Ascogaster brevivena, Kittel & Austin, 2015

Kittel, Rebecca N. & Austin, Andrew D., 2015, New species of Australian arid zone chelonine wasps from the genera Phanerotoma and Ascogaster (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) informed by the ‘ Bush Blitz’ surveys of national reserves, Journal of Natural History 50, pp. 211-262 : 224-226

Ascogaster brevivena sp. nov.

( Figures 4a – e , 15 )

Description (female)

Body measurements. Length of body 2.3 – 2.5 mm; ratio of antenna to body 0.78 – 0.79 in females, 1.06 in males; ratio of length of fore wing to body 0.94 – 0.97 in females, 0.85 in males; ratio of length of metasoma to mesosoma 1.2.

Head. Antenna with 22 antennomeres in females, 24 antennomere in males; ratio of length of third antennomere to fourth 1.1 in females, 1.25 in males; ratio of length of third, fourth, penultimate and terminal antennomere 3.5 – 3.8, 3.3 – 3.7, 0.9 – 1.2, and 1.3 – 1.6 in females, 3, 3, 1.3 and 1.7 in males times their width, respectively; ratio of length of eye in dorsal view to length of temple 4.3 in females, 4.2 in males; ocelli equilateral; imaginary line between anterior margins of posterior ocelli is not touching the anterior ocellus; ratio of width of face in anterior view to its height 1.9 – 2.1 in females, 1.8 in males; ratio of width of clypeus to its height 1.0 – 1.1; clypeus without teeth; ratio of length of malar space to base of mandible 1.6 – 1.7 in females, 1.4 in males; face and frons punctate; eyes with sparsely minute setae; ratio posterior ocelli:distance between the two posterior ocelli (POL):distance between anterior ocellus and posterior ocellus (LOL):distance between posterior ocellus and eye (OOL) 1.0:1.0:0.7 – 0.8:2.2 – 2.6.

Mesosoma. Middle lobe of mesoscutum fine rugose; notauli absent; mesoscutellum shiny, fine punctate, weakly convex; mesopleuron shiny, smooth; precoxal sulcus present; ratio of height of mesosoma to its length 1.5 in females, 1.7 in males; hind coxa shiny, smooth; ratio of length of hind tibia to hind tarsus 1.0 – 1.1; ratio hind coxa, hind femur, hind tibia and hind tarsus 1.8 – 2.2, 3.1 – 3.5, 5.2 – 5.5 and 13.0 – 18.0 in females, 2.1, 4.2, 4.8 and 12.5 in males times their width, respectively; ratio of length of posterior spur to length of basal tarsus 0.55 in females, 0.48 in males; fore wing: 2-R1 absent; ratio of length of 1-R1 to length of pterostigma 0.9 – 1.0; ratio of width of pterostigma to its length 2.5 – 2.8; ratio r:3- SR:SR-1:r-m 1.0:1.0 – 1.3:1.1 – 2.2: 0.7 in females, 1.0:0.9:5.5: 0.8 in males; SR-1 only basally sclerotised; 1-SR+M emanating from base of parastigma; 2-SR+M antefurcal or interstitial.

Metasoma. Shape of metasoma oval in dorsal view; ratio of width of metasoma to its length 0.55; carapace broadens to posterior end in lateral view; ratio keel to metasomal length 0.1; carapace rugose.

Colour. Head brown, paler around eyes; anterior half of antenna light brown, posterior half dark brown; mesosoma black; wings with long brown hair given a smoky appearance of the wings, with a white band underneath the parastigma; legs white, with femur and apical end of tibia brown; anterior end of carapace white, extending dorsal into the posterior dark end.

Male. Head beige; antenna light brown; mesosoma black; legs as female but paler; wings infuscate; wing venation brown; metasoma anterior half white, posterior half black.

Diagnosis

Females differ from all other described Ascogaster in Australia by having a reduced SR-1 vein (not extending to the margin of the fore wing).

Specimens examined

Holotype, Australia (South Australia): 1 ♀, “ 27 October 2010, Bon Bon Station 30°25'29 “ S, 135°28'41 “ E, Bush Blitz survey, R. Kittel, at light ” ( SAM) . Paratypes, Australia (Queensland): 1 ♀, Mt Glorious, Hiller property, 27°20'S, 152°46'E, 12 December 1998, N . Power , MT ( WINC); 1 ♀, SEQ: Enogera Res ., site 3, 27°27'S, 152°55'E, 27 January – 15 March 2000, C.J. Burwell, S.G.

Evans, malaise 1000 m 50274 ( QM); 1 ♂, SEQ: East Woodmillar , 250 m, 25°41'S, 151°36'E, 21 August – 10 October 1998, G .B. Monteith, vine scrub, FIT 7255 (WINC).

Biology

Unknown.

Etymology

The name ‘ brevivena ’ reflects the unusual short SR-1 vein in the fore wing of the females.

Distribution

Northern South Australia ( Bon Bon Station ), Queensland ( Figure 15 ) .

CO1 sequence

Genbank accession numbers for this species are KJ438547 – KJ438549 .

Figures

Figure 4. Ascogaster brevivena sp. nov.:(a) habitus, lateral,holotype, scale line = 1 mm; (b) mesosoma and metasoma, dorsal view, holotype, scale line = 1 mm; (c) head, dorsal, holotype, scale line = 0.5 mm; (d) head, anterior, holotype, scale line = 0.5 mm; (e) fore wing, paratype, scale line = 0.5 mm.

Figure 15. Distribution map: Ascogaster brevivena sp. nov., grey circle; Ascogaster ferruginegaster sp. nov., black triangle; Ascogaster prolixogaster sp. nov., grey triangle; Ascogaster rubriscapa sp. nov., black square.