Choeras parvoculus Fagan-Jeffries & Austin, 2019

Fagan-Jeffries, Erinn P., Cooper, Steven J. B. & Austin, Andrew D., 2019, New species of Australian microgastrine parasitoid wasps (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Microgastrinae) documented through the ‘ Bush Blitz’ surveys of national reserves, Zootaxa 4560 (3), pp. 401-440 : 406-407

Choeras parvoculus Fagan-Jeffries & Austin sp. nov.

( Fig. 4 )

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:3BCE8A24-220C-44A9-BC81-26E5017C4674

Material examined (including Genbank numbers of DNA barcodes). Holotype: Tasmania: ♀ Southwest National Park Bush Blitz, SSS2, -43.1413° 146.76241°, 03–09/ii/2016, K. Moore, Malaise trap (TMAG: F59020 ; Genbank COI: MH138608 WG: MH139103 ). Paratype: Tasmania: ♀ Southwest National Park Bush Blitz, SSS2, -43.1413° 146.76241°, 03–09/ii/2016, K. Moore, Malaise trap ( TMAG: F59026 ; Genbank COI: MH 138611 WG: MH 139105 ) .

Diagnosis. Differs from C. bushblitz , C. tegularis , C. ceto , C. epaphus , C. koalascatocola , C. helespas and C. morialta by the presence of a small areolet in the fore wing; previously mentioned species all have a large fore wing areolet. Differs from C. dissors by having less slender antennae, the fore wing vein r curved rather than sharply angled, and the mesoscutellar disc not densely covered with setae. Differs from C. calacte by having smaller eyes (ocular–ocellar line/posterior ocellus diameter 2.7–3.0 compared to 2.0– 2.2 in C. calacte ) and shorter flagellomeres ( C. calacte has flagellomere 14 1.3 x as long as wide, whilst in C. parvoculus flagellomere 14 is as long as wide. Differs from C. zygon by smaller eyes and an almost parallel-sided T1 compared to T1 of C. zygon , which narrows posteriorly.

Description. FEMALE. Colour: all dark other than pale non-sclerotised area of T1–2, antenna dark; coxae (pro-, meso-, metacoxa) dark, dark, dark; femora (pro-, meso-, metafemur) dark lightening at distal end, dark lightening at distal end, dark; (pro-, meso-, metatibia) dark, dark with white band at proximal end, proximal third white distal two thirds dark; tegula and humeral complex light brown; pterostigma dark; fore wing veins dark, paler at proximal end of wings. Head: antenna approximately equal to body length; body length (head to apex of metasoma) 1.9–2.0 mm; ocular–ocellar line/posterior ocellus diameter 2.7–3.0; interocellar distance/posterior ocellus diameter 2.0–2.5. Mesosoma : anteromesoscutum smooth other than small punctures associated with setae; mesoscutellar disc completely smooth and shining; number of pits in scutoscutellar sulcus 10–12; maximum height of mesoscutellum lunules/maximum height of lateral face of mesoscutellum 0.3–0.4. Wings: fore wing length 2.0– 2.1 mm; fore wing areolet small, enclosed; length of veins r/2RS 1.8–2; length of veins 2RS/2M 0.6–0.7; length of veins 2M/(RS+M)b 1.3–1.4; pterostigma length/width 2.2–2.4. Legs: metatibia inner spur length/metabasitarsus length 0.9–1.0. Propodeum: multiple short carinae diverging from posterior centre, medial longitudinal carina in posterior half, rugose appearance in the posterior centre margin, otherwise smooth and shining. Metasoma: T1 length/width at posterior margin 1.4–1.8; T1 shape broad, rectangular, almost parallel-sided; T1 sculpture smooth in anterior half, posterior half with shallow striations; T2 width at posterior margin/length 4.1–4.4; T2 sculpture smooth and shiny with a few scattered punctures; T3 sculpture smooth and shiny; hypopygium large with membranous area ventrally; ovipositor sheaths length/metatibial length 0.9–1.1.

MALE. Unknown.

Etymology. The species epithet parvoculus combines the Latin ‘parvus’ meaning little, and ‘oculus’ meaning eyes, referring to the smaller eyes of this species compared to the morphologically similar Choeras calacte . It is a noun in apposition.

Distribution. This species has currently only been collected from Southwest National Park, Tasmania.

Remarks. In this species we also tentatively place the following specimens, which have been sequenced for the COI barcoding region by the Biodiversity Institute of Ontario, and are stored in the Centre for Biodiversity Genomics, and are publically available on BOLD in the BIN BOLD:ADD0336. These specimens are all collected from Tasmania, and whilst they were not available to be compared to the type series, the COI sequences fall within the 2% divergence threshold that generally discriminates species in the Microgastrinae. BOLD numbers: GMATR1295-16, GMATT3228-16, GMATT3510-16, GMATT3519-16, GMATT3806-16, GMATV2548-16, GMATS 2612-16, GMATV2575-16, GMATU3015-16. The nearest neighbour to this group with available sequence information are specimens from Canberra, Australia, at 2.1% COI divergence, which based on images available on BOLD, appear to be a distinct species with a larger fore wing areolet and T1 narrowing more strongly posteriorly. The WG sequences for the type specimens of C. parvoculus are identical. No information about the host is known. The BOLD BIN for C. parvoculus is BOLD:ADD0336.

Figures

FIGURE 4. Choeras parvoculus holotype: A. mesosoma and partial metasoma; B. fore wing; C. dorsal view of the head; D. anterior view of the head; E. dorsal habitus.