Glyptapanteles austini Fagan-Jeffries & Bird, 2022

Fagan-Jeffries, Erinn P., McCLELLAND, Alana R., Bird, Andrew J., Giannotta, Madalene M., Bradford, Tessa M. & Austin, Andrew D., 2022, Systematic revision of the parasitoid wasp genus Glyptapanteles Ashmead (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Microgastrinae) for Australia results in a ten-fold increase in species, European Journal of Taxonomy 792 (1), pp. 1-116 : 33-34

Glyptapanteles austini Fagan-Jeffries & Bird sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:7DAEC136-31EE-4EC2-B197-66F9B686ACEE

Figs 15B , 22

Diagnosis

Despite the large molecular divergence in both the COI and wingless genes (see Remarks section), the only morphological character found to differentiate G. austini sp. nov. from G. guzikae sp. nov. is the femur being completely dark ( G. guzikae sp. nov. with the femur pale with a dark area posteriorly). Glyptapanteles austini sp. nov. can be separated from G. kingae sp. nov. as follows: G. kingae sp. nov. has the propodeum with stronger sculpturing in the centre, whilst G. austini sp. nov. has the propodeum smoother in the centre. However, we note that there are limited specimens available and the variability of propodeal sculpturing could broaden as more populations of these species are identified and we recommend confirming identifications with DNA barcodes.

Etymology

Named for Professor Andrew Austin, who has championed the documentation of Microgastrinae in Australia and has made a significant impact on the field of systematics of parasitic Hymenoptera , along with providing over a decade of mentorship and training to EPF-J.

Material examined

Holotype AUSTRALIA • ♀; South Australia, Mt Barker Summit ; -35.0661, 138.923; 20 Mar.–3 Apr. 2016; A. Austin and E. Fagan-Jeffries leg.; Malaise trap; Extraction343, BOLD: AUMIC198-18; SAMA 32- 45047 .

Paratypes AUSTRALIA – South Australia • 1 ♀; same collection data as for holotype; 3–22 Apr. 2016; Extraction340, BOLD: AUMIC196-18; SAMA 32-45048 • 1 ♀ (ethanol); same collection data as for preceding; Extraction210, BOLD: AUMIC095-18; SAMA 32-45049 • 1 ♀ (ethanol); Belair National Park Gate 11 ; -35.009, 138.654; 11–24 Nov. 2007; J.T. Jennings leg.; Malaise trap; Extraction355, BOLD: AUMIC208-18; SAMA 32-45050 • 1 ♀; same collection data as for preceding; 25 Nov.–1 Dec. 2007; Extraction367, BOLD: AUMIC219-18; SAMA 32-46151 • 1 ♀; Millbrook Reservoir Gate 28 , 25 km NE Adelaide; -34.8078, 138.827; 12 Sep. 2007; L. Farrington leg.; Malaise trap; Extraction469, BOLD: AUMIC291-18; SAMA 32-46152 .

Description

Female

COLOURATION. Gena without a pale spot; labrum pale or reddish-brown; scape colour in ventral half the same colour or darker than flagellomeres; flagellomeres all black/dark brown; tegula pale; wing veins uniformly black or brown, or with small lighter area proximally; anteromesoscutum all dark; scutellar disk and metanotum dark; propodeum dark; fore coxa dark; mid coxa dark; hind coxa dark; fore femur orange to light brown; mid femur dark proximally and lightening distally; hind femur dark; fore tibia orange to light brown; mid tibia orange to light brown; hind tibia darkening posteriorly; hind basitarsus dark reddish-brown; T1 dark; T2 sclerotised area dark or dark reddish-brown; T2 lateral area much paler; T3 mostly pale with darker patch in centre or mostly dark with paler lateral areas; T4+ dark.

BODY MEASUREMENTS. Body length 2.1 mm; fore wing length 2.0 mm; antennal length slightly shorter than body length.

HEAD. Face with fine punctures associated with setae; antennal flagellomere 14 length/width 1.83–2.50; antennal flagellomere 2 length/width 2.57–3.85; OOD/POD 1.83–2.00; IOD/POD 1.43–2.17.

MESOSOMA. Anteromesoscutum sculpturing with shallow punctures, space between punctures generally smaller than diameter of punctures, slightly denser and deeper punctures anteriorly, smoother in posterior centre; scutellar disk sculpturing with only very shallow punctures; 7–9 pits in scutellar sulcus; propodeum with median carina absent, scattered punctures associated with setae in posterior half, rest of propodeum smooth and shiny.

WINGS. Pterostigma length 0.52 mm; pterostigma width 0.18 mm; r 0.12 mm; 2RS 0.11 mm; 2m 0.06 mm; (RS+M)b 0.09 mm.

METASOMA. T1 wedge-shaped, narrowing posteriorly for entirety of length, or lateral edges parallel for anterior 1/4 of length, then gently narrowing posteriorly, lateral edges either straight or with slight curve; T1 mostly smooth, some punctures in posterior half; T1 length 0.3 mm; T1 width at posterior edge 0.09 mm; T2 an isosceles trapezoid, lateral edges straight; T2 smooth and shiny; T2 length 0.11 mm; T2 width at posterior edge 0.19 mm; ovipositor slightly protruding from end of metasoma.

Male

Unknown.

Remarks

Glyptapanteles austini sp. nov. constitutes BIN BOLD:ADL2587 and is 7.69% (p-dist.) divergent from the closet BIN in the database (BOLD:ADL2952; Glyptapanteles guzikae sp. nov.).

Using the BOLD Batch ID engine, the COI barcode of the holotype is 7.9% different from the most similar COI sequence from an Australian specimen (AUMIC524-18; Glyptapanteles guzikae sp. nov.). All five paratype specimens were sequenced for the wingless gene, which is identical amongst all specimens (although there is a single ambiguity in one sequence). The wingless sequences differ by a minimum of 16 bp from all other species with available sequence data.

Distribution

This species is currently known from SA, from Adelaide and close surrounds.

Figures

Fig. 15. A. Glyptapanteles drioplanetus Fagan-Jeffries & Austin, 2021 (SAMA 32-45154). B. G. austini Fagan-Jeffries & Bird sp. nov., paratype, ♀ (SAMA 32-46151). Solid red line indicating lateral face of the mesoscutellum, yellow dashed line indicating mesoscutellum lunules.

Fig. 22. Glyptapanteles austini Fagan-Jeffries & Bird sp. nov. A, D–F. Paratype, ♀ (SAMA 32-46151). B–C, G. Holotype, ♀ (SAMA 32-45047). A. Dorsal mesosoma. B. Lateral head. C. Dorsal metasoma. D. Fore wing. E. Dorsal head. F. Anterior head. G. Lateral habitus.