Therophilus minor (Szépligeti)

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 : 30-31

Therophilus minor (Szépligeti)

( Figs 5C , 8B , 18B )

Agathiella minor Szépligeti, (1905: 53) [examined]. Holotype HNHM ♀; Type locality: Sydney , New South Wales.

Agathis minor (Szépligeti) ; Shenefelt, 1970b: 344 [catalogue, generic transfer].

Bassus minor (Szépligeti) ; Yu et al., 2005 [catalogue, generic transfer].

Theophilus minor (Szépligeti) ; Stevens et al., 2010: 21 [catalogue, generic transfer].

Diagnosis. Broad carina between antennae; notauli absent; pronouced rugose sculpturing of propodeum; striate sculpturing laterally in anterior two-thirds of median T1, granulate medially in posterior one-third; T2 faintly striate anteriorly and faintly granulate posteriorly; body almost entirely yellow.

Description (female). Body length 3.0 (3.0–4.0) mm; ovipositor 1.8 (1.8–2.4) mm; entirely yellow except small amount of dark shading on dorsal head, propodeum, metanotum (propodeum and metasoma mostly dark brown); antenna and ovipositor sheaths brown.

Head width 1.4 (1.4–1.6) mm, length 0.8 (0.8–1.0) mm, height 0.6 mm; eye width 0.2 mm, length 0.5 mm, height 0.3 mm; head not triangular in anterior view, more elliptical; inter-orbital distance 0.4 mm; median ocellus diameter 0.06 mm; distance between lateral ocelli and median ocellus 0.09 mm; broad carina between antennae, faint carinae extending posteriorly, diverging from rear of broad carina towards median ocellus, forming triangular ante-ocular pit; flagellomere number 25; clypeus width 0.2 mm, height 0.08 mm; malar space height 0.14 mm; distance from ventral eye margin to latero-ventral mouth margin 0.13 mm; labial palpomere 3 length 0.2x labial palpomere 4 length (lengths 0.01 and 0.05 mm, respectively); labial palpomere 2 length 0.05 mm; posterior margin of head, when viewed dorsally, slightly excavated (incursion 0.03 mm); posterior genal margin distinctly carinate with no expansion ventro-posteriorly.

Mesosomal width 0.5 (0.5–0.8) mm, length 1.2 (1.2–1.5) mm, height 0.7 mm; pilosity mostly 0.04–0.06 mm in length and of uniform density and thickness overall; antescutal depression not obvious relative to other taxa, anterior margin carinate, with setal fringe; subpronope distinct and bordered posteriorly by 3 carinae, most posterior carina extending close to anterior margin of pronotum; notauli absent; scutellar sulcus partly obscured by pin, but sulcus faintly scrobiculate, medial carina most prominent, anterior margin convex, posterior margin concave, anterior wall sloped, posterior wall steeper, nearly vertical; propodeal surface coarsely rugose; propodeal spiracle small and round (diameter 0.01 mm); suture line between metapleuron and propodeum delineated by scrobiculate groove; hind coxal cavities closed to metasomal foramen by hind coxal bridge (minimum width 0.03 mm), with carinate margins; sternalus deep, distinctly scrobiculate, long and straight, mostly horizontal; metapleuron lacking a setal field; surface sculpturing smooth except for punctation associated with setae.

Legs with basal lobe of all claws prominent but more triangular than quadrate; mid tibia with 2 apical and 3 preapical spines; preapical spines on anterior surface in distal half of tibia; hind tibia with 4 apical and 5 preapical spines clumped just basal to apical spines.

Both fore and hind wings clear; fore wing maximum width 0.8 (0.8–1.1) mm, length 2.8 (2.8–3.7) mm; cell 1- Rs petiolate and triangular, reduced in size, maximum distance across cell (0.04 mm) marginally greater than width of petiolate vein (0.03 mm); petiole of cell 0.06 mm long; basal third of M+Cu clear to lightly pigmented; hind wing maximum width 0.5 (0.5–0.6) mm, length 2.2 (2.2–3.1) mm.

Metasomal length 1.4 (1.4–2.0) mm, maximum width 0.5 mm; median T1 striate laterally in anterior two thirds, granulate medially in posterior one-third; anterior margin of T1 excavated, in dorsal view rectangular in shape, length 0.5 mm, anterior width 0.2 mm, posterior width (maximum) 0.3 mm; anterior T2 anterior to medial transverse groove faintly striate, area posterior to groove faintly granulate; T2–T3 boundary not distinct; T3 smooth.

Male. As for female except for genitalia.

Holotype: ♀ ‘ Australia, Biró 1900’ ‘ Sydney Botany B. ’ ( HNHM)

Other material examined. Australian Capital Territory: 2 ♀, Molongolor, 27.3.1930, L.F. Graham (ANIC); Canberra, malaise trap, 3 ♀, 5.XII.1979, D.L. Anderson (ANIC), 2 ♀, 17.XII.1979 (ANIC), 1 ♀, 18.III.1980, C.R. Tidemann (ANIC); Black Mountain, malaise trap site 2, 1 ♀, 18–29.II.1980, 2 ♂, 1–15.III.1980, D.H. Colless (ANIC); New South Wales: 1 ♀, Casula, 20.XI.1957, M. Nikitin (BMNH); 1 ♀, Clyde Mountain, western slopes, 17.II.1961, D.H. Colless (ANIC); 1 ♀, Cabbage Tree Creek, Clyde Mountain, 20.II.1965, D.H. Colless (ANIC); 1 ♀, Mossy Point, ex.? Macrobathra or? Eucosma species , emerged 2.III.1980, T.V. Rangsi (ANIC); Northern Territory: 1 ♂, 23.32S 133.38E, Mount Solitaire, 30 km NW of Alice Springs, 29.IX.1978, J.C. Cardale (ANIC); 1 ♂, 23.35S 134.22E, 53 km NE of Alice Springs, 6.X.1978, J.C. Cardale (ANIC).

Comments. Therophilus minor is a small species that ranges in colour from being mostly yellow to the propodeum and dorsal metasoma being dark brown. It can be recognised from all other species by the distinct sculpturing patterns of the propodeum, T1 and T2 (see diagnosis above). This species has been collected from the arid Eyrean region in central Australia as well as moister habitats in the south-east of the continent ( Fig. 18B ). The only biological data for this species is from an undetermined host, noted as either? Macrobathra (Cosmopterigidae) or? Eucosma (Tortricidae) species.

Figures

FIGURE 5. Dorsal propodeum, T1 and T2 of Lytopylus and Therophilus spp. (unless stated otherwise): A, L. rufipes; B, laterodorsal view T. mishae; C, T.minor; D, T. nr tricolor; E, T. minimus; F, dorsal scutellum and propodeum of T. nr leucogaster; G, T. nr unimaculatus; H, latero-dorsal propodeum and T1 of T. rugosus. pr = propodeum; T1 = tergite 1; T2+3 = fused tergites 2 and 3. Scale lines = 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 8. Dorsal head of Therophilus spp.: A, T. martialis (holotype); B, T. minor (holotype). ao = ante-ocular pit; mc = medial carina. Scale lines = 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 18. Distribution maps of described Camptothlipsis, Lytopylus and Therophilus species: A, Camptothlipsis oliveri o, Lytopylus rufipes, Therophilus aalvikorum ●, T. leucogaster ̝, T. martialis; B, T. malignus ●, T. meridionalis o, T.minimus ̝, T. minor ̝.