Dolichogenidea garytaylori 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 : 421-423

Dolichogenidea garytaylori Fagan-Jeffries & Austin sp. nov.

( Fig. 12 )

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:B1F65F8E-E6A6-4699-9BF7-357242E340CA

Material examined (including Genbank numbers of DNA barcodes). Holotype: South Australia: ♀ Great Victoria Desert Bush Blitz, -28.9258159° 129.5377178°, 22/ix/2017, B. Parslow (SAMA: 32-035467; Genbank COI: MH138913 WG: MH139348 ). Paratypes: South Australia: ♀ Bon Bon Stn, 30°18.828'S 135°32.848'E, 28/ x/2010, G.S. Taylor, swept Acacia victoriae, 2010 0 69 (B30) Bush Blitz svy (SAMA: 32-036128; Genbank COI: MH138726 WG: MH139203 ). ♂ Great Victoria Desert Bush Blitz, vehicle net Rodinia Road SSS2 to airstrip, - 28.8161 129.5358 to -29.11530 129.54124, 18/ix/2017, R. Leijs (SAMA: 32-036129; Genbank COI: MK073918 ). Western Australia: ♀ Kariijini NP, Weano Gorge Rd, 22°21'19"S 118°15'00"E, 25/iv/2003 – 15/v/2003, C. Lambkin & T. Weir, Malaise grassy dry creek Eucalyptus & Acacia scrub, 695 m (ANIC: 32 130221; Genbank COI: MH138949 WG: MH139370 ).

Diagnosis. Dolichogenidea garytaylori closely resembles D. hyposidrae , but the latter has a smooth propodeum other than the carinae of the areola and lateral carinae, and the areola is also only open at the anterior end, whereas D. garytaylori has the propodeal areola poorly defined in the whole anterior half. The fore wing r vein is also less continuously curved with 2RS (more differentiated) in D. garytaylori compared to D. hyposidrae . Dolichogenidea garytaylori also closely resembles D. brabyi , but D. brabyi has a distinctive T2 shape (curved at anterior corners) and sculpturing (strongly sculptured in posterior half). Dolichogenidea eucalypti has a more defined anterior areola and a smoother propodeum, particularly within the areola, than D. garytaylori . Dolichogenidea garytaylori can be separated from D. biroi , D. lipsis , D. ilione , and D. tasmanica by the absence of a white gena blotch. Dolichogenidea bonbonensis , D. carposinae , D. coequata , D. cyamon , D. finchi , D. gentilis , D. heterusiae , D. hyblaeae D. ilione , D. inquisitor , D. iulis , D. kelleri , D. labaris , D. lobesiae , D. mediocaudata , D. miris , D. platyedrae , D. stantoni , and D. xenomorph all have ovipositors at least 0.7 x as long as the metatibia, generally much longer, whilst D. brabyi has an ovipositor only 0.4 x the length of the metatibia. Dolichogenidea expulsa can be differentiated by a smoother propodeum and more coarsely sculptured T2 than D. garytaylori . Dolichogenidea orelia can be separated by having rugulose and strigate sculpturing on T2, as opposed to the very shallow sculpturing of D. garytaylori . Dolichogenidea acratos has slightly longer ovipositor sheaths than D. garytaylori (ovipositor sheath to metatibia ratio 0.5), and also has T1 parallel-sided, without the slightly broadening area posteriorly of D. garytaylori . Dolichogenidea agonexenae and D. upoluensis are described as having a rugose propodeum, which differentiates these species from D. garytaylori , which has a mostly smooth propodeum other than the centre of the areola and directly anterior to the areola, which is strongly sculptured ( Table 1).

Description. FEMALE. Colour: all dark, antenna dark; coxae (pro-, meso-, metacoxa) dark, dark, dark; femora (pro-, meso-, metafemur) pale, dark to paler at posterior end, dark; tibiae (pro-, meso-, metatibia) dark, dark, dark with lighter area anteriorly; tegula and humeral complex dark; pterostigma dark; fore wing veins pale proximally, dark distal to pterostigma. Head: antenna approximately equal to body length; body length (head to apex of metasoma) 2.4–2.7 mm; ocular–ocellar line/posterior ocellus diameter 1.6–1.8; interocellar distance/ posterior ocellus diameter 2.1–2.2. Mesosoma : anteromesoscutum punctate, punctures not regularly sized and spaced over whole of anteromesocutum; mesoscutellar disc with several shallow punctures down lateral edges associated with setae; number of pits in scutoscutellar sulcus 10–12; maximum height of mesoscutellum lunules/ maximum height of lateral face of mesoscutellum 0.4*. Wings: fore wing length 2.5–2.8 mm; length of veins r/2RS 1.4–1.7; length of veins 2RS/2M 1.3–1.6; length of veins 2M/(RS+M)b 0.8–0.9; pterostigma length/width 2.8–3.5. Legs: metatibia inner spur length/metabasitarsus length 0.4–0.5. Propodeum: areola clearly defined in posterior half and lateral carinae clear and mostly straight, anterior part of areola and centre area with less well defined carinae but with irregular reticulate rugose and punctate sculpturing, rest of propodeum mostly smooth. Metasoma: T1 length/width at posterior margin 1.3*; T1 shape broad, rectangular, almost parallel–sided, very slightly broadening posteriorly; T1 sculpture irregularly reticulate rugose and punctate, sometimes with smoother area at posterior border with T2; T2 width at posterior margin/length 3.2*; T2 sculpture almost smooth, some very shallow sculpturing in anterior half and scattered shallow punctures associated with setae; T3 sculpture smooth and shiny; hypopygium with central membranous area mid-ventrally; ovipositor sheaths length/metatibial length 0.2–0.4.

MALE. As female, but with the antenna longer than body length, propodeum smoother in centre of areola, anterior carinae of areola much more defined than in female, but with anterior end of areola still open with reticulate rugose sculpturing.

Etymology. This species is named for Dr Gary Taylor, who collected a paratype of this species plus many other microgastrine specimens on Bush Blitz expeditions, and who has provided author EPF-J with many hours of valuable advice both at the microscope and in the field. The species name is an invariable genitive.

Distribution. Currently only collected from central and western SA and northern WA.

Remarks. There is no COI or WG variation in the specimens of this species listed and sequenced here, and the COI sequences are approximately 5% divergent from the nearest relative in this study, and 4% divergent from the closest sequence on Genbank. The BOLD BIN for D. garytaylori is BOLD:ADL4226.

Figures

FIGURE 12. Dolichogenidea garytaylori holotype (A–C, E–G) paratype (D). A. propodeum; B. anterior head; C. fore wing; D. lateral habitus; E. mesosoma (part); F. dorsal habitus; G. T1–3.