Apanteles translucentis Slater-Baker, Fagan-Jeffries, Fernández-Triana, Portmann & Oestmann, 2025

Slater-Baker, Mollie-Rosae, Fagan-Jeffries, Erinn P., Oestmann, Katherine J., Portmann, Olivia G., Bament, Tiahni M., Howe, Andy G., Guzik, Michelle T., Bradford, Tessa M., McClelland, Alana R., Woodward, Alice, Clarke, Sylvia, Ducker, Nathan & Fernández-Triana, José, 2025, DNA barcoding, integrative taxonomy, citizen science, and Bush Blitz surveys combine to reveal 34 new species of Apanteles (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Microgastrinae) in Australia, ZooKeys 1227, pp. 1-128 : 1-128

Apanteles translucentis Slater-Baker, Fagan-Jeffries, Fernández-Triana, Portmann & Oestmann sp. nov.

Fig. 5 C ( distribution), Fig. 59 (holotype )

Type material.

Holotype. Australia • ♀; QLD, Banana, Roadside few km south of Banana ; - 24.013, 150.88; 25 Nov. 2019; E. Fagan-Jeffries, J. B. Dorey & P. Ruhr leg.; sweeping vegetation; BOLD Process ID: AUMIC 1230-24 ; QM: T 261214 .

Diagnostic description.

Size: Total body length: 2.8 mm; fore wing length: 2.9 mm. Head: anterior scape colour similar or only very slightly paler than head colour; F 2 L / W ratio: 2.3; F 14 L / W ratio: 1.1. Mesosoma: scutoscutellar sulcus with 11 pits; mesoscutellar disc mostly smooth, or with very shallow scattered indentations; propodeal areola complete, or mostly so; propodeum mostly rugose; coxae colour (pro, meso, meta): dark all; metafemur colour mostly dark. Wings: centre of pterostigma paler (more hyaline) than outer edges; fore wing r vein length / 2 RS vein length ratio: 1.3. Metasoma: T 1 shape mostly parallel, T 1 medial length / anterior width between 1–2 × longer than wide; mostly rugose; T 2 mostly smooth; ovipositor sheath length / metatibia length ratio: 1.2.

Apanteles translucentis can be separated from the other species of Apanteles in Australia which have the metacoxa and metafemur dark and the pterostigma with a paler centre by having fore wing with veins M + CU, 1 cu-a, 1 M, 1 CUa, 1 CUb, (RS + M) a, 2 RS, and 1 m-cu all unpigmented or transparent, T 1 with strong rugose sculpturing and the metatibia mostly pale. Apanteles translucentis cannot be easily separated from A. aeternus using morphology, but the two species cluster discretely using COI and wg barcodes.

Etymology.

The species epithet is a Latin participle (in the genitive case) of translucens, meaning translucent, and refers to the centre of the pterostigma.

Distribution.

Apanteles translucentis is currently only known from one collection record in northern QLD, from the town of Banana (which is famously named after a yellowish coloured bullock called “ Banana ”).

Molecular information.

The DNA barcode of the holotype of Apanteles translucentis is the only sequence currently in – BIN BOLD: AFR 5983. The COI sequence is at least 4 % divergent from any of the other species treated here, or any available sequence on BOLD. The wg sequence of the holotype is at least 4 bp different to any other species. BINs, 2 % divergent threshold, COI PTP and wg haplotypes resolved A. translucentis as a discrete species, whilst wg ASAP grouped it with A. oenone . COI ASAP and wg PTP grouped A. translucentis , A. oenone , and A. aeternus together. This complex of species is not well resolved and would benefit from more intensive study to better establish species boundaries.

Figures

Figure 5. Known distribution in the of the following Apanteles species in Australia, Fiji, and New Zealand: A A. carpatus, A. sp. nr carpatus, A. cuprum, A. ippeus, A. kelpiellus, A. ligdus B A. darthvaderi, A. focusalis, A. lamingtonensis, A. pellucidus, A. phantasmatus C A. doreenwatlerae, A. margaritarius, A. pharusalis, A. rufiterra, A. translucentis. Maps include examined material and public DNA barcode records, see Suppl. material 3 for full details.

Figure 59. Apanteles translucentis (holotype AUMIC 1230-24). A lateral habitus B dorsal propodeum and T 1–3 C dorsal head D anterior head E fore and hindwing F dorsal habitus.