Pison spinolae Shuckard, 1838

Pulawski, Wojciech J., 2018, A Revision of the Wasp Genus Pison Jurine, 1808 of Australia and New Zealand, New Guinea, and the Pacific Islands (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae), Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences 65, pp. 1-584 : 429-435

Pison spinolae Shuckard

Figures 1043-1055.

Pison spinolae Shuckard, 1838:76 , ♀ (as Spinolae , incorrect original capitalization). Syntypes (“in my own collection and that of Rev. F.W. Hope”): ♀, Australia: New South Wales: Sydney (depository unknown). – F. Smith, 1856:315 (in catalog of Hymenoptera in British Museum); A. Costa, 1864:61 (one specimens from Adelaide, Australia, in Napoli Museum); de Saussure, 1867:66 ( Australia: Sydney; redescription); F. Smith, 1869:290 (in checklist of Pison ); Kohl, 1885:188 (in checklist of world Pison ); H. Roth, 1885:321 (nest structure, prey); Froggatt, 1892:218 (in catalog of Australian Hymenoptera ), 1894:33 (nest and prey); Radoszkowski, 1892:592 (male genitalia); Dalla Torre, 1897:713 (in catalog of world Hymenoptera ); Turner, 1915:558 (in key to Pison of Tasmania, geographic distribution), 1916b:597 (in key to Pison of Australia), 607 (diagnostic characters, locality records); Richards, 1930:91 (nest); Cumber, 1953:16 ( New Zealand; nest parasite, Melittobia clavicornis (Cameron)) ; Miller, 1955:36 (nesting sites, preying on spiders); Cowley, 1961:45 (parasite: Melittobia clavicornis ), 1962:355 (egg and larva); Sharell, 1971:179 (nesting habits); R. Bohart and Menke, 1976:336 (in checklist of world Sphecidae ); Callan, 1977:45 (parasite: Macrosiagon diversiceps (Blackburn) , a rhipiphorid beetle); Ferro et al., 1877:16 (common name in New Zealand: mason wasp); Callan, 1979:34 ( New Zealand; available information reviewed); Casolari and Casolari Moreno, 1980:114 (specimens in M. Spinola collection); Evans, Matthews, and Hook, 1981:225 (nesting behavior); Cardale, 1985:262 (in catalog of Australian Sphecidae ); Macfarlane and Palma, 1988:423 (nest parasite: Melittobia australica Girault , a eulophid); Naumann, 1990a:24 ( Norfolk Island); Valentine and Walker, 1991:40 (in catalog of New Zealand Hymenoptera ); K. Walker, Naumann, Austin, Taylor, and Cardale, 1992:49 (in catalog of insects of Tasmania); Harris, 1994:33 (in Fauna of New Zealand, description of mature larva, cocoon, nest); Smithers, 1998:46 (in list of insects of Norfolk Island); Pagliano, 2003a:508 ( Australia: Victoria: Melbourne), 2011:115 (specimens in coll. Spinola, Torino).

Pison australe de Saussure, 1854:11 , ♀ (as australis, incorrect original termination). Holotype or syntypes: ♀, New Holland, now Australia: no specific locality (MHNG). Synonymized with Pison spinolae by F. Smith, 1956:315. – de Saussure, 1863:69 (synonymy with P. spinolae recorded).

Pison tasmanicum F. Smith, 1956:316 , ♀ (as tasmanicus, incorrect original termination). Holotype or syntypes, ♀, Australia: Van Diemen’s Land , now Tasmania: no specific locality (BMNH). Synonymized with Pison spinolae by F. Smith, 1869:290.

Taranga dubia W.F. Kirby, 1883:201 , ♂. Holotype or syntypes, ♂, New Zealand, no specific locality (BMNH). Synonymized with Pison spinolae by Turner, 1916b:607. – As Pison dubium : Kohl in Dalla Torre, 1897:711 (new combination, in catalog of world Hymenoptera ).

Pison pruinosum Cameron, 1898:44 , ♀ (as pruinosus, incorrect original termination). Holotype or syntypes, ♀, New Zealand: Greymouth (BMNH). Synonymized with Pison spinolae by Turner, 1916b:607. – Cameron, 1901:220 (known from New Zealand).

UNCERTAIN TYPE STATUS.– A specimen in The Natural History Museum, London, has the following labels: a handwritten label “VDM” [= Van Diemen’s Land, now Tasmania], a printed label “F. Smith collection, type” (“type” handwritten), a handwritten label in paled red ink “ Spinolae ”, a handwritten label in brown gall ink “ Spinolae ”, and a printed label “BMNH Type 21.561” (“21.561” handwritten). Although regarded as a type by Baker (1998), this specimen may not be a syntype, as it comes from Tasmania rather than Sydney, Australia. On the other hand, the locality label Sydney in the original description may be inaccurate and the specimen may have passed from Shuckard to Frederic Smith, hence the note “type” on one of the labels. The red ink label with the species name looks very old and it seems to point to Shuckard’s era. The status of the specimen is clearly uncertain.

No original material of Pison spinolae could be found in the Oxford Museum (e-mail from James Hogan, responsible for Hymenoptera , on 15 July 2011).

In spite of this uncertainty, I trait as P. spinolae all the specimens conspecific with the London specimen, thus following the traditional interpretation of this species (e.g., Turner, 1916b).

RECOGNITION.– Pison spinolae is one of the largest Australian members of the genus, its length being 8.8-16.0 mm in the female, and 6.5-13.0 mm in the male. It is all black, with erect setae on the head, thorax, propodeum, femora, tergum I, and sternum II. It can be recognized by its mesothoracic sculpture: the scutum is dull, conspicuously microareolate, with two sizes of ill-defined punctures: small and minute, whereas the mesopleuron has well-defined punctures that are more than one diameter apart at the center. Subsidiary recognition punctures are: sternum II impunctate apicomesally, ocellocular distance smaller than hindocellar diameter, propodeal dorsum ridged, dull, and absence of longitudinal carina between propodeal dorsum and side. Pison lucens and P. priscum are somewhat similar, but differ, among others, in having the propodeal dorsum and posterior surface punctate, without ridges, the punctures averaging several diameters apart (in P. spinolae , the propodeal dorsum and posterior surface are ridged, punctate between ridges). Pison spinolae also resembles P. oceanicum , an endemic of Christmas Island. See that species for differences.

DESCRIPTION.– Frons dull, shallowly microscopically punctate (punctures contiguous) and with larger punctures averaging several diameters apart at center (Fig. 1045). Labrum truncate apically. Anteromedian pronotal pit transversely elongate, about as long as midocellar diameter. Scutum not foveate along flange, not ridged adjacent to posterior margin, dull, conspicuously microareolate, with ill defined punctures of two sizes that average several diameters apart: small and minute. Tegula enlarged. Mesopleuron microsculptured, with conspicuous punctures that average about two diameters apart at center (Fig. 1048). Postspiracular carina varying from well defined (and about as long as hindocellar diameter) to absent. Metapleural sulcus well defined, costulate between dorsal and ventral metapleural pits. Propodeum without longitudinal carina separating side from dorsum and posterior face and extending from gastral socket area toward spiracle; dorsum obliquely ridged, punctate between ridges; side punctate; posterior surface ridged. Forewing mostly with three submarginal cells, but with two cells in about 1% of females and up to 20% of males in some areas of New Zealand (Harris, 1994); with three cells on one wing and two on the other in some specimens. Punctures of posteroventral forefemoral surface several diameters apart in female, 2-3 to several diameters apart in male. Tergum I with fine punctures that average 1-2 diameters apart, and with larger punctures that are several to many diameters apart. Sternum II impunctate apicomesally.

Setae erect on frons, thorax, propodeum, forecoxal venter, femoral venters, tergum I (Fig. 1049), and sternum II (except for apical depression); longest setae (on gena) slightly longer than three midocellar diameters; setae silvery from several angles, brown from others; apical depressions of terga I-III with silvery, setal fasciae.

Head, thorax, propodeum, gaster, and legs black. Wings slightly to markedly infumate; humeral plate dark brown, almost black.

♀.– Upper interocular distance equal to 0.5-0.6 × lower interocular distance; ocellocular distance equal to 0.6-0.7 × hindocellar diameter, distance between hindocelli equal to 0.5-0.7 × hindocellar diameter (Fig. 1046); eye height equal to 0.98-1.0 × distance between eye notches. Dorsal length of flagellomere I 3.4-3.5 × apical width, of flagellomere IX 2.0-2.2 × apical width. Clypeal lamella roundly prominent (Fig. 1043). Mandible: trimmal carina with small notch shortly beyond midlength; acetabular groove with two rows of punctures. Length 8.8-16.0 mm, head width 2.8-3.6 mm.

♂.– Upper interocular distance equal to 0.7 × lower interocular distance; ocellocular distance equal to 0.7-0.8 × hindocellar diameter, distance between hindocelli equal to 1.0-1.1 × hindocellar diameter; eye height equal to 1.04-1.12 × distance between eye notches. Free margin of clypeal lamella sharply pointed (Fig. 1044). Flagellomeres II-IV with tyloids (Fig. 1051), III-V slightly convex ventrally except slightly concave basally (Fig. 1050). Dorsal length of flagellomere I 2.8-3.2 × apical width, of flagellomere X 1.5 × apical width. Sternum VIII shallowly, broadly emarginate apically (Fig. 1052). Genitalia: Figs. 1053, 1054. Length 6.5-13.0 mm, head width 2.7-3.6 mm.

NESTING HABITS.– Roth (1885) was the first to describe a nest of Pison spinolae , but his identification of the species is not certain. The nest is an elongate, fragile structure consisting of thin walls and containing one row of about six cells separated by thin partitions (Froggatt, 1894); its outer surface is granulate from the balls of mud not being smoothed down as each is added to the structure. The nests are built “in any hole or cranny”, frequently “in a keyhole or empty rung hole in a chair”. Richards (1930) described hexagonal mud cells found on a piece of wood near Newport, vicinity of Sydney, from which a single female of P. spinolae , one female and two males of P. virosum , and an empty puparium of a bombyliid fly were extracted. Females construct mud nests in New Zealand in sheltered, undisturbed sites, particularly in houses (Valentine and Walker, 1991), on tree trunks, rocks, banks, and man-made objects such as keyholes (Sharell, 1971; Harris, 1994), on Norfolk Island (Naumann, 1990a) in protected situations (especially in holes and crevices in wood), and are commonly seen around buildings.

The species has two generation per year in New Zealand according to Cowley (1962) who described the preimaginal stages of P. spinolae . The linear nests have up to six cells. High humidity is required for the egg to hatch, apparently maintained by evaporation from the freshly finished clay partitions. The following eight species of spider prey were found in the nests: Arachnura feredayi (L. Koch) , Araneus crassus Walckenaer , Argiope protensa L. Koch , Colaranea (as Aranea ) viriditas (Urquhart) , Cyclosa trilobata (Urquhart) , Cyclosa sp. , Novaranea (as Aranea ) laevigata (Urquard) , all Araneidae , and Leucauge dromedaria (Thorell) , a tetragnathid. Evans, Matthews, and Hook (1981) described nests containing 4-6 cells (cell length 13-26 mm) separated by thin mud partitions, and closed off with plugs 2-4 mm thick. The number of spiders varied from five to 12 per cell (four to 16 prey per cell according to Harris, 1994), and the egg was placed dorsolaterally near the front of the opistosoma on the spider closest to the cell entrance. The following prey were found, Araneus brisbanae (L. Koch) and Eriophora (as Araneus ) transmarina (Keyserling) , both Araneidae , and Phonognatha sp. (as Singotypa , Tetragnathidae ). Araneidae and Tetragnathidae are closely related and placed in a single superfamily Araneoidea .

The nest parasites in New Zealand are the eulophids Melittobia hawaiiensis Perkins (as clavicornis (Cameron)) according to Cumber (1953) and Cowley (1961), the adventive Melittobia australica Girault according to Macfarlane and Palma (1988), and in Australia the rhipiphorid beetle Macrosiagon diversiceps (Blackburn) according to Callan (1977).

GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION (Fig. 1055).–

Australia north to Eungella National Park in central Queensland, Norfolk Island, introduced to New Zealand around 1880 (Callan, 1979);

first recorded from there by Kirby, 1883, under the name of Taranga dubia . There is one record from New Guinea.

RECORDS.– AUSTRALIA: Australian Capital

Territory: Australian National University (1 ♀,

ANIC), Canberra (27 ♀, 29 ♂, ANIC), Canberra :

Black Mountain (6 ♀, 3 ♂, ANIC; 9 ♀, 3 ♂, BMNH,

2 ♀, UCD ), Cook (1 ♀, ANIC), Flynn (1 ♀, ANIC) ,

Paddy River near Canberra (3 ♂, BMNH). New

South Wales: Armidale (6 ♀, 1 ♂, ANIC), Bell- FIGURE 1055. Collecting localities of Pison spinolae brook (1 ♀, AMS), 6 km NE Bilpin (1 ♀, AMS), Shuckard .

Clydemount (1 ♂, CAS), Congo 8 km SE Moruya at 35°58ʹS 150°09ʹE (3 ♀, SAM), Dorrigo National Park (1 ♀, ANIC), Doyles River State Forest 50 km NW Taree at 31°31ʹS 152°14ʹE (8 ♀, AMS), near Ebor (1 ♂, BMNH), 5 km W Ebor at 30°26.5ʹS 152°18.9ʹE (2 ♀, CAS), Epping (1 ♀, AMS), upper Genoa River (1 ♀, ANIC), Harrington (1 ♀, AMS), Haystack Ridge near Mount Tomah (1 ♀, AMS), Heathcote (1 ♀, AMS), Kioloa (1 ♀, ANIC), Kurnell (1 ♂, AMS), Kurrajong (1 ♀, AMS), Lake George Cullerin (1 ♂, UCD), 3 km

N Lansdowne near Taree (1 ♀, AMS) , Lord Howe Island at 31°31ʹ37ʺS 159°03ʹ58ʺE (1 ♀, ANIC; 1 ♀, 1 ♂, AMS; 1 ♀, SAM) and at 31°32ʹS 159°04.5ʹE (1 ♂, ANIC) , Manly (3 ♀, 3 ♂, ANIC) , Mount Kaputar National Park at Dawson’s Spring (1 ♀, CAS) and at 30°16.2ʹS 150°06.1ʹE, 900 m (1 ♀, CAS) , Mount Tomah (5 ♀, 7 ♂, AMS) , near Mount Tomah (3 ♀, AMS) , Mount Wilson (1 ♀, CAS) , Nadgee Nature Reserve 10 km S Newton’s Beach (76 ♀, 318 ♂, ANIC; 2 ♀, 1 ♂, CAS, 2 ♀, UCD), Newport near Sydney (Richards, 1930), Springwood (1 ♀, AMS) , 4 km W Sunny Corner at 33°22.7ʹS 149°51.6ʹE (17 ♀, 5 ♂, CAS) , Sydney (3 ♀, AMS; 2 ♀, BMNH), Sydney: North Harbour (2 ♀, AMS) , Sydney University (1 ♀, 1 ♂, ANIC) , Taralga (Turner, 1916b), Temagog (1 ♀, 1 ♂, AMS) , Ulong (2 ♀, AMS) , Whiskers 7 km WNW Hoskinstown at 35°24ʹS 149°23ʹE (14 ♀, 7 ♂, ANIC) , Wilton (3 ♀, ANIC) , Wollemi National Park (northern edge) at 32°23.4ʹS 150°24.8ʹE (1 ♀, CAS) , Wollongong : Mount Pleasant (1 ♀, 1 ♂, AMS) , Woodford (1 ♀, BMNH) . Norfolk Island (from Naumann , 1990a or as indicated): Ball Bay, Burnt Pine (1 ♀, RMNH) , Cascade , Highlands Guesthouse , Kingston (1 ♀, ANIC, 1 ♀, RMNH), Mount Bates (2 ♀, RMNH) , Mount Pitt Reserve (6 ♀, RMNH) , Rocky Point Reserve (1 ♂, ANIC) , Selwyn Pine Road , mouth of Stockyard Creek, no specific locality (2 ♀, ANIC; 1 ♀, BMNH) . Queensland : Brisbane (5 ♀, 1 ♂, QMB) , Brisbane : Bardon (1 ♀, BMNH) , Brookfield (2 ♀, QMB) , Coopers Plains (1 ♂, QMB) , Crediton State Forest at 21°11.9ʹS 148°29.9ʹE (1 ♀, CAS) , Eungella National Park at 21°10.5ʹS 148°30.3ʹE (3 ♀, CAS) , Lamington National Park at 28.207°S 153.137°E (1 ♀, QMB; 1 ♀, RMNH), Montville (3 ♀, QMB) , Mount Glorious at 27°20ʹS 152°45ʹE (1 ♂, BMNH; 1 ♀, QMB), Mount Tambourine (1 ♀, BMNH) , Stanthorpe (1 ♂, BMNH) , Toowoomba (Turner, 1915, 1916), Yarraman (1 ♂, QMB) , Warwick (1 ♀, QMB) . South Australia : Adelaide (2 ♀, BMNH; 1 ♂, SAM), Adelaide: Stonyfell (1 ♀, SAM) , Balhannah (1 ♀, SAM) , Lake Eyre (1 ♀, SAM) , Mount Lofty (Turner, 1916b), Oakbank (3 ♀, SAM) , Stirling (1 ♂, SAM) , Wilpena in Flinders Ranges National Park at 31°31.7ʹS 138°36.2ʹE (1 ♂, CAS) . Tasmania : Battery Point (1 ♀, ANIC) , Celery Top islands near Bathurst Harbour at 43°22ʹS 146°09ʹE (1 ♀, ANIC) , Eaglehawk Neck (Turner, 1915), Franklin River at 42°13ʹS 146°01ʹE (9 ♀, 1 ♂, ANIC) , 1 km SSE Gladstone at 40°58ʹS 148°01ʹE (3 ♀, ANIC) , Great Pine Tier (1 ♀, BMNH) , Greens Beach (1 ♀, ANIC) , Hobart (1 ♀, QMB; 1 ♀, 1 ♂, SAM; 1 ♀, UCD), Launceston: Newstead (2 ♀, 1 ♂, ANIC) , Lefroy (1 ♀, SAM) , Montumana (1 ♂, ANIC) , Mount Barrow 11 km NE Nunamara at 41°23ʹS 147°25ʹE (3 ♂, ANIC) , Mount Field National Park (1 ♀, BMNH) , Mount Wellington (Turner, 1916b), Nelson Creek 7 km WSW Buckland (1 ♀, UCD) , 4 km W Orfod at 42°34ʹS 147°50ʹE (1 ♂, ANIC) , Pelion Hut 3 km S Mount Oakleigh at 41°50ʹS 146°03ʹE (1 ♀, ANIC) , Poatina at 41°49ʹS 146°54ʹE (2 ♀, ANIC) , Pyengana (1 ♀, SAM) , St. Helens (1 ♂, SAM) , Tyenna (1 ♀, SAM) , Ulverstone (3 ♀, BMNH) . Victoria : Clayton (1 ♀, ANIC) , Eltham 20 km NE Melbourne center (3 ♀, AMS) , Frankston (1 ♀, CAS) , Heidelberg (2 ♂, CAS) , Melbourne (1 ♀, 1 ♂, BMNH) , Mooroolbark (1 ♀, SAM, as Mooroolbrook), Mount Waverley (1 ♂, SAM) , Toolangi (1 ♀, BMNH) . Western Australia : Busselton (1 ♀, WAM) . West River (1 1 ♀, RMNH) .

INDONESIA: West Papua (= Indonesian New Guinea): Jayapura (1 ♀, RMNH, as Hollandia) .

NEW ZEALAND: North Island: Auckland Region: Onewhero (1 ♀, RMNH) ; Hawkes Bay Region: Haumoana (3 ♀, 1 ♂, CAS) , Lake Waikaremoana (2 ♀, RMNH) , Puketitiri (2 ♀, CAS) ; Masterton Region: 18 km NNW Masterton at 40.807°S 175.559°E (16 ♀, 5 ♂, RMNH) , Taupo (1 ♂, CAS) ; Waiheke Island: Rocky Bay (4 ♀, RMNH) ; Wellington Region: Island Bay (Macfarlane and Palma, 1988), Wellington (Turn- er, 1916b) . South Island: Canterbury Region: near Kekerengu at 42°00ʹ 174°01ʹE (3 ♀, RMNH) ; Marlborough Region: Crail Bay (1 ♀, RMNH) ; Otago Region: Young River 20 km above Lake Wanaka (1 ♂, CAS) ; Southland Region: Te Anau (1 ♀, CAS) ; Tasman Region: Wakefield (1 ♀, OXUM) ; West Coast Region: Greymouth (Cameron, 1898), 2 km S Haast at 43°53ʹS 169°03ʹE (1 ♀, RMNH) , banks of Lake Ianthe N Harihari which is 43°09ʹS 170°32ʹE (1 ♀, RMNH) .