Ascogaster prolixogaster, Kittel & Austin, 2015

Kittel, Rebecca N. & Austin, Andrew D., 2015, New species of Australian arid zone chelonine wasps from the genera Phanerotoma and Ascogaster (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) informed by the ‘ Bush Blitz’ surveys of national reserves, Journal of Natural History 50, pp. 211-262 : 227-229

Ascogaster prolixogaster sp. nov.

( Figures 6a – d , 15 )

Description (female)

Body measurements. Length of body 3.65 – 5.8 mm; ratio of antenna to body 0.6 – 0.8; ratio of length of fore wing to body 0.7 – 0.8; ratio of length of metasoma to mesosoma 1.3 – 1.5.

Head. Antenna with 19 antennomeres; ratio of length of third antennomere to fourth 1.1 – 1.2; ratio of length of third, fourth, penultimate and terminal antennomere 10.0, 8.0 – 10.0, 2.0, and 2 – 2.5 times their width, respectively; ratio of length of eye in dorsal view to length of temple 2.5 – 3.2; ocelli isosceles; imaginary line between anterior margins of posterior ocelli is not touching the anterior ocellus; ratio of width of face in anterior view to its height 1.9 – 2.3; ratio of width of clypeus to its height 1.0 – 1.4; clypeus without teeth; ratio of length malar space to base of mandible 1.9 – 2.8; face punctate; frons rugose; eyes glabrous; ratio posterior ocelli:POL:LOL:OOL 1.0:2.6 – 3.6:1.3 – 2.0:2.9 – 4.4.

Metasoma. Middle lobe of mesoscutum punctate; notauli weakly present; mesoscutellum shiny, fine punctate, convex; mesopleuron shiny, punctate; precoxal sulcus present; ratio of height of mesosoma to its length 1.7 – 1.8; hind coxa shiny, fine punctate; ratio of length of hind tibia to hind tarsus 0.9; ratio hind coxa, hind femur, hind tibia and hind tarsus 2.0, 3.0 – 4.0, 4.0 – 5.0 and 14.0 – 16.0 times their width, respectively; ratio of length of posterior spur to length of basal tarsus 0.3 – 0.5; fore wing: 2-R1 absent; ratio of length of 1-R1 to length of pterostigma 0.9; ratio of width of pterostigma to its length 2.7 – 3.0; ratio r:3-SR:SR-1:r-m 1.0:0.8 – 0.9:3.8 – 4.4:0.9 – 1.1; SR-1 completely sclerotised; 1-SR+M emanating from 1+M; 2-SR+M antefurcal.

Metasoma. Shape of metasoma long oval from dorsal view; ratio of width of metasoma to its length 0.4 – 0.5; carapace broadens to posterior end in lateral view and narrows down in dorsal view, with an extended tip for the ovipositor; ratio keel to metasoma length 0.03 – 0.04; carapace rugose.

Colour. Black; femur, tegula, tibia and tarsus dark brown to brown.

Diagnosis

The shape of the carapace with its elongated tip is unique among all Australian Ascogaster . In addition, A. prolixogaster is one of only five species, along with A. ferruginegaster , A. rubriscapa and two undescribed species ( Ascogaster sp. 25 and Ascogaster sp. 28), that has a 3-bp indel in its CO1 sequence at position 271 – 273.

Specimens examined

Holotype, Australia (South Australia): 1 ♀, “ 25 – 28 October 2010; Bon Bon Station 30°'37.56'S, 135°24.18'E, S. Mantel, F. Colombo, R. Kittel & G. Taylor, MT amongst Senna artemisioides, Acacia tetragonophila , Acacia aneura & Acacia victoriae ; Bush Blitz survey 367 Malaise 9 ” ( SAM) . Paratypes, Australia (New South Wales): 1 ♀, Pigeon House Ra . via Nerriga , 25 October 1979, I .D. Naumann, J.C. Cardale ( ANIC); 2 ♀♀, Trangie , 21 October 1949, S .J. Paramonov ( ANIC); 2 ♀♀, 1902, W .W. Frogatt Collection ( ANIC); 3 ♀♀, Trangie , 20 October 1949, E .F. Riek ( ANIC) ; Queensland: 1 ♀, Bundaberg , 18 September 1972, H . Frauca ( ANIC) ; South Australia: 1 ♀, Brookfield Con Pk , 34.19°S, 139.30°E, 2 December 1991 – 2 January 1992, J . Steiman, S. Williams ( ANIC) ; Victoria: 1 ♀, 15 km S Yarrara , 34.33°S, 141.25°E, 18 October 1983, I .D. Naumann, J.C. Cardale ( ANIC) ; Western Australia: 1 ♀, 30°W Coolgardie , 29 October 1958, E .F. Riek ( ANIC); 1 ♀, 12°N Norseman , 25 November 1958, E .F. Riek ( ANIC), 1 ♀, 12 mi WSW of Eucla Motel, 7 October 1968, Key, Upton, Balderson ( ANIC); 1 ♀, 17.7 km S of Nerren Nerren homestead ( HS), N of Galena, North-West Coast Hwy , 27 September 1973, L .P. Kelsey ( ANIC); 1 ♀, Broomehill , 33.51°S, 117.38°E, 11 November 1978, R .P. Mcmillan ( WAM); 1 ♀, Lake Cronin , 32°23'S, 119°46'E, 19 – 26 September 1978, T .F. Houston et al. (WAM). Other material, Australia (New South Wales): 1 ♀, 1902, W .W. Frogatt Collection (ANIC); mounted on the same cardboard with a specimen from another braconid subfamily.

Male. Unknown.

Biology

Unknown.

Etymology

The name reflects the elongated tip of the carapace.

Distribution

Widely spread across Australia (including Bon Bon Station in South Australia), except Northern Territory and Tasmania ( Figure 15 ) .

CO1 sequence

Genbank accession number for this species is KJ438534 .

Figures

Figure 6. Ascogaster prolixogaster sp. nov.: (a) habitus, lateral, holotype, scale line = 1 mm; (b) head, anterior, holotype, scale line = 0.5 mm; (c) metasoma, dorsal, holotype, scale line = 1 mm, metasomal teeth arrowed; (d) fore wing, paratype, scale line = 1 mm.

Figure 15. Distribution map: Ascogaster brevivena sp. nov., grey circle; Ascogaster ferruginegaster sp. nov., black triangle; Ascogaster prolixogaster sp. nov., grey triangle; Ascogaster rubriscapa sp. nov., black square.