Chartocerus australiensis Ashmead, 1900

Molin, Ana Dal & Woolley, James B., 2020, Notes on types of Australian Chartocerus Motschulsky (Hymenoptera: Signiphoridae), Journal of Natural History 54 (9), pp. 681-702 : 683-685

Chartocerus australiensis Ashmead, 1900

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:7C9C7FB7-7B69-4477-9F7B-9AC18FB66A2A

EOL taxon ID: 847913

( Figure 1 ; DOI:10.5281/zenodo.3893692)

Ashmead (1900, p. 410), as Signiphora australiensis (original description).

Girault (1913a): notes on type material, descriptive notes, host record, distribution record.

Girault (1915): notes (republished from 1913a).

Type material. LECTOTYPE female [here designated]: USNM Type No. 4771 , mounted in balsam. ‘ Signiphora | australiensis Ash. | ♀ Type no. | 4771. USNM | Australia. | Koebele. 12.’ The original description does not provide further information. PARALECTOTYPE females: two specimens on same slide with same label data. Girault (1913a) redescribed the type material, having remounted the specimens on slides. The slide locality label is in Girault’s handwriting. One of the three females is damaged, embedded in resin that leaked outside of the coverslip. The head is detached from one of the other females (but it bears a complete antenna), and it is next to the third female. We here designate the female with detached head as lectotype, and the slide has been labelled accordingly.

Description. Females. Length (pronotum to apex of epiproct): 0.5–0.8 mm (n = 3). Body predominantly dark, originally described as black with metallic tones, scutellum ‘with a bluish tinge’ and mesonotum ‘with a bronzy tinge’. It is perceptible in the type slide that the scutellum is slightly darker than most of the mesoscutum, metanotum and medial area of propodeum. Head dark, as in pronotum and most of metasoma, antennal clava and anelli lighter than pedicel and scape. Legs tan, lateroposterior part of protibia and mesotibia lighter, tarsi white. Fore wings infuscated, darker patch extending from base to apex of stigmal vein, lighter infuscation on apex, and two hyaline patches: one at basalposterior area, and one posterior to stigma vein, slightly curved towards base of wing. Head sculpture punctate and longitudinally striate, more conspicuous punctations along outer margin of antennal scrobes and inner margins of eyes, 1.3× as wide as high. Antennal scrobes well defined, extending through 3/4 of height of head. Other sulci absent. Eyes large, glabrous, about 2/3 of head height. Antenna with 4 anelli (1:1:1:1.2), clava 5× as long as wide, scape about ¾ length of clava; pedicel about 1/3 length of clava. Pronotum through metanotum striate or striate to reticulate, fainter in scutellum and metanotum; pronotum barely visible dorsally in the specimen; mesoscutum about 3.5× longer than scutellum, with about 13–15 small setae, most closer to medial-posterior area, scutellum with 7 setae aligned in parallel with posterior margin plus 1 larger seta on top of each axilla; internally marked axillae project anteriorly from scutellum to about ½ of mesoscutum; metanotum about 2/3 length of scutellum; medial triangle of propodeum finely reticulate. Protibia about 2/3 of length of mesotibia. Mesofemur with 3 large apical spines; mesobasitarsus a little more than 1/3 length of mesotibia, mesotibial spur about 2/ 3 of length of basitarsus; metatibia as long as mesotibia. Apex of medial sclerite of propodeum curved, reaching posterior margin of propodeal segment. Propodeal segment reaches but does not overlap the area between the lobes of Mt1. Fore wings about 2.5× as long as wide; longest setae of marginal fringe about ¼ of wing width; discal seta absent, 1 seta in submarginal vein; seta M1 absent; 5 small setae in basal area. Hind wings 4× as long as wide, longest setae of marginal fringe about ½ maximum width of wing; discal seta present; 2 setae on base of marginal vein. Mt1 bilobed, with slightly curved connection between the two lobes. Imbricate sculpture evident on tergites. Plates of ovipositor almost reach base of gaster.

Biology. In the original description, Ashmead mentions an unidentified ‘rhynchotan’ (i.e. Hemiptera ) as host. Girault (1913a) reported on another slide (USNM: not located) ‘Acanthococcid on Eucalyptus ’ from Koebele material collected in New South Wales.

Figures

Figure 1. Chartocerus australiensis (Ashmead), holotype ♀, USNM Type 4771. (a) head; (b) antenna, mesobasitarsus and mesotibial spur; (c) fore wing; (d) fore wing venation; (e) mesosoma; (f) metasoma.