Braunsia Kriechbaumer, 1894

Stevens, Nicholas B., Austin, Andrew D. & Jennings, John T., 2010, Synopsis of Australian agathidine wasps (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Agathidinae), Zootaxa 2480, pp. 1-26 : 11-12

Braunsia Kriechbaumer, 1894

( Figs 2 B, 9B)

Braunsia Kriechbaumer, 1894 : Type species: Braunsia bicolor Kriechbaumer, 1894 [= Braunsia bilunata Enderlein, 1904 , new name for bicolor Kriechbaumer because junior secondary homonym of Brullé, 1846], by subsequent designation, Viereck, 1914: 24; Turner, 1918b: 224 [description]; Parrott, 1953: 199 [catalogue]; Shenefelt, 1970b: 370 [catalogue]; Bhat & Gupta, 1977: 50 [key, description]; Chou & Sharkey, 1989: 175 [key, description]; Sharkey, 1992: 443 [in tribe Microdini]; Sharkey, 1996: 58 [in tribe Eumicrodini, amendment to incorrectly applied Microdini]; Yu et al., 2005 [catalogue]; Sharkey et al., 2006: 557 [notes, phylogeny, in tribe Agathidini s.l.]; Sharkey et al., 2009: 34 [key, description].

Metriosoma Szépligeti, 1902: 74. Type species: Metriosoma munda Szépligeti, 1902 , by monotypy; Shenefelt, 1970b: 313 [synonym of Agathis ]; Sharkey et al., 2006: 557 [synonym of Braunsia ].

Lissagathis Cameron, 1911: 245. Type species: Lissagathis bicarinata Cameron, 1911 , by monotypy; Shenefelt, 1970b: 312 [synonym of Agathis ]; Sharkey et al., 2006: 557 [synonym of Braunsia ].

Laccagathis Watanabe, 1934: 121 . Type species: Laccagathis formosana Watanabe, 1934 , by original designation; Shenefelt, 1970b: 419 [catalogue]; Bhat & Gupta, 1977 [key, description]: 47; Chou & Sharkey, 1989: 187 [description]; Sharkey, 1996: 62 [description]; Sharkey et al., 2006: 557 [synonym of Braunsia ].

Pholeocephala Achterberg, 1988: 48 . Type species: Pholeocephala lieftincki Achterberg, 1988 , by monotypy; Sharkey et al., 2006: 557 [synonym of Braunsia ].

Diagnosis. Length: 8–14 mm; colour: body variable with different combinations of yellow or orange in conjunction with light or dark brown and black; wings with dark and light shaded pattern ( Fig. 9 B); interantennal region broad, often largely flat, may possess medial elevated mound (e.g., Fig. 6 A); lateral carinae on frons absent; notauli range from totally absent to present, deep and heavily scrobiculate (e.g., Figs 3 A and B); claws simple with basal lobe, are non-pectinate ( Fig. 2 B); mid tibial preapical spines present ( Fig. 2 D); fore wing cell 1–RS mostly quadrate; vein 2–RS2 always present (e.g., Fig. 4 B), may be reduced to basal stub only; ovipositor long, always greater than 0.5 metasoma length ( Fig. 9 B).

Comments. The Australian fauna contains species that would have previously been placed in Laccagathis, Metriosoma and Pholeocephala prior to these genera being synonymised with Braunsia by Sharkey et al. (2006). The molecular data indicate that Braunsia is closely related to Lytopylus (referred to as the Bassus macadamia group or incorrectly as Bassus s.str. in ( Sharkey et al. 2006). Braunsia species can be distinguished from Lytopylus by the presence of fore wing vein 2–RS2.

Species richness and distribution. Braunsia is not well represented in Australia with only 5–10 species present, two of which are described. All occur in northern Australia in the Timorian and Torresian biogeographic regions.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Agathidinae leg characters: A, Biroia sp., fore tarsal claw cleft (arrowed), base non – pectinate; B, Braunsia sp., fore tarsal claw simple, non – cleft, basal lobe quadrate, non – pectinate; C, Cremnops sp., fore tarsal claw cleft, base pectinate (arrowed); D, Braunsia sp., mid tibial preapical spines (circled); E, Coccygidium sp., fore tibial spur long, sinuate and aristate (arrowed); F, Amputostypos sp., fore tibial spur short, non – sinuate and non – aristate (arrowed); G, Disophrys sp., posterior view of metasoma, showing paired longitudinal carinae on ventral surface of hind trochantellus (arrowed). Scale lines, A, B and C = 0.05 mm; D, E and F = 0.1 mm; G = 1 mm.

FIGURE 3. Agathidinae, dorsal mesoscutum and head: A, Therophilus sp., notauli absent; B, Disophrys sp., notauli present and scrobiculate (small arrow), lateral carinae of frons present (large arrow). Agathidinae lateral metasoma: C, Lytopylus rufipes; D, Therophilus sp. Scale lines = 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 4. Agathidinae fore wing venation characters: A, Coccygidium sp., fore wing cell 1 – RS triangular, vein 2 – RS 2 absent; B, Disophrys sp., fore wing cell 1 – RS quadrate, vein 2 – RS 2 present; C, Baeognatha sp., fore wing cell 1 – RS absent; D, Therophilus unimaculatus, fore wing cell 1 – RS small and petiolate, vein 2 – RS 2 absent. Scale lines A, B and D = 1 mm; C = 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 6. Agathidinae anterior head view: A, Baeognatha sp.; B, Biroia sp., paired carinae present on inter – antennal region. Scale lines = 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 9. Lateral habitus of Agathidinae spp.: A, Biroia sp.; B, Braunsia sp., exhibiting tropical mimicry complex colour pattern; C, Cremnops sp., exhibiting tropical mimicry complex colour pattern; D, Coccygidium sp. Scale lines = 1 mm.