Therophilus pedunculatus (Szépligeti)

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 : 34-35

Therophilus pedunculatus (Szépligeti)

( Figs 4F , 13D , 19B )

Microdus pedunculatus Szépligeti, 1905: 51 [examined]. Holotype HNHM ♂; Type locality: Sydney , New South Wales.

Turner, 1918a: 106 [notes]. Agathis pedunculatus (Szépligeti) ; Parrott, 1953: 198 [catalogue, generic transfer]; Shenefelt, 1970b: 348 [catalogue]. Bassus pedunculatus (Szépligeti) ; Papp, 2004: 175 [catalogue, generic transfer]; Yu et al., 2005 noted that Bassus pedunculatus

( Szépligeti, 1905) was preoccupied by B. pedunculatus ( Szépligeti, 1902) from New Guinea. Therophilus pedunculatus (Szépligeti) ; Stevens et al., 2010: 21 [catalogue, generic transfer].

Diagnosis. Broad carina between antennae; distinct triangular ante-ocular pit; notauli and sternalus deeply impressed and scrobiculate, sternalus long, nearly attaining anterior margin of mesopleuron; propodeum coarsely rugose-carinate; mesosoma noticeably more pilose than most other Australian species; preapical spines extending along anterior surface into basal half of tibia; T1 with faint granulate to striate sculpturing.

Description (male). Body length 4.2 (3.5–4.2) mm; entire head, antenna, mesosoma, hind coxa, hind femur, distal hind tibia and basal band on hind tibia, hind tarsomeres and posterior metasoma (from posterior T2) dark brown to black; palps, fore and mid legs, hind trochanter and trochantellus, basal and medial bands on hind tibia, and anterior metasoma yellow to pale yellow.

Head width 1.0 mm, length 0.5 mm, height 0.8 mm; eye width 0.2 mm, length 0.3 mm, height 0.4 mm; head triangular in anterior view but not extremely so; inter-orbital distance 0.6 mm; median ocellus diameter 0.08 mm; distance between lateral ocelli and median ocellus 0.06 mm; distance between lateral ocelli 0.14 mm; single broad carina between antennae; ante-ocular pit distinct and triangular; antenna with 31 flagellomeres; clypeus width 0.3 mm, height 0.1 mm; malar space height 0.2 mm; distance from ventral eye margin to latero-ventral mouth margin 0.22 mm; labial palpomere 3 length 0.3x labial palpomere 4 length (lengths 0.03 and 0.09 mm, respectively); labial palpomere 2 length 0.09 mm; posterior margin of head, when viewed dorsally, excavated (incursion 0.06 mm); posterior genal margin distinctly carinate with no expansion ventro-posteriorly.

Mesosomal width 0.9 (0.7–0.9) mm, length 1.6 (1.4–1.6) mm; height 1.2 mm; most of lateral mesosoma extensively pilose, of uniform setal density and length (approximately 0.08 mm); dorsal setae of similar length but not as thick or occurring as densely; antescutal depression distinct, with setal fringe; subpronope also distinct, bordered posteriorly by numerous carina that form part of scrobiculate groove that curves from subpronope towards, but not reaching anterior margin of pronotum; notauli distinct, deeply impressed and scrobiculate; scutellar sulcus obscured by pin; propodeal surface coarsely rugose-carinate; propodeal spiracle elliptical (maximum distance across 0.03 mm); suture line between metapleuron and propodeum delineated by distinctly scrobiculate groove; hind coxal cavities closed to metasomal foramen by wide hind coxal bridge (minimum width 0.08 mm), with carinate margins; sternalus deeply impressed, distinctly scrobiculate, curved, long, nearly reaching anterior margin of mesopleuron; metapleural setal field absent, surface sculpturing extensively rugose-punctate.

Legs with basal lobe of all claws well developed and quadrate; mid tibia with 1 apical and 7 preapical spines; preapical spines extend along anterior surface into basal half of tibia; hind tibia with 4 apical and 7 preapical spines; preapical spines clumped just basal to apical spines.

Both fore and hind wings clear; fore wing maximum width 1.3 (0.8–1.3) mm, length 3.4 (2.8–3.4) mm; cell 1- Rs petiolate and triangular, not large in size, maximum distance across cell 0.06 mm, greater than width of petiole 0.03 mm; cell petiole length 0.07 mm; most of M+Cu non-pigmented; hind wing maximum width 0.7 (0.5–0.7) mm, length 2.8 (2.3–2.8) mm.

Metasomal length 2.0 (1.7–2.0) mm, maximum width 0.5 mm; median T1 faintly striate in anterior half, faintly granulate posteriorly (entirely faintly granulate); anterior margin T1 excavated, faint paired carinae associated with posterior laterope; T1 triangular in dorsal view, length 0.6 mm, anterior width 0.3 mm, posterior (maximum) width 0.5 mm; T2 faintly granulate, particulary anteriorly (faintly striate on granulate background); T3 smooth; medial groove of T2, groove delimiting T2+3 boundary slight.

Female. As for male but with ovipositor 2.5 mm in length, considerably longer than metasoma but shorter than specimen length.

Holotype: ♂, ‘ Australia, Biró 1900’ ‘ N.S. Wales, Sydney’ ( HNHM).

Other material examined. Queensland: 1 ♂, Kogan, 21.X.1958, J. Sekhon ( UQIC) ; South Australia: 1 ♀, Old Alton Downs, Simpson Desert, 19.IX.1972, Z. Liepa ( ANIC) .

Comments. Therophilus pedunculatus is mostly dark brown to black and is noticeably more pilose than most other Australian species, with T. xanthopsis being the exception. Therophilus pedunculatus has been recorded from the arid interior of the mainland and the moister subtropical regions of south-east Queensland ( Fig. 19B ).

The holotype is partly damaged as follows: left antenna incomplete, 12 flagellomeres remain; both fore legs incomplete from femur ( Anthrenus damage evident on small portion of remaining tibia); right mid leg incomplete from coxa; right hind leg femur partly consumed, claw missing.

Figures

FIGURE 4. Lateral views of Therophilus spp.: A, lateral head and anterior mesosoma T. festinatus; B, antero-lateral head and mesosoma T. martialis; C, lateral head and anterior mesosoma T. mishae; D, lateral head and mesosoma T. nr latibalteatus; E, lateral head and mesosoma T. ruficeps; F, lateral head and mesosoma T. pedunculatus; G, lateral mesosoma T. festinatus; H, lateral mesosoma T. martialis. Scale lines = 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 13. Lateral habitus of Camptothlipsis and Therophilus spp.: A, male C. oliveri; B, female T. martialis (holotype); C, female T. nr minimus; D, male T. pedunculatus (holotype); E & F, T. ruficeps; E, fresh female specimen; F, male holotype specimen (note discolouration of what would have been white on anterior metasoma); G, undescribed Therophilus species 14; H, T. xanthopsis (holotype). Scale lines = 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 19. Distribution maps of described Therophilus species: A, T.mishae; B, T. pedunculatus o; T. ruficeps ●.