Palaeoneura frater (Girault, 1913) Triapitsyn, 2021

Triapitsyn, Serguei V., 2021, Taxonomic review of Polynema (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae) in Australia and New Zealand, with descriptions of eight new species, Zootaxa 4915 (2), pp. 151-200 : 197-198

Palaeoneura frater (Girault, 1913) , comb. n.

( Figs 136–138 )

Polynema frater Girault 1913c: 124 (male holotype only), 127 (key). Type locality: Ingham , Queensland, Australia.

Polynema frater Girault : Girault 1915: 166 ([holo]type locality data); New 1976: 7–8 (male holotype only), 63 (illustrations); Dahms 1984: 624–625 (catalog, information on type specimens—male holotype only); Lin et al. 2007: 45 (list).

Polynema (Polynema) frater Girault : Triapitsyn & Berezovskiy 2007: 40 (incorrect generic placement based on examination of female paratype only).

Type material examined. Holotype male [ QMBA] on slide ( Fig. 136 ) labeled: 1. “ Queensland Museum. [3633, 3633, 3732—written faintly in red] Polynema ♀ silvae P. frater Ƌ [pax ♀ —almost erased (crossed out), previous identification of the female of P. silvae ]”; 2. “ TYPE Hy/[1580—crossed out in pencil] 1592 A. A. Girault.”. The holotype ( Figs 137–138 ) is in fair condition although not sufficiently cleared, so the prosternum is not visible, mounted dorsoventrally under a coverslip fragment; the antennae are missing as is one hind wing, and one fore wing is detached from the body. The body is mounted on the same slide (but under a different coverslip) with a female of Palaeoneura silvae (Girault) . According to Girault (1913c, p. 124), the holotype was “taken by sweeping grass and sedges in a boggy meadow inhabited by Pandanus , July 17, 1912 ”. Paratype female [ QMBA] on slide ( Fig. 44 ) labeled: 1. “ TYPE Hy/1584. 1592 [crossed out in pencil] A. A. Girault”; 2. “3732 Queensland Museum type Polynema frater, Gir. ♀ Polynema zolai, Gir. Ƌ 3621”. The collecting locality is Gordonvale [as Nelson], Queensland, Australia ( Girault 1913c). The specimen is not sufficiently cleared, mounted laterally; detached from the body are the head (with only one antenna attached, the other separated) together with the prosternum with two fore legs, and also one fore wing and apparently one hind wing. The paratype is poorly mounted under a separate, cracked coverslip fragment on the same slide with a male holotype of Palaeoneura zolai (Girault) . The female paratype of P. frater is conspecific with the male holotype of P. draperi and is described under the latter species.

Redescription. FEMALE. Unknown.

MALE (holotype). Head and apex of gaster dark brown, mesosoma and base of gaster brown, petiole and legs light brown. Head ( Fig. 137 ) wider than high; face with inconspicuous subtorular lines. Mesosoma longer than gaster ( Fig. 137 ); pronotum apparently entire; mesoscutum a little longer than scutellum and both smooth; scutellum with campaniform sensilla a little closer to anterior margin and close to each other, and with frenal row of small foveae; propodeum smooth, without a median carina. Fore wing ( Fig. 138 ) 4.75× as long as wide, with a slight narrowing just beyond venation; marginal vein short, with 1 dorsal macrochaeta; disc almost hyaline, densely setose beyond venation; longest marginal seta almost 1.1× greatest width of wing. Petiole 2.3× as long as wide, a little shorter than metacoxa, without lateral “wings” ( Fig. 137 ).

Measurements of the holotype (µm). Body: 800; head: 166; mesosoma: 314; petiole: 74; gaster: 276. Fore wing: 836:176; longest marginal seta: 188. Hind wing: 615 [length only, its width impossible to measure correctly]; longest marginal seta: 124. Genitalia: 106.

Diagnosis. This species could potentially be a male of one of the many native species of Australian Palaeoneura listed in Triapitsyn & Berezovskiy (2007) and Lin et al. (2007), females of some of which have similar fore wings.

Distribution. Australia (northeastern Queensland).

Figures

FIGURES 136–138. Palaeoneura frater, male (holotype of Polynema frater): 136, slide; 137, body; 138, fore and hind wings.

FIGURES 44–48. Polynema (Polynema) draperi, female (paratype of Polynema frater): 44, slide; 45, antenna; 46, mesosoma and metasoma; 47, fore wing; 48, propodeum and petiole.