Minagenia lasallei Decker, Pitts & Rodriguez, 2020

Decker, Brenna L., Pitts, James P., Yuan, David & Rodriguez, Juanita, 2020, Re-examination of Australian and Oriental species of Minagenia Banks, 1934 (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae), with a new record for the genus in Australia and a new species description, Zootaxa 4768 (3), pp. 383-394 : 385-388

Minagenia lasallei Decker, Pitts & Rodriguez , sp. nov. ( Fig. 1 , 2 )

Diagnosis. This new species can be distinguished from other Australasian and Oriental Minagenia species by the combination of the following characteristics: the antennal scape and pedicel are yellow to light brown, either fully or ventrally; the body size is significantly smaller (less than 4 mm) than other Minagenia in this region (generally greater than 5 mm); the males have the parameres narrow, with a small basal shelf and setae over the basal shelf and apical third; and females with two bands on forewings, located at basal third and two-thirds.

Description. MALE. ( Fig. 1 a–e). Body length 2.8–4.4 (3.5) mm. Fore wing length 2.6–3.3 (2.9) mm.

Coloration. Integument dark brown except: face, vertex black; mandible apex red; pedicel dorsally, palpi, pronotum laterally, tegula, coxa basal posteriorly, tibial spurs, hind tibia, hind tarsi, sternites, tergite laterally brown; mid tarsi, mid tibial spurs, ultimate fore tarsi segment light brown; remaining leg areas, pedicel ventrally, scape, labrum, mandible yellow; wing subhyaline, veins light brown, forewing apical apex clouded; pubescence silver over full body, brown on wings.

Integument. Pubescence dense, short, appressed; setae on mesosoma, lower clypeus, some on mandibles longer, more conspicuous. Punctation shallow, fine, dense on head, pronotum, anterior scutum; larger on rest of mesosoma, inconspicuous on metasoma.

Head. Head round ( Fig. 1c ); inner orbits almost parallel, eyes large, protuberant, almost obscuring gena in lateral view; TFD 1.2 × FD, MID 0.5 × FD. WC 2.2 × LC. Vertex convex. Ocelli in slight obtuse triangle, positioned slightly above top of eyes; OOL 1.1 × POL. Mandible with one apical tooth besides apex. Clypeus wide, truncated apically, upper edge slightly indented medially. LA3 2.2 × its width; ratio of A1–A4 12:6:13:13; LA3 0.4 × UID.

Mesosoma. Posterior margin of pronotum gently arched; anterior face flat. Metapostnotum with weak horizontal striations, posterior edge truncated. Fore wing setose; 3rs-m with small median outward pocket, vein curvature does not exactly match 2rs-m; 2m-cu curved inward posteriorly, meeting SMC3 slightly before or at midway from base to apex of cell; M reaching wing margin. Hind wing cu-a joins M+CuA much before juncture of M with CuA; anal lobe oblong. Mesosternum plates with posterior pointed projections. Fore tarsus lacking well-defined tarsal comb. Inner fore tarsal claw, both mid tarsal claws bifid; outer fore tarsal claw unidentate, curved under; hind tarsal claws unidentate, curved at nearly 45° angle.

Metasoma. Metasoma covered by short, appressed setae, not obscuring integument. S2 lacking well-defined transverse groove. SGP oblanceolate, slightly laterally compressed with apex rounded, sides without distinct median angles; setae short, suberect, fringe along margin ( Fig. 1d ).

Genitalia. Paramere long, thin ( Fig. 1e ); base wide, narrowing at midway, slight widening at apical fourth to rounded apex; long thicker bristles on base, short thin setae along middle section, longer setae along widened apex. Digitus thick, curved outward, rounded apex; 1/2 length of paramere. Basal hooks with two projections. Cuspis broad, shallow without distinctly defined margins.

FEMALE. ( Fig. 1 f–h) Body length 3.5 mm. Fore wing length 2.9–3 (3) mm.

Coloration. Similar to male except: antennae, palpi, base of mandibles, propodeum, fore coxa, posterior mid coxa, posterior hind coxa brown; scape, pedicel, labrum, apex of mandible to teeth, rest of legs light brown. Fore wing subhyaline with two faint bands, first between B and D1, second over MC into D2; hind wing hyaline.

Integument. Body pubescence and punctuation similar to male holotype. S4 and S5 median apical margin with some longer setae.

Head. ( Fig. 1h ). Similar to male holotype except: TFD 1.3 × FD, MID 0.7 × FD, OOL 1 × POL. LA3 3.6 × its width; ratio of A1–A4 8:4:9:9; LA3 0.5 × UID. A6–A12 stout, LA6 2.3 × its width. Antennal sensilla begin at apical half of A5.

Mesosoma. Similar to male holotype except: fore tarsal claws symmetrical, hind tarsal claws bifid.

Metasoma. S6 compressed laterally, sides light brown; bristles long, thin; some thicker slightly shorter bristles on ventral ridge. Sting straight, lighter on apical half.

Type material. Holotype. ♂, Australia, Queensland, Mt. Lewis Rd , 17–24.ii.1984, L. Masner, EMUS _781 ; Paratypes. Australia: 1♀, Queensland, Mt. Lewis Rd , 17–24.ii.1984, L. Masner, EMUS _ 795 (allotype); 1♂, Tas- mania, Port Arthur , 7.ii–1.iii.1960 s(?), EMUS _798; 1♀, Tasmania, Port Arthur , 15.ii–8.iii.1960 s(?), EMUS _796. Other material. Australia: 6♂, Queensland, Mt. Lewis Rd , 17–24.ii.1984, L. Masner, EMUS _781, 786, 788– 790, 797; 4♂, Queensland, Davis Creak N.P., 17–24.ii.1984, L. Masner, EMUS _782-785; 4♂, 1♀, Queensland, Kuranda , 17–24.ii.1984, L. Masner, EMUS _787, 791-794; 1♀, Australian Capital Territory, Australian National Botanic Gardens , 20.iii.1981, Tidemann, ANIC32 _151550; 1♂, Australian Capital Territory, Australian National Botanic Gardens , 13.ii.1981, Tidemann ANIC32 _151551; 1♀, Australian Capital Territory, Australian National Bo- tanic Gardens , 5–6.xii.1979, ANIC32 _151552; 1♂, 1♀, Queensland, Wongabel State Forest , v.1967, D.H. Colless, ANIC32 _ 151553, ANIC32 _151554; 2♂, Australian Capital Territory, CSIRO Black Mountain site, 35°16’25”S 149°6’38”E, close to Botanic Gardens fence, 538m, malaise, 6–14.ii.2018, T. Pleines & J. Rodriguez, ANIC32 _ 151555, ANIC32 _151556; 1♂, Australian Capital Territory, CSIRO Black Mountain site, 35°16’25”S 149°6’38”E, close to Botanic Gardens fence, 538m, malaise, 28.ii–19.iii.2018, K. Bayless & J. Rodriguez, ANIC32 _151557; 1♂, Australian Capital Territory, CSIRO Black Mountain site, 35°16’25”S 149°6’38”E, close to Botanic Gardens fence, 538m, malaise, 14–21.ii.2018, T. Pleines & J. Rodriguez, ANIC32 _151558; 1♂, Australian Capital Terri- tory, CSIRO Black Mountain site, 35°16’25”S 149°6’38”E, close to Botanic Gardens fence, 538m, malaise, 21– 28.ii.2018, T. Pleines & J. Rodriguez, ANIC32 _151559; 1♂, Australian Capital Territory, CSIRO Black Mountain site, 35°16’25”S 149°6’38”E, close to Botanic Gardens fence, 538m, malaise, 10–17.i.2018, K. Bayless & J. Ro- driguez, ANIC32 _151562; 2♂, Australian Capital Territory, CSIRO Black Mountain site, 35°16’25”S 149°6’38”E, close to Botanic Gardens fence, 538m, malaise, 21–28.ii.2018, K. Bayless & J. Rodriguez, ANIC32 _ 151560, ANIC32 _151561; 3♂, Australian Capital Territory, CSIRO Black Mountain site, 35°16’25”S 149°6’38”E, close to Botanic Gardens fence, 538m, malaise, 14–21.ii.2018, K. Bayless & J. Rodriguez, ANIC32 _ 151563, ANIC32 _ 151564, ANIC32 _151565; 1♀, New South Wales, Coocumbac Is. Nature Reserve, Taree , 1–8.xii.1994, G&T. Wil- liams, ex floodplain rainforest, ANIC32 _117063; 2♀, New South Wales, Coocumbac Is. Nature Reserve, Manning Riv., Taree , 1–8.xii.1994, riv. rainforest, G&T. Williams, 32_117064, 32_117068 ; 5♂, Australian Capital Territory, Canberra, Malaise 16.xii.1978 – 16.i.1979, C.R. Tidemann, ANIC32 _116988, 32_117004–32_117007; 11♂, Austra- lian Capital Territory, Canberra, Malaise 28.xi –28.xii.1979, D.L. Anderson, ANIC32 _116985, 32_116999–7000, 32_116989–92, 32_116993–96; 4♂, Australian Capital Territory, Canberra, Malaise 4–23.iv.1980, C.R. Tidemann, ANIC32 _117001–32_117003, 32_116997; 1♀, Queensland, Mt. Glorious , SEQ 16.xi.1976, A. Hiler, malaise trap. Rainforest, QMBA-Ent19.08; 1♂, Lismore, Wilson NR, Wyrallah Rd , 15–16.xii.1998, sticky trap, large eucalypt trunk, D. Bickel, AMS-K510035 ; 3♂, New South Wales, Wishing Well Forest Park, 33°05’S 151°23’E, 10.xi.1992, AMS-K504778 , K504790, K504792.

Distribution. Eastern Australia; from Queensland south to Tasmania ( Fig. 2 ).

Etymology. This new species is dedicated to our friend and colleague John LaSalle (1951–2018), who dedicated his life to the study of parasitic Hymenoptera and enhancing our knowledge on Australian biodiversity.

Variation. The male and female specimens do not vary much in terms of morphological measurements, besides the length:width of A3. The body length of males from Tasmania are larger (upper body length range) than those from Australia (lower body length range). For the two males and one female specimens ( EMUS) from Tasmania, the mesosoma height in lateral view is greater and the clypeus slightly larger, but with similar WC × LC ratio compared to Queensland specimens. There is also some color variation, but the male genitalia and SGP match that of the Queensland, AUS holotype. Tasmanian color variation in males includes darker tarsi and fore coxa with yellow on the apical areas of the mid and hind coxa. Males may also have yellow on the labrum and the underside of the scape, with the rest of the scape light brown. In females, the color variation includes leg areas being more yellow than light brown, and the antennal flagella darker overall .

Host. Unknown.

Remarks. This is the only known species of Minagenia occurring in Australia. The collection years of the two Tasmanian paratype specimens are approximate, as the collector during the 1960–70 ’s did not include years on his labels.

Minagenia lasallei , sp. nov., can be differentiated from all other Australasian Minagenia species by several characteristics. In males, parameres are wide in M. brevicornis ( Banks, 1934) while parameres are narrow with a small basal shelf in M. lasallei sp. nov., Males of Minagenia taiwana have white maculations on the lower face and clypeus, while the face of M. lasallei , sp. nov., is brown. In females, body size and wing coloration differ between species. Minagenia taiwana females are very large (about 12 mm body length), with long antennal segments (A6 length 4 × width) and fore wings fully dark brown. In comparison, Minagenia lasallei , sp. nov., females are small (body length about 3.5 mm), antennal segments very short (A6 length 2.5 × width), and wings with hyaline areas. When compared to the paratype female of M. brevicornis , M. lasallei , sp. nov., is distinctly much smaller (body sizes 3.5 mm compared to 5.4 mm), with the pronotum margin arcuate instead of angulate as in M. brevicornis . In addition to body size, the fore wing of the M. brevicorni s paratype has a single sub-apical band, while M. lasallei , sp. nov., has two distinct fore wing bands.

Figures

FIGURE 1: Minagenia lasallei, sp. nov. (A–E, holotype, male; F–H, allotype, female). A and F, habitus, lateral view. B and G, habitus, dorsal view. C and H, head, frontal view. D, subgenital plate, ventral view on left, lateral view on right. E, genitalia, ventral view on left, dorsal view on right. Scale bars: 1 mm full body images (A, B, F, G), 0.5 mm head (C, H), and 0.25 mm for subgenital plate and genitalia (D, E).

FIGURE 2. Predicted distribution map of Minagenia lasallei, sp. nov., in Australia and Tasmania.