Brisbane (1 ♀, QMB), 14 km ENE

Heathlands at 11°41ʹS 142°42ʹE (1 ♀, ANIC; 1 ♀,

CAS), Homevale National Park at 21°26.9ʹS

148°32.4ʹE (1 ♀, CAS), Mackay (2 ♀, BMNH, lectotype and paralectotype of Pison icarioides ), Mid

Queensland: no specific locality (1 ♀, BMNH), FIGURE 522 . Collecting localities of Pison icarioides Minnie Waters (1 ♀, CAS), Moggil Farm W Bris- Turner .

bane (1 ♀, BISH), Mount Walsh National Park near

Biggenden (1 ♀, ANIC), North Stradbroke Island : Brown Lake (1 ♀, QMB) .

Figures

FIGURES 508-513. Pison icarioides Turner, female. (508) Clypeus and mandible of lectotype; (509) Vertex of lectotype; (510) Pronotal collar of lectotype; (511) Tegula and adjacent scutum of lectotype; (512) Propodeum in dorsal view; (513) Gaster in dorsal view.

FIGURES. 514-517. Pison icarioides Turner, female. (514) Forewing of lectotype; (515) Forewing of female from Mid Queensland; (516) Tergum I of lectotype in dorsal view; (517) Tergum I of lectotype in lateral view.

FIGURES 518-521. Pison icarioides Turner, male. (518) Sternum VIII (ventral surface); (519) Sternum VIII in lateral view; (520) Genitalia in dorsal view; (521) Genitalia in lateral view.