Therophilus malignus (Turner)

Stevens, Nicholas B., Austin, Andrew D. & Jennings, John T., 2011, Diversity, distribution and taxonomy of the Australian agathidine genera Camptothlipsis Enderlein, Lytopylus Foerster and Therophilus Wesmael (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Agathidinae), Zootaxa 2887 (1), pp. 1-49 : 25-26

Therophilus malignus (Turner)

( Figs 7B , 12B , 18B )

Agathiella maligna Turner, 1918a: 112 [examined]. Holotype BMNH ♀; Type locality: Yallingup, Western Australia. Parrott, 1953: 198 [catalogue].

Agathis maligna (Turner) ; Shenefelt, 1970b: 342 [catalogue, generic transfer].

Bassus malignus (Turner) ; Yu et al., 2005 [catalogue, generic transfer].

Therophilus malignus (Turner) ; Stevens et al., 2010: 20 [catalogue, generic transfer].

Diagnosis. Broad rounded elevation between antennae; notauli absent anteriorly; gena slightly expanded ventroposteriorly; sternalus unsculptured; with BROW colour pattern.

Description (female). Body length 8.0 (6.0–8.0) mm; ovipositor 6.5 (4.9–6.5) mm; head orange, except antenna dark brown; metanotum, propodeum, metapleuron and dorso-posterior margin of mesopleuron black, rest of mesosoma orange (mesosoma sometimes mostly black to dark brown except orange on pronotum and propleuron); fore leg orange except claws and trochantellus dark brown; mid and hind legs black except white band on basal tibia (mid leg sometimes orange except for coxa and basal femur dark); median T1 black except white band along posterior margin and white patches laterally about each spiracle; S1 and S2 white except black patch medially; anterior and lateral margins of T2 white, remainder black; T3 black except white along antero-lateral margin; remainder of metasoma black.

Head width 1.8 mm, length 0.8 mm, height 1.2 mm; eye width 0.3 mm, length 0.5 mm, height 0.7 mm; interorbital distance 1.1 mm; median ocellus diameter 0.1 mm; distance between lateral ocelli and medial ocellus 0.15 mm; distance between lateral ocelli 0.2 mm; broad rounded elevation between antennae; ante-ocular pit triangular, but not well defined; antenna with 41 flagellomeres; clypeus width 0.4 mm, height 0.15 mm; malar space height 0.4 mm; distance from ventral eye margin to latero-ventral mouth margin 0.45 mm; labial palpomere 3 length 0.35x labial palpomere 4 length (lengths 0.2 and 0.07 mm, respectively); posterior margin of head, when viewed dorsally, excavated (incursion 0.1 mm); posterior genal margin distinctly carinate, gena with slight expansion ventro-posteriorly.

Mesosomal width 1.5 (1.1–1.5) mm, length 3.2 (2.4–3.2) mm; height 1.9 mm; pilosity mostly short and sparse, particularly dorsally, except distinct dense setal field on metapleuron and mesepimeron, extending marginally onto mesopleuron; subpronope large and distinct, bordered posteriorly by carina that extends to anterior margin of pronotum; notauli absent anteriorly; scutellar sulcus distinctly divided into 2 main pits by medial longitudinal carina, indistinct carinae on each side of medial carina, posterior sulcus margin curved; propodeum smooth except for short, longitudinal rugose carinae medially; suture line between metapleuron and propodeum delineated by longitudinal carina, not scrobiculate groove; propodeal spiracle oval-shaped; hind coxal cavities closed to metasomal foramen; sternalus short, straight, shallow, broad, and smooth; metapleuron with distinct setal field, surface smooth except for fine punctation associated with setae.

Legs with all claws with large quadrate basal lobe; mid tibia with 5 apical spines and 7 preapical spines; preapical spines spaced along anterior surface in distal half of tibia; hind tibia with 4 apical and 11 preapical spines; preapical spines clumped just basal to apical spines.

Both fore and hind wings marginally infuscate, particularly distally, paler basally; fore wing maximum width 2.4 (1.2–2.4) mm, length 6.8 (4.8–7.0) mm; cell 1-Rs highly reduced to small circle only (diameter 0.02 mm) (cell 1-Rs sometimes triangular, maximum distance across cell 0.1 mm); cell petiole length 0.1 (0.07–0.1) mm, width 0.1 (0.04–0.1) mm; M+Cu entirely pigmented; hind wing maximum width 1.4 (1.0–1.4) mm, length 5.6 (3.9–5.6) mm.

Metasomal length 3.6 (3.0–3.6) mm, maximum width 1.3 (1.1–1.3) mm; entire dorsal surface smooth; T1 median area length 1.2 mm (1.0–1.2), anterior width 0.5 mm, posterior width (maximum) 0.8 mm; T2–3, with only one complete transverse groove, occurring at T2–T3 boundary, slight lateral impressions where T2 medial groove would occur.

Male. Unknown.

Holotype: ♀, ‘ S.W. Australia. Yallingup. Nov. 1913, R.E. Turner. 1914–190’ ( BMNH).

Other material examined. New South Wales: 1 ♀, Mount Bunganbil , 37 km NNE of Narrandera, em. IX.1972, E.D. Edwards ( ANIC) ; South Australia: 1 ♀, 32.39S 138.06E, 2 km SSE Wilmington , 11.XI.1987, I. Naumann & J.C. Cardale ( ANIC) .

Comments. Therophilus malignus belongs to the BROW mimicry complex and is similar in colour pattern to T. meridionalis and T. unimaculatus . However, T. malignus is easily distinguished from the other two species by the slight expansion of the gena ventro-posteriorly, the presence on the propodeum of several longitudinal rugose carinae medially, and the curved posterior scutellar sulcus margin. It is known from the south-west and the south-east of the Australian mainland ( Fig. 18B ).

The holotype is damaged as follows: all the right legs from the femur are missing; both antennae are missing apical flagellomeres; propleuron still connected to the mesosoma even though pinning of the specimen has caused partial dislocation of these two body regions.

Figures

FIGURE 7. Anterior head of Camptothlipsis and Therophilus spp.: A, C. oliveri; B, T. malignus (holotype); C, T. martialis; D, T. tricolor; E, T. stephensae; F, undescribed Therophilus species. Scale lines = 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 12. Lateral habitus of Therophilus spp.: A, female T. aalvikorum; B, female T. malignus (holotype); C, female T. nr latibalteatus; D, female T. festinatus (holotype); E, male T. leucogaster (holotype); F, female T. nr meridionalis. Scale lines = 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 18. Distribution maps of described Camptothlipsis, Lytopylus and Therophilus species: A, Camptothlipsis oliveri o, Lytopylus rufipes, Therophilus aalvikorum ●, T. leucogaster ̝, T. martialis; B, T. malignus ●, T. meridionalis o, T.minimus ̝, T. minor ̝.