Dimophora rhysi, Seraina Klopfstein, 2016

Seraina Klopfstein, 2016, Nine new species of Dimophora from Australia (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae): new insights on the distribution of a poorly known genus of parasitoid wasps, Austral Entomology 55, pp. 185-207 : 200-202

Dimophora rhysi sp. n.

http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:CDEC966D- ED43-410C-80FD-CF3FA1FD30CB

Figure 10

Etymology

This particularly small Dimophora species is named after the Low King of the dwarfs, Rhys Rhysson, from the late Terry Pratchett’s novel ‘The Fifth Elephant’, and is dedicated to its inventor and father of the Discworld series. He will be sorely missed.

Diagnosis

Forewing length 2.5–2.7 mm (holotype: 2.5). Antenna with 23–24 (23) flagellomeres in both sexes. Head between eye and antennal base flat, without protrusion. Ocelli of male not enlarged, distance of hind ocellus to compound eye about 1.5 or more times diameter of ocellus. Mesoscutum transverse, about 0.8 times as long as wide. Mesopleuron coriaceous on whole surface, with weak punctures disappearing against background sculpture, with a small smooth area around speculum. Area superomedia of propodeum about as long as wide to 1.2 times longer than wide; areas of propodeum coriaceous and devoid of punctures. Portion of ovipositor that protrudes from metasoma 0.85 times as long as hind tibia.

Description

Head Clypeus rather small, convex when viewed from side, margin convex; mandibles with lower tooth longer than upper tooth. Occipital carina complete, evenly arched or slightly angled above. Genal carina joining oral carina briefly before reaching base of mandible. Whole head coriaceous and matt, face and clypeus with dense and strong punctures, vertex with some sparse punctures. Antenna with last flagellomeres about as long as wide, scape excised at an angle of about 50°.

Mesosoma Pronotum with epomia indistinct; mesoscutum without notauli; mesopleuron with sternaulus weak; scutellum not carinate. Propodeum with complete set of carinae, longitudinal carinae sometimes weak medially; metapleuron without or with very short vertical carinae arising above mid coxa. Mesosoma strongly coriaceous even on scutellum, at most with very weak punctures. Wings hyaline, radial cell along anterior margin of wing 1.0–1.1 times as long as stigma, areolet rather small, almost rhombic; hind wing with outer veins reduced, usually not pigmented except at base. Legs simple, hind coxa coriaceous and matt.

Metasoma First tergite 1.5 times as long as second tergite, second tergite 1.75–1.85 times wider apically than basally. First tergite with rather shallow but long glymma, petiolus slightly flattened; first sternite reaching to about half length of tergite, its sides parallel. Third tergite with laterotergite separated by crease at most at base; metasoma weakly compressed from tergite 3 onwards. Tergites smooth and shining, almost impunctate, tergites 1 and 2 with weak background sculpture, mostly shining. Ovipositor straight, only very weakly downcurved at very end, laterally compressed, with a subapical notch; male clasper not visible.

Colouration of female

Head brown, lighter brown to orange on lower face and clypeus, yellow in malar space; antenna yellow to orange on basal half, brown on apical half. Mesosoma dark brown to black, pronotum lighter brown to orange; legs orange, yellow or ivory around knee; forewing with stigma often lighter in anterior half. Metasoma brown, lighter brown to orange on tergite 2.

Colouration of male

As in female.

Material examined

Holotype #f: QLD, Mt. Glorious; ii–vi.1977; leg. A. Hiller; BMNH. Paratype: SA, Adelaide, Mt. Lofty; 29.i.1977; leg. Z. Boucek; BMNH: 1#m.

Note

Two additional female specimens from Mt. Glorious show very similar characteristics in terms of size, colouration and body shape, but have a strikingly different sculpture on the mesosoma , with both mesopleuron and the areas of the propodeum entirely smooth and shining between strong punctures. More material needs to be studied to decide whether they represent an additional species or whether these differences are indeed intraspecific. These two females are thus excluded from the type series.

Figures

Fig. 10. Holotype of Dimophora rhysi sp. n. (a) Habitus. (b) Head. (c) Mesoscutum and head. (d) Head and mesosoma from lateral, showing mesopleural sculpture. (e) Propodeum. (f) Metasoma. Scale bars represent 2 mm (a) and 0.5 mm (b, c, d, e, f).