Pison aberrans 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 : 37-41

Pison aberrans Turner

Figures 5 -12.

Pison aberrans Turner, 1908:519 , ♂. Lectotype: ♂, Australia: Queensland: Mackay (BMNH), present designation, examined. – Turner, 1908:458 (figure of forewing), 1916b:596 (in key to Australian Pison ), 601 (diagnostic characters); R. Bohart and Menke, 1976:335 (in checklist of world Sphecidae ); Cardale, 1985:257 (in catalog of Australian Sphecidae ).

LECTOTYPE DESIGNATION. – Turner (1908) did not mention the number of specimens upon which he based his description of Pison aberrans . I have selected as the lectotype the only specimen present in The Natural History, London, that bears the label “ Pison aberrans Turner , Type” in Turner’s handwriting.

RECOGNITION.– Pison aberrans is a small species (length 3.5-4.2. mm), with only two submarginal cells (exceptionally one), the posterior margin of the second one being equal to 0.7-1.4 × its height. It is further characterized by the head, thorax, gaster, and femora all black, the head in many specimens subspherical in the dorsal view, the clypeus with a prominent lobe mesally, the ocellocular distance smaller than the distance between the hindocelli, the tegula completely covering the humeral plate or nearly so, the presence, on the propodeum, of a longitudinal carina separating the side from the dorsum and the posterior surface and extending from the gastral socket area toward the spiracle, and the tibiae all or predominantly black. It differs from similar species in having asetose eyes, the tegula minutely punctate throughout or exceptionally impunctate and asetose posterolaterally, the mesopleuron without an omalus, the integument depreseed between the postspiracular carina and the episternal sulcus, and the propodeal dorsum coarsely ridged or rugose, at least near the median sulcus (rather than finely microareolate or finely regularly ridged). The yellowish brown tarsi of many males are subsidiary recognition features, as is male sternum VIII with two apical setae that protrude beyond the sternum apical margin. Unlike P. incurvatum (whose male is unknown), the clypeal lamella is in about the same plane as the more dorsal portion (rather than bent posteriorly, forming an angle with the more dorsal part), and the dorsal length of flagellomere I 1.3-1.6 × its apical width in the female, 1.0-1.4 × in the male (rather than 2.1 × in the female).

DESCRIPTION.– Head in many specimens subspherical in dorsal view. Frons dull, minutely punctate, punctures less than one diameter apart, middle supraantennal carina absent or evanescent. Distance between antennal socket and orbit about equal to socket width. Gena narrow in dorsal and asetose posterolaterally (as in holotype), fully concealing humeral plate or nearly so. Mesopleuron finely punctate, punctures averaging about one diameter apart; postspiracular carina present, integument depressed between postspiracular carina and episternal sulcus. Postspiracular carina present, about half as long as midocellar diameter. Metapleural sulcus not costulate between dorsal and ventral metapleural pits. Propodeum with longitudinal carina separating side from dorsum and posterior surface and extending from gastral socket area toward spiracle; dorsum obliquely ridged (ridges fine to conspicuous) or rugose, punctate between ridges; side punctate, interspaces merging into ridges; posterior surface ridged. Forewing with two submarginal cells ( Fig. 7 ), second submarginal cell absent in the right wing of holotype ( Fig. 8 ); posterior margin of second submarginal cell about 0.7-1.4 × its height. Punctures of tergum I on horizontal portion in most specimens less than one diameter apart, but more than one diameter apart in some. Sterna punctate throughout.

Setae silvery, appressed on head, thorax, forecoxal venter, femoral venters, and tergum I; frontal setae oriented dorsally (oriented ventrally adjacent to eye margin). Apical depressions of terga with silvery, setal fasciae.

Head, thorax, propodeum, and gaster black, mandible yellowish reddish except black basally and dark apically; antenna all black or flagellum ferruginous ventrally. Legs all black in most females and some males, but fore- and midtibiae, base of hindtibia, and tarsi yellowish brown in some females; tarsi (all or most) yellowish brown in most males; mid- and hindtibial spurs whitish in most specimens, but brown in some.

♀.– Upper interocular distance equal to 1.06-1.10 × lower interocular distance; ocellocular distance equal to 0.5-1.1 × hindocellar diameter, distance between hindocelli equal to 1.5-1.8 ×

hindocellar diameter; eye height equal to 0.92-1.04 × distance between eye notches. Free margin of clypeal lamella varying from arcuate to obtusely tridentate, with lateral teeth either well defined (as in Fig. 5 ) or inconspicuous, in many specimens separated by transverse carina from remaining clypeal surface. Dorsal length of flagellomere I 1.3-1.6 × apical width, of flagellomere IX 0.7 × apical width. Mandible: trimmal carina with small incision at about two thirds of length. Length 3.5-4.2 mm; head width 1.0- 1.1 mm

♂.– Upper interocular distance equal to 0.90-1.00 × lower interocular distance; ocellocular distance equal to 0.6-1.0 × hindocellar diameter, distance between hindocelli equal to 1.1-1.7 × hindocellar diameter; eye height equal to 0.78-1.02 × distance between eye notches. Free margin of clypeal lamella arcuate to obtusely tridentate ( Fig. 6 ), middle tooth widest, markedly larger than lateral tooth in some specimens. Dorsal length of flagellomere I 1.0-1.4 × apical width, of flagellomere X 0.7-0.8 ×. Sternum VIII broadly emarginate ( Fig. 9 ), with pair of apical setae that are up to about 1.5 × as long as midocellar diameter and protrude beyond sternal margin. Genitalia: Figs. 10 and 11 . Length 3.8-5.0 mm; head width 1.0- 1.3 mm.

GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION (Fig. 12).–

New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, also

Papua New Guinea.

RECORDS.– AUSTRALIA: Australian Capital

Territory: Black Mountain (2 ♀, ANIC), Canberra

(2 ♀, ANIC), Farrer, southern suburb of Canberra at

35°22ʹS 149°05ʹE (4 ♀, ANIC; 1 ♂, CAS). New

South Wales: Gilgandra (1 ♀, AMS), Ku-Ring-Gai

Chase National Park (1 ♂, ANIC), Lorien Wildlife

Refuge 3 km N and ca 1 km NNW Lansdowne near

Taree (1 ♀, AMS), 15 km SE Moree (1 ♀, QMB) ,

Mount Tomah (4 ♀, AMS), 16 km N Mudgee (1 ♀,

ANIC), 40.5 km SW Narrabri at 30°37.7ʹS

149°34.1ʹE (1 ♀, CAS), 23 km SE Tamworth (3 ♀, FIGURES 12. Collecting localities of Pison aberrans 1 ♂, ANIC; 1 ♂, CAS), Warrumbungle National Turner

Park at 31°16.9ʹS 148°59.1ʹE (2 ♀, 1 ♂, CAS) and at 31°16ʹS 148°57ʹE (1 ♀, MNKB) , near Warrumbungle National Park at 31°16.9ʹS 149°04.8ʹE (1 ♀, CAS) . Northern Territory: Gregory National Park at 16°06.6ʹS 130°25.7ʹE (2 ♀, ANIC; 2 ♀, CAS), at 16°06.7ʹS 130°25.4ʹE (1 ♀, CAS) , at 16°06ʹ42ʺE (1 ♀, ANIC) , and at 16°12ʹ47ʺS 130°25ʹ11ʺE (1 ♀, CAS) , Nourlangie Rock (now Burrunggui) in Kakadu National Park at 12°51ʹS 132°48ʹE (1 ♂, ANIC) , Victoria Highway at 15°42ʹ40ʺS 130°07ʹ48ʺE (1 ♀, CAS) and at 15°56ʹ11ʺS 129°35ʹ22ʺE (2 ♀, ANIC) . Queensland: 11 km NW Bald Hill in Mcllwraigt Range at 13°44ʹS 143°20ʹE (1 ♀, ANIC) , Batavia Downs at 12°40ʹS 142°39ʹE (1 ♀, ANIC) and at 12°41ˈS 142°41ˈE (1 ♀, ANIC) , 3 km W Batavia Downs at 12°40ʹS 142°39ʹE (9 ♀, ANIC) , 4 km NE Batavia Downs at 12°39ʹS 142°42ʹE (3 ♀, ANIC) , Bull Creek at 15°18ʹS 144°49ʹE (1 ♀, ANIC) , Cania Gorge National Park at 24°43ʹS 150°59ʹE (1 ♀, ANIC) , Cockatoo Creek crossing 17 km NW Heathlands at 11°39ʹS 142°27ʹE (5 ♀, ANIC) , Coen at 13°57ʹS 143°12ʹE (8 ♀, ANIC) , Forty Mile Scrub National Park (1 ♀, AMS) , George Creek Station 27.5 km W Black Braes Homestead at 19°32ʹ53ʺS 143°56ʹ33ʺE (1 ♀, AMS) , George Creek Station at 19°32ʹ53ʺS 143°56ʹ33ʺE (1 ♀, AMS) , Hann River at 15°11ʹS 143°52ʹE (2 ♀, 1 ♂, ANIC) , Heathlands at 11°45ʹS 142°35ʹE (15 ♀, 2 ♂, ANIC; 2 ♀, CAS), Homevale National Park at 21°26.9ʹS 148°32.4ʹE (4 ♀, CAS) , 14 km NW Hope Vale Mission at 15°16ʹS 144°59ʹE (1 ♀, ANIC) , Lawn Hill National Park at 18°40ʹ15ʺS 138°22ʹ15ʺE (1 ♀, QMB) , Lawn Hill National Park: Murrays Spring at 18°35ʹ15ʺS 138°04ʹ28ʺE (2 ♀, ANIC; 2 ♀, QMB), Mackay (1 ♂, BMNH, lectotype of Pison aberrans ), near Mareeba (1 ♂, CAS) , Moreton Homestead at 12°27ˈS 142°38ˈE (1 ♀, ANIC) , 48 km E Mount Surprise at 18°09.0ʹS 144°43.6ʹE (4 ♀, CAS) , Musselbrook Camp at 18°36ʹS 138°08ʹE (2 ♀, ANIC) , Ridgepole Waterhole at 18°40ʹ15ʺS 138°22ʹ15ʺE (1 ♂, ANIC) , 2 km N Rokeby at 13°39ʹS 142°40ʹE (3 ♀, ANIC) , Split Rock 14 km SE Laura at 15°39ʹS 144°31ʹE (6 ♀, 1 ♂, ANIC) ,

6 km N Taroom at 25°36ʹS 149°46ʹE (1 ♀, QMB) , 13 km SE Weipa at 12°40ˈS 143°00ˈE (5 ♀, 1 ♂, ANIC) . South Australia: Adelaide: Waite Research Institute (1 ♀, QMB) , Trezona Camp at Brachina Creek at 31°20ʹS 138°37ʹE (2 ♂, ANIC) , Wilpena in Flinders Ranges National Park at 31°31.7ʹS 138°36.2ʹE (13 ♀, 1 ♂, CAS) , 3 km ENE Wilpena in Flinders Ranges National Park at 31°31.0ʹS 138°36.6ʹE (3 ♀, CAS) . Western Australia: 12 km S Kalumburu Mission at 14°25ʹS 126°38ʹE (1 ♀, ANIC) , Kennedy Range National Park at 24°38.7ʹS 115°10.7ʹE (2 ♀, 1 ♂, ANIC; 1 ♀, CAS), crossing of Lennard River and Gibb River road at 17°23ʹS 124°44ʹE (1 ♀, WAM) , Lone Dingo in Mitchell Plateau at 14°35ʹS 125°45ʹE (1 ♀, ANIC) , Mining Camp in Mitchell Plateau at 14°49ˈS 125°50ˈE (1 ♀, ANIC) , Mitchell Plateau at 14°52ʹS 125°50ʹE (16 ♀, 1 ♂, ANIC; 2 ♀, CAS) .

PAPUA NEW GUINEA: National Capital District: Boroko – a southern suburb of Port Moresby (1 ♂, BISH) .

Figures

FIGURES 5-8. Pison aberrans Turner. (5) Female clypeus; (6) Male clypeus; (7) Left wing of holotype; (8) Right wing of holotype.

FIGURES 9-11. Pison aberrans Turner, male. (9) Sternum VIII (ventral surface); (10) Gentalia in dorsal view; (11). Genitalia in lateral view.