Therophilus antipodus (Ashmead)

Stevens, Nicholas B., Austin, Andrew D. & Jennings, John T., 2011, Diversity, distribution and taxonomy of the Australian agathidine genera Camptothlipsis Enderlein, Lytopylus Foerster and Therophilus Wesmael (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Agathidinae), Zootaxa 2887 (1), pp. 1-49 : 18-19

Therophilus antipodus (Ashmead)

Orgiloneura antipoda Ashmead, 1900: 355 [examined]. Holotype USNM, ♀; Type locality: Australia. Parrott, 1953: 198 [catalogue]; Shenefelt, 1970a: 251 [catalogue]; Yu et al., 2005 [catalogue].

Therophilus antipodus (Ashmead) ; Sharkey et al., 2009: 47 [generic transfer]; Stevens et al., 2010: 20 [catalogue].

Diagnosis. With unusual sculpturing pattern on propodeum comprising longitudinal rugose striations medially, rugose punctations antero-laterally, faintly granulate to smooth postero-laterally; cell 1-Rs nearly absent; notauli represented by faint punctate marks only; with BROW colour pattern.

Description (female). Body length 5.0 mm; ovipositor 3.2 mm; head orange; mesosoma black; mid leg dark brown to black except for orange-yellow colour on distal femur and basal tibia and paler colour on tarsomeres; hind leg black to dark brown; T1 white except large black patch on median tergite; S1 and S2 white except large black patch in medial regions of each; T2 white except median tergite with black patch medio-anteriorly; T3 black except white on antero-lateral margins; remainder of metasoma black.

Head width 1.3 mm, length 0.7 mm, height 0.9 mm; eye width 0.5 mm, length 0.5 mm, height 0.5 mm; interorbital distance 0.7 mm; median ocellus diameter 0.1 mm; distance between lateral ocelli and median ocellus 0.1 mm; distance between lateral ocelli 0.2 mm; distinct carina between antennae, no carinae diverging from posterior region of carina towards median ocellus; ante-ocular pit indistinct; antennal flagellomeres missing; clypeus width 0.4 mm, height 0.2 mm; malar space height 0.2 mm; distance from ventral eye margin to latero-ventral mouth margin 0.3 mm; palps obscured; posterior margin of head, when viewed dorsally, slightly but broadly excavated (incursion 0.04 mm); posterior genal margin distinctly carinate, slightly expanded ventro-posteriorly.

Mesosomal width 1.0 mm, length 2.4 mm, height 1.5 mm; pilosity distinct, dense setal field on metapleuron and mesepimeron, extends marginally onto mesopleuron and propodeum, setae longer (0.1 mm), thicker and denser than other mesosomal setae; ante-scutellar depression with setal fringe; subpronope large and distinct, bordered posteriorly by 3 carinae that curve down to anterior margin of pronotum; notauli represented by faint punctate marks, more obvious anteriorly; scutellar sulcus scrobiculate, posterior margin relatively straight with anterior margin more convex; propodeal sculpturing unusual, with longitudinal rugose-striations medially, rugose punctations antero-laterally, and faintly granulate to smooth posterior laterally; suture line between metapleuron and propodeum delineated by scrobiculate groove; propodeal spiracle ovoid (maximum distance across 0.05 mm), hind coxal cavities closed to metasomal foramen, minimum width of coxal bridge 0.07 mm, margins carinate; sternalus deeply impressed, distinctly scrobiculate, long and curved; metapleural surface sculpturing rugose-punctate although largely obscured by dense reflective setal field.

Legs. Because of the poor condition of the holotype it is not possible to observe all leg characters: mid tibia with at least 1 apical (possibly 2–4) and 5 preapical spines; preapical spines spaced on anterior margin in distal half (could possibly be a further 2 spines); hind tibia with 4 apical and 8 preapical spines; preapical spines clumped in unorderly rows just basal to apical spines.

Fore and hind wings infuscate; fore wing maximum width 1.5 mm, length 4.3 mm; cell 1-Rs petiolate and highly reduced in size, nearly absent, ovoid in shape, maximum distance across (0.03 mm), half width of petiolate vein (0.06); petiole of cell 0.13 mm long; M+Cu entirely pigmented, lighter in basal third; hind wing maximum width 0.9 mm, length 3.4 mm.

Metasomal length 2.4 mm, maximum width 1.0 mm; T1 with faint striate sculpturing in anterior two-thirds, posterior one-third faintly granulate to smooth; T1 median area relatively short, triangular in dorsal view, length 0.9 mm, anterior width 0.4 mm, posterior (maximum) width 0.8 mm, raised nodes associated with spiracles distinct, spiracles on ventro-lateral margin; T2 smooth to very faintly granulate anteriorly, medial transverse groove faint, curving around posterior margin of black patch; T2–T3 boundary marked by shallow groove; T3 mostly smooth.

Male. Unknown.

Holotype: ♀, ‘ Australia, Koebele’ ( USNM). [examined].

Comments. Therophilus antipodus displays the same easily distinguishable BROW colour pattern as T. festinatus and T. latibalteatus , i.e. head entirely orange and mesosoma entirely black. However, T. antipodus is distinguished from T. latibalteatus and T. festinatus by its smaller size, and considerably shorter ovipositor relative to body length. The distribution of this species is unknown because the type locality was not stated and no additional material has been identified.

The holotype of T. antipodus is in poor condition; the head is somewhat dislocated from the mesosoma, all the flagellomeres are missing from the left antenna, the right fore wing is missing, the right hind wing is glued on the card underneath the body, both fore legs are absent, the left mid leg is embedded in glue, the right mid leg is missing, and the ovipositor sheaths are missing.