Westwoodia rodmani Wharton and Roeder

Wharton, Robert A., Roeder, Karl & Yoder, Matthew J., 2008, A monograph of the genus Westwoodia (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae), Zootaxa 1855, pp. 1-40 : 13-14

Westwoodia rodmani Wharton and Roeder , n. sp.

( Figs 1–2 , 17 , 25 , 31 , 37 , 40 )

Description

Male. Head ( Figs 1–2 , 17 ): Face rugose, smooth laterally in holotype, coarsely granular-punctate throughout in paratype. Clypeus transversely wrinkled, more heavily so on ventral half than dorsal half; ventral margin truncate and weakly carinate medially, almost evenly rounded laterally; epistomal sulcus weakly indicated. Eye small, in lateral view 0.7X length of temple; malar space in frontal view 0.4X eye height, 0.6– 0.7X basal width of mandible; malar space weakly rugulose in holotype, rugose in paratype, gena very sparsely and weakly punctate. Frontal depression shallow; lateral swelling of frons weak, rugulose above, inner margin irregularly carinate; frons medially extensively rugose, without trace of carina or elevated flange, with pair of low, irregular, more or less parallel ridges on either side of midline. Occipital carina complete and well-developed throughout, curving gradually towards mandible ventrally, with sharply angled junction of occipital and hypostomal carinae shorter than in other species. Antenna with 34 flagellomeres, flagellum approximately 1.3X longer than fore wing; flagellomeres slender, first flagellomere 4.3–4.4X longer than wide, 1.1X longer than second, densely setose; second flagellomere 3.8–4.1X longer than wide; 10th flagellomere 2.5–2.6X longer than wide.

Mesosoma ( Figs 25 , 31 , 37 , 40 ): Dorsolateral margin of pronotum impunctate, weakly shagreened. Notauli narrow and deep throughout, ending posteriorly in broad, shallow, longitudinally strigose median depression (median depression destroyed by pin in holotype); median lobe of mesoscutum not elevated above lateral lobes. Mesopleuron largely coarsely punctate to rugulose-punctate except smooth and polished posteriorly above mesopleural fovea; sparsely setose ventrally, glabrous dorsally. Propodeum with pleural carina distinct, well-developed throughout; longitudinal carinae well-developed apically, curving laterally nearly to spiracle in paratype; propodeum transversely wrinkled between spiracles in paratype, nearly smooth in holotype. Fore wing areolet distinctly petiolate, 2m-cu arising from proximal 0.35 in holotype and proximal 0.60 in paratype; 1cu-a weakly antefurcal to interstitial; CU1a inclivous, forming nearly straight line with 2cu-a. Fore basitarsus 7.4–7.8X longer than mid-width, 2.5X longer than fifth tarsomere; third and fourth tarsomeres of fore leg 4.0–4.1 and 2.1X longer than wide, respectively; hind basitarsus 8.0–8.5X longer than wide; fore and hind tibia densely setose, setae more sparsely arrayed (especially distally), stouter, and more erect anteriorly than posteriorly; fore and hind tarsomeres 1–4 slightly compressed, densely setose throughout, with very small, almost imperceptible pads at apex of each tarsomere. Inner hind tibial spur longer than apical width of tibia.

Metasoma: Petiole without groove or depression mesad spiracle; dorsal carina obsolescent.

Color: Body entirely orange except mandibular teeth dark brown. Wings hyaline; fore wing stigma brown.

Body length: approximately 13 mm; fore wing 9.3–9.5 mm.

Host: Unknown.

Material examined. Holotype ɗ (WAMP) [ AUSTRALIA,] DENMARK WESTERN AUSTRALIA 19 JAN 1984 R. P. MCMILLAN; second label = AT LIGHT (MV) AT NIGHT; third label = Western Australian Museum Entomology Reg no 26618; fourth label = Westwoodia det. MW SHORT 2000. Paratype: 1 ɗ (QMBA): WESTERN AUSTRALIA, Mundaring, J. Clark.

Diagnosis

First flagellomere of antenna moderately densely setose (more dense than W. ruficeps but less dense than W. longipes ); interantennal flange absent, without trace of median carina; weak lateral swelling of frons irregularly carinate on inner margin; face at least medially and frons heavily sculptured; occipital carina complete, distinctly developed throughout; shape of female tarsomeres unknown; fore wing stigma brown; fore wing areolet present, with 2m-cu variable in origin; body entirely orange.

Distinguished from all other species of Westwoodia by the rugose face and entirely orange body with hyaline wings.

Remarks

This species, known only from the southwestern corner of Australia, does not appear to be closely related to the other described species because of the more heavily sculptured body and unique coloration. It is the only species with hyaline wings. The first flagellomere is more densely covered with setae than in W. ruficeps but less so than other species described here. The inner hind tibial spur is also longer in this species than in the others treated here but is difficult to measure accurately on intact specimens. As in W. romani and W. longipes , there is no interantennal flange, and the frons is at most shallowly impressed. The low, somewhat irregular, parallel ridges on the frons may be remnants of the interantennal flanges seen in other species, but these are not easily distinguished from the rugose sculpture of the frons and appear situated slightly differently than the diverging carinae of species such as W. romani .

The paratype differs from the holotype in several respects, but we consider the variation to be in line with that observed in W. ruficeps . The face, including the malar space, is more heavily and extensively sculptured (granular-punctate throughout), as is the propodeum. Fore wing 2m-cu is also more distally displaced in the paratype, and 1cu-a is interstitial rather than weakly antefurcal. The paratype is not well preserved. Both antennae are broken, the right fore and hind leg are missing, and the apical tarsomeres are missing on all remaining legs. Setal patterns are difficult to discern because of damage, dirt, and grease.

Etymology

This species, having several unique characteristics and known only from the male, is named in honor of Jim Rodman for his contributions to systematic biology.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 4. Head, frontal and oblique views. 1 – 2, paratype, Westwoodia rodmani, n. sp.; 3 – 4, holotype, W. gauldi, n. sp.

FIGURES 15 – 18. Occipital carina. 15, paratype, Westwoodia romani, n. sp., arrow = carina present mid-dorsally; 16, holotype, W. longipes, arrow = where carina absent mid-dorsally; 17, paratype, W. rodmani, n. sp.; 18, W. ruficeps, view of back of head near base of mandible (mandible at upper right corner) arrows = occipital carina (left), hypostomal carina (right) and their junction.

FIGURES 24 – 27. Lateral habitus. 24, holotype, Westwoodia gauldi, n. sp.; 25, paratype, W. rodmani, n. sp.; 26, paratype, W. romani, n. sp.; 27, neotype, W. ruficeps.

FIGURES 28 – 31. Mesosoma, lateral view. 28, holotype, Westwoodia gauldi, n. sp., elevated median lobe of mesoscutum; 29, W. ruficeps; 30, paratype, W. romani, n. sp.; 31, paratype, W. rodmani, n. sp.

FIGURES 34 – 37. Propodeum. 34, holotype, Westwoodia romani, n. sp., densely setose; 35, W. ruficeps, sparsely setose; 36, holotype, W. gauldi, n. sp.; 37, paratype, W. rodmani, n. sp., arrow = well-developed pleural carina.

FIGURES 38 – 41. Wings. 38, Westwoodia ruficeps from Queensland; 39, neotype, W. ruficeps; 40, paratype, W. rodmani, n. sp.; 41, holotype, W. longipes, arrow = fore wing areolet absent.