Tanaostigmodes shrek Apsec, 2005

Hardwick, Sam, Harper, Matilda, Houghton, Gareth, La Salle, Alexander, La Salle, Samuel, Mullaney, Matthew & La Salle, John, 2005, The description of a new species of gall-inducing wasp: a learning activity for primary school students, Australian Journal of Entomology 44 (4), pp. 409-414 : 410-412

Tanaostigmodes shrek Apsec (Figs 7,8,11–22) sp. nov.

Types. Holotype female: Australia, Australian Capital Territory (ACT), Canberra , 20.xii.1948, EF Riek, ex galls on seed of Bossiaea (ANIC) .

8, 2 paratypes as follows: Same data as holotype (5 2 ANIC; 1 BMNH; 1 USNM); Australia, ACT, Black Mountain, iv.1982, ID Naumann & JC Cardale, malaise trap (1, ANIC) .

Diagnosis. Head and body dark brown; face yellow, with transverse dark brown stripe at level of torulus. Wing with large infumated area medially, extending from anterior margin most of the distance to posterior margin. Hind femur without a subapical tooth.

Description.

Female ( Fig. 7 ). Length 1.8–2.5 mm. Mesosoma and gaster dark brown, except pronotum and apex of fore coxa yellow. Head yellow, with the following dark brown: transverse stripe between eyes at level of torulus; clypeal margin; lateral sutures bordering clypeus; transverse stripe on vertex enclosing ocelli. Legs dark brown, except: fore tibia and apex of hind tibia yellow; tarsi yellow except dark brown last tarsal segment. Wing with large infumated area medially, extending from anterior margin most of the distance to posterior margin.

Head (Figs 8,11,12) 1.3–1.35 times wider than high. Distance from lateral ocellus to eye margin approximately 1.5 times distance from lateral ocellus to median ocellus. Scrobal impression smooth, shallow. Interantennal projection is small. Malar sulcus complete.

Antenna (Figs 19,20) with scape long and slender, about five times longer than wide. Antenna with two anelli and six funicular segments. Funicular segments 1–4 longer than wide; segments 5–6 subquadrate to wider than long.

Mesosoma ( Figs 13–15 ) with coriaceous to imbricate sculpture dorsally. Notauli deep, well defined, meeting poste- riorly just anterior to scuto-scutellar suture. Propodeum lightly sculptured medially, smooth laterally; callus with many (20+) setae. Mesopleuron smooth and shiny; sternopleural suture connected to mesopleural suture.

Fore wing (Figs 17,18) with broad infumated patch medially. Stigmal vein at acute angle (less than 45∞) to anterior margin of wing. Marginal fringe extending around margin of wing to postmarginal vein. Anterior margin of costal cell with several scattered rows of setae. Basal cell with many (30+) setae. Wing vein ratios: costal cell/marginal vein 2.5; marginal vein/stigmal vein 1.2; marginal vein/postmarginal vein 1.6; postmarginal vein/stigmal vein 0.75.

Metasoma ( Fig. 16 ) with light imbricate sculpture. Tergites without longitudinal median raised or impressed lines. Hind margin of tergites 1 and 2 very slightly emarginate.

Male. Similar to female except in sexual characters and as follows. Face dark brown, concolourous with the rest of head and body. Antenna (Figs 21,22) with all funicular segments distinctly longer than wide, and clothed with many setae; the setae about as long as width of segment.

Etymology. This species is named for Shrek, the ogre from the Shrek movies. All the authors like Shrek very much, and find that he has many qualities to respect and admire. To avoid having a species name which is encumbered with seven author names, the author name for Tanaostigmodes shrek is given as Apsec (an acronym for Aranda Primary School Entomology Club).

Biology. This species is reared from galls induced in elaiosomes on the seeds of Bossiaea sp. ( Fabaceae ) (Figs 9,10).

Distribution. Only known from Australia, ACT, Canberra.

Figures

Figs 7–10. (7,8) Tanaostigmodes shrek: (7) habitus; (8) face. (9,10) Galls: (9) three normal Bossiaea seeds with elaiosomes, and one seed with gall induced in elaiosome; (10) close up of gall induced in elaiosome.

Figs 11–16. Electron micrographs of Tanaostigmodes shrek: (11) head; (12) lower face and clypeus; (13) mesosoma; (14) mesoscutum and pronotum; (15) axillae and scutellum; (16) gaster.