Therophilus rufobrunneus (Turner)

Stevens, Nicholas B., Austin, Andrew D. & Jennings, John T., 2011, Diversity, distribution and taxonomy of the Australian agathidine genera Camptothlipsis Enderlein, Lytopylus Foerster and Therophilus Wesmael (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Agathidinae), Zootaxa 2887 (1), pp. 1-49 : 37-38

Therophilus rufobrunneus (Turner) .

( Figs 16E , 20B )

Microdus rufobrunneus Turner, 1918a:106 [examined]. Holotype BMNH ♀; Type locality: Townsville , Queensland.

Agathis rufobrunneus (Turner) ; Parrot, 1953: 199 [catalogue, generic transfer]; Shenefelt, 1970b: 353 [catalogue].

Agathis rufobrunnea (Turner) ; Yu et al., 2005 [catalogue].

Therophilus rufobrunneus (Turner) ; Stevens et al., 2010: 21 [catalogue, generic transfer].

Diagnosis. Parallel paired carina between antennae; labial palpomere 3 greater than half length of labial palpomere 4; notauli deep and scrobiculate; propodeum extensively rugose-carinate; T1 mostly longitudinally striate.

Description (female). Body length 6.5 (5.2–6.5) mm; ovipositor 3.9 (3.3–3.9) mm; head black to dark brown including antenna (head and palps sometimes yellow); mesosoma orange; fore and mid legs orange, hind leg dark brown except for pale band around basal tibia; metasoma orange (sometimes brown to dark brown dorsally); terminal sternite and ovipositor sheaths dark brown.

Head width 1.6 (1.4–1.6) mm, length 0.8 (0.6–0.8) mm, height 1.1 mm; eye width 0.3 mm, length 0.5 mm, height 0.7 mm; inter-orbital distance 0.9 mm; median ocellus diameter 0.13 mm; distance between lateral ocelli and median ocellus 0.08 mm; distance between lateral ocelli 0.13 mm; parallel paired carina between antennae; ante-ocular pit absent; antenna with 34 flagellomeres; clypeus width 0.5 mm, height 0.2 mm; malar space height 0.3 mm; distance from ventral eye margin to latero-ventral mouth margin 0.4 mm; labial palpomere 3 long, length 0.6x labial palpomere 4 length (lengths 0.07 and 0.12 mm, respectively); labial palpomere 2 length 0.1 mm; posterior margin of head, when viewed dorsally, broadly and deeply excavated (incursion 0.13 mm).

Mesosomal width 1.5 mm, length 2.7 (2.0–2.7) mm, height 1.9 mm; pilosity mostly short (0.05–0.07 mm) and sparse, except on propleuron and setal field on mesepimeron and metapleuron where setae 2x as long (0.1–0.17 mm), stouter and denser; subpronope large and distinct, bordered posteriorly by carina that extends to anterior margin of pronotum; notauli scrobiculate; scutellar sulcus distinct, divided into 4 pits by prominent longitudinal carinae, both anterior and posterior margins curved, anterior wall steeply sloped, nearly vertical, posterior wall vertical; propodeal surface coarsely sculptured, rugose-areolate, longitudinal medial carinae forming spindleshaped areola with 4 complete transverse carinae and one incomplete transverse carina; suture line between metapleuron and propodeum delineated by scrobiculate groove; propodeal spiracle D-shaped (length 0.1, width 0.04 mm); hind coxal cavities separated from metasomal foramen by wide hind coxal bridge (minimum width 0.14 mm); sternalus curved and scrobiculate; metapleural surface difficult to see because of dense setal field, but is extensively punctate.

Legs with basal lobe of all claws large and quadrate; mid tibia with 2 apical and 2 preapical spines; preapical spines placed singularly at intervals in distal one-third; hind tibia with 4 apical and 6 preapical spines; preapical spines clumped just basal to apical spines.

Both fore and hind wings moderately infuscate; fore wings maximum width 1.9 (1.5–1.9) mm, length 6.2 (4.8– 6.2) mm; cell 1–Rs reduced, triangular and petiolate, maximum length 0.09 mm, petiole of cell 0.1 mm long; basal third of M+Cu not pigmented; hind wing maximum width 1.1 (0.8–1.1) mm, length 4.6 (4.0–4.6) mm.

Metasomal length 3.0 (2.4–3.0) mm, maximum width 1.2 (1.0–1.2) mm; T1 mostly longitudinally striate, with pair of lateral carinae and medial carina, smooth glabrous band along posterior margin; T1 median area length 1.0 mm, anterior width 0.5 mm, posterior width (maximum) 1.1 mm; T2+3 smooth; both T2 medial groove and T2–T3 boundary groove faint; anterior margin of median T2 broad and straight.

Male. As for female except for genitalia.

Holotype: ♀, ‘ Townsville, N. Queensland, F.P.Dodd. ’ ‘ R.E. Turner, 191?–111’ ( BMNH).

Other material examined. Queensland: 1 ♀, Box Creek, 16 km N. Proserpine , dry sclerophyll, 13.IV.1975, G.A. Holloway ( AMSA) ; 1 ♀, Lake Broadwater, nr Dalby , 27°21’S 151°06’E, 2V.1987, UV lamp, G. & A. Daniels ( UQIC) ; 1 ♂, Carr Creek , 18 km NNW Mareeba, 21.V.1980, I.D. Naumann & J.C. Cardale ( ANIC) ; 1 ♀, 15.03S 145.09E, 3 km NE Mount Webb , 1–3.X.1980, collected at light, 1980 ( ANIC) .

Comments. Therophilus rufobrunneus is readily distinguished from other Australian species by the presence of paired carina between the antennae, scrobiculate notauli, and relatively long labial palpomere 3. It is distributed in north-eastern Australia ( Fig. 20B ) and has been collected at light traps.

The holotype is damaged as follows: both hind legs incomplete, left leg missing all segements except coxa and trochantellus, right leg missing tarsomeres only; left antenna incomplete with only 20 flagellomeres.

Figures

FIGURE 16. Dorsal habitus of Camptothlipsis, Lytopylus and Therophilus spp.: A, female C. oliveri; B & D, L. rufipes, B, female non-type specimen with orange mesosoma and T1; D, female holotype, all black; C female T.mishae: E, female T.rufobrunneus; F, female T. rufithorax. Scale lines = 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 20. Distribution maps of described Therophilus species: A, T. rufithorax o; B, T. rufobrunneus ●; T. stephensae o.