Cotesia scripta, Fagan-Jeffries & Austin, 2020

Fagan-Jeffries, Erinn P. & Austin, Andrew D., 2020, Synopsis of the parasitoid wasp genus Cotesia Cameron, 1891 (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Microgastrinae) in Australia, with the description of seven new species, European Journal of Taxonomy 667 (667), pp. 1-70 : 51-52

Cotesia scripta sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:9512A1E2-9BCD-48E2-85AC-5CDBA7FBC5A8

Figs 10D , 11B , 29

Diagnosis

Cotesia scripta sp. nov. can be separated from all other species of Cotesia currently described from Australia and Papua New Guinea by the following combination of characters: fore wing vein r subtly curved; fore wing 2RS not creating a ‘stub’ at junction with vein r; anteromesoscutum punctate reticulate; scutellar disk smooth, or with only shallow punctures associated with setae and centre of medial posterior band of the scutellum smooth; T1 parallel sided; border between T2 and T3 smoothly indented; T3 dark with sparse setae on posterior two thirds.

Etymology

This species is derived from the Latin for ‘write’ as an acknowledgement of The University of Adelaide Environment Institute funded Early-Mid Career Researcher writing retreat, on which this paper was partially compiled. It is a feminine nominative singular adjective.

Material examined

Holotype

AUSTRALIA • ♀; Victoria, Mount Eliza ; emerged Feb. 2018; R. Standen leg.; reared from Epicoma constristis on Calistomon sp.; collection code B9; BOLD: AUMIC540-19 (for co-reared specimen), Genbank COI (for co-reared specimen): MN182696 ; MV T22495 .

Paratypes

AUSTRALIA • 3 ♀♀, 1 ♂; same collection data as for holotype; MV T22495-9 • 2 ♀♀; same collection data as for holotype; WINC • 4 ♀♀, 1 ♂; Victoria, Mount Eliza ; emerged Feb. 2018; R. Standen leg.; reared from Epicoma contristis Hübner, 1823 on Calistomon sp.; collection code B14; BOLD: AUMIC541-19 (for co-reared specimen), Genbank COI (for co-reared specimen): MN182698 ; MV T22500-4 • 1 ♀; same collection data as for preceding; WINC • 3 ♂♂; Victoria, Mount Eliza ; emerged Apr. 2019; R. Standen leg.; reared from Epicoma sp. on Thyrptomene sp.; collection code B13; BOLD: AUMIC542-19 (for co-reared specimen), Genbank COI (for co-reared specimen): MN182701 ; MV T22505-7 .

Description

Female

COLOUR. Head and mesosoma and dorsal metasoma other than non-sclerotised areas of T1 dark; anterior sternites pale, darkening posteriorly; (fore-, mid-, hind coxa) dark, dark, dark; femora (fore-, mid-, hind femur) pale/orange, pale/orange, pale/orange with dark patch distally; tibiae (fore-, mid-, hind tibia) pale/orange, pale/orange, pale/orange darkening distally; tegula and humeral complex light brown; pterostigma dark; fore wing veins dark.

BODY LENGTH. Head to apex of metasoma: 3.1 (3.0) mm.

HEAD. Antennae broken in all female type specimens; OOL/posterior ocellus diameter 2.3 (2.5); POL/ posterior ocellus diameter 2.2 (2.2–2.5); antennal flagellomere 2 length/width missing in holotype (2.5); antennal flagellomere 14 missing in all specimens.

MESOSOMA. Anteromesoscutum sculpturing punctate reticulate, reasonably regular but less dense and shallower in centre and on lateral sides; number of pits in scutoscutellar sulcus 12 (10); scutellar disc with only shallow pits associated with setae and no basal rugostiy; maximum height of mesoscutellum lunules/maximum height of lateral face of mesoscutellum 0.6 (0.5).

WINGS. Fore wing length 3.0 (2.7– 3.0) mm; length of veins r/2RS 0.8 (0.9–1.0); length of veins 2RS/2M 1.6 (1.5–1.7); length of veins 2M/(RS+M)b 1.0 (0.8–0.9); pterostigma length/width 2.3 (2.5).

LEGS. Hind tibia inner spur length/metabasitarsus length 0.6 (0.5–0.6).

PROPODEUM. Medial carina distinct in holotype but can be faint or nearly undiscernible in paratypes, rest of propodeum mostly smooth, some scattered rugosity and small carinae in posterior centre, posterior lateral corners, sometimes with anterior transverse carinae.

METASOMA. T1 length /T1 width at posterior margin 1.4; parallel sided, mostly smooth; T2 width at posterior margin/T2 length 2.4 (2.1–2.5), semicircle to trapezoid shaped, mostly smooth, in some specimens with scattered rugosity, T2 length /T3 length 0.6 (0.6–0.8); T3 sculpture smooth and shiny; ovipositor sheaths length/hind tibial length 0.13 (0.12–0.18).

Male

As female, only slight variations in measurements, T2 thinner and stronger sculptured with strong indented border.

Host

Epicoma contristis Hübner, 1823 (Notodontidae) , gregarious.

Distribution

Currently only known from the type locality on the Mornington Peninsula, Victoria . The host species is found throughout Australia, suggesting the wasp likely also has a wider distribution range than currently known.

Remarks

All specimens of this species, including the holotype, are not complete specimens, but the presence of DNA barcodes and host data warranted the description of this species regardless of the incompleteness of the description (missing the flagellomere 14 measurements) and poor condition of the type series. Measurements given of paratypes in description n = 2.

Figures

Fig. 10. A. Cotesia anthelae (Wilkinson, 1928), T2 (paratype, NHMUK 3.c.002). B. C. wonboynensis sp. nov., T2 (holotype ANIC 32 130294). C. C. medusae sp. nov., T2 (paratype, QM T246705). D. C. scripta sp. nov., T2 (paratype, MV T22495).

Fig. 11. A. Cotesia australiensis (Ashmead, 1900), fore wing vein r straight (ANIC 32 151532). B. C. scripta sp. nov., fore wing vein r subtly curved (holotype, MV T22495). C. C. lasallei sp. nov., fore wing vein r straight (holotype, SAMA 32-44401). D. C. medusae sp. nov., fore wing vein r straight (paratype QM T246705).

Fig. 29. Cotesia scripta sp. nov. A–C, E–G. Holotype, ♀ (MV T22495). D. Paratype, ♀ (MV T22499). A. Anteromesoscutum. B. Metasoma in dorsal view. C. Head in anterior view. D. Head in dorsal view. E. Metasoma in lateral view. F. Mesoscutellum and propodeum. G. Fore wing.