Antargidium flavescens, Schmidt, Stefan, 2012

Schmidt, Stefan, 2012, Revision of the Australian sawfly genus Antargidium (Hymenoptera, Symphyta, Argidae) with description of two new species, Zootaxa 3180, pp. 47-56 : 55

Antargidium flavescens new species

( Figs 3, 7 )

Description. Female. Length 5.7 mm. Flagellum yellow with brown base, scape and pedicel brown. Head yellow, lower face whitish, brown are the ocellar area, supraantennal area, a line along lateral sides of postocellar area, and apex of mandibles. Thorax yellow, midlobe of mesoscutum anteriorly with indistinct brown patch, lateral lobes with a brown stripe; pectus with brown patches; metathorax dorsally with brown markings. Legs yellow. Abdomen yellow, basal tergites with very faint transverse brownish patches. Wings hyaline, costa of forewing whitish, stigma whitish with brown centre.

Supraclypeal area smooth and shining, with scattered punctation, without median longitudinal carina. Antenna shorter than width of head (0.8); pedicel transverse, 0.6 × as long as broad. POL subequal to OOL; postocellar area about 1.7 × as broad as long. Eyes about 1.7 × as long as broad, very slightly converging below, interocular distance 1.2 × eye height. Sheath narrow in dorsal view, evenly tapering toward apex, obliquely truncate in lateral view, without dorsal projection.

Male. Unknown.

Host. Unknown.

Distribution. Australia: Western Australia.

Type. Holotype: Female, labelled “Crossing Pool, Millstream, W.A., 22. oct. 1970, J. C. Cardale”, “ Holotype, Antargidium flavescens sp. nov., Ƥ, det. S. Schmidt 2011” [red label] ( ANIC).

Etymology. The species is named after the predominantly yellow colour.

Remarks. The species is only known from the female holotype. It is, unlike the other Antargidium species, almost completely yellow. The colour pattern is similar to pale specimens of Antargidium dentivalve (described by Benson as A. rufum ), but the latter has brown legs and (like all other Antargidium species) brown antenna, whereas in A. flavescens the flagellum is mostly yellow and the legs are completely yellow. Furthermore, the sawsheath lacks dorsal projections that are present in A. dentivalve . The saw was not dissected to prevent damaging the only known specimen of the species and because the species can be readily distinguished from other species of the genus by the characters given in the key.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 7. Antargidium spp., 1 – 2 face, 3 – 4: vertex, 5: apex of abdomen, 6: female hypopygium, 6: sawsheath. (1, 6) A. allucente; (2) A. atriceps; (3, 7) A. flavescens holotype; (4, 5) A. dentivalve. Abbreviations: S: supraclypeal area, K: carina, P: dorsal projections.