Australomesitius mirus Barbosa & Azevedo

Barbosa, Diego N. & Azevedo, Celso O., 2016, Australomesitius gen. nov. (Hymenoptera, Bethylidae: Mesitiinae), an unexpected new genus from Australia, Zootaxa 4061 (4), pp. 447-450 : 449

Australomesitius mirus Barbosa & Azevedo , sp. nov. ( Fig. 1 )

Material examined. Holotype, ♀. AUSTRALIA, Queensland: 27°55'S 153°12'E (DMS), North Tamborine, 520 m, 20 November 2002, C.J. Burwell, sweeping, rainforest edges 51088 ( QMSB)

Description. Holotype ( Fig. 1 A). Female. Body 2.46 mm. LFW 1.46 mm. Colour. Head dark castaneous nearly black; mesosoma dark castaneous with pronotum castaneous; metasoma dark castaneous with apex castaneous; antenna, mandible, palpi, tegula, legs castaneous; wings hyaline with castaneous venation.

Head ( Figs 1 B, C). Head globoid in lateral view. Malar space as long as vertex-ocellar line. Head with convergent sides at malar space level. Mandible with lower tooth wider than others, lower margin straight, lowermost tooth longer than immediately upper one. Palpi caliciform, cross-section cylindrical. Clypeus with median lobe outlined, complete, line-shaped in dorsal view, placed above torulus. Distance between antennal foramina as long as antennal foramen. Eye small and rounded. Frons densely punctate. Vertex convex. Hypostomal carina forming obtuse angle medially. Occipital carina low.

Mesosoma (Figs. 2A, B). Pronotal disc 0.66 × as long as wide. Anterior slope of pronotum in acute angle in lateral view. Pronotal collar not foveolate, median sulcus absent. Pronotal disc densely punctate, trapezoidal, side straight, anterior margin straight, with anterior corner rounded, posterior margin straight. Pleurosternum without posterior elevation. Mesoscutum densely punctate, as long as mesoscutellum. Notaulus complete, shallow, narrow, polished convergent posteriorly. Parapsidal signum incomplete, shallow, parallel. Axilla strigate, shallow. Mesoscutomesoscutellar suture inconspicuous. Mesoscutellar sulcus narrow, fused with axilla, arched, not dilated at ends. Mesoscutellum as long as anterior width, punctate, touching propodeal disc. Metanotum overlapping lateral region of mesoscutellum. Propodeal disc 0.52 × as long as wide medially, with central depression fused with propodeal triangular lateral depression; median carina complete; without longitudinal ridge between median and inner discal carinae; sublateral, and posterior carina present; spiracle sickle-shaped. Mesopleuron with acropleural sulcus continuous with mesopleural suture; mesopleural suture strigate. Preaxilla conspicuous.

Wings. Fore wing stigma with distal margin rounded; r-rs + Rs vein slightly curved anterad, giving raise at distal margin of stigma. Hind wing with costal vein short.

Legs. Protibia short, 1.8 × first tarsomere length, with protibial spur long, longer than half length of first tarsomere. Tarsi with tarsomeres 1 longer than others, tarsomeres cylindrical with short distal spines. Claws sharpened, curved laterad. Arolium slender.

Metasoma. Metasoma 2.00 × longer than wide. Tergum 1 with lateral margin curved inward. Sterna 1-6 with posterior margin straight.

Etymology. The specific epithet mirus from Latin refers to the surprising finding of Mesitiinae in Australia.

Distribution. Australia (Queensland).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Australomesitius mirus Barbosa & Azevedo sp. nov., holotype, ♀. A. Habitus lateral; B. Head, dorsal profile; C. Mesosoma, lateral profile; D. Mesosoma, dorsal profile.