Pison virosum Turner

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 : 484-487

Pison virosum Turner

Figures 1175-1182.

Pison virosum Turner, 1908:513 , ♀, ♂. Lectotype: ♀, Australia: Queensland: Mackay (BMNH), present designation, examined. – Turner, 1916b:596 (in key to Australian Pison ), 602 (bibliographic reference, recognition); Richards, 1930:91 (nest structure); R. Bohart and Menke, 1976:337 (in checklist of world Sphecidae ); Cardale, 1985:262 (in catalog of Australian Sphecidae ).

LECTOTYPE DESIGNATION. Three females and one male of this species, all from Mackay (the type locality) are present at The Natural History Museum, London. I have designated one female as the lectotype and the remaining specimens as paralectotypes.

RECOGNITION. – Pison virosum is characterized by the second recurrent vein joining the second submarginal cell near its middle. The female differs from the other species with this type of venation in having an obtusely tridentate free margin of the clypeal lip (Fig. 1175), similar to that of Pison exclusum , and the distance between an antennal socket and the adjacent orbit twice the socket width; and the male by the distance between an antennal socket and the adjacent orbit greater than the socket width combined with the free margin of the clypeal lip obtusely pointed mesally and concave on each side of the midpoint (Fig. 1176), and also by an unusual, gibbose tegula. The golden frontal and clypeal setae (strictly appressed on the frons) and the evanescent setal fasciae on the apical depressions of the terga are subsidiary recognition features.

DESCRIPTION.– Frons dull, minutely punctate, punctures less than one diameter apart. Distance between antennal socket and adjacent orbit twice socket width in female (Fig. 1177), greater than socket width in male. Labrum not emarginate. Anteromedian pronotal pit transversely elongate, about 2.5-3.5 × as long as midocellar diameter. Scutum not foveate along flange, with short longitudinal ridges adjacent to posterior margin. Scutal and mesopleural punctures minute, less than one diameter apart on scutum, about one diameter apart on mesopleuron. Tegula slightly enlarged, microscopically punctate throughout. Postspiracular carina present, about twice as long as midocellar diameter; integument in females and some males depressed between postspiracular carina and episternal sulcus. Metapleural sulcus not costulate between dorsal and ventral metapleural pits. Propodeum with irregular longitudinal carina separating side from dorsum and posterior surface and extending from gastral socket area towards spiracle, with transverse carinae emerging from its inner and outer sides; dorsum with middle carina in shallow sulcus, obliquely ridged; side finely ridged, punctate between ridges; posterior surface irregularly ridged. Forewing with three submarginal cells; second recurrent vein joining submarginal cell II near its midlength. Hindcoxal dorsum with outer margin not carinate. Punctures of tergum I fine, about one diameter apart. Sternum II impunctate apicomesally in female, punctate throughout in male.

Setae appressed on whole body, not concealing integument on frons and clypeus, golden in most specimens on frons, clypeus, and terga, setal fasciae evanescent on tergal apical depressions.

Head, thorax, and propodeum black, female clypeus black or ferruginous next to lobe free margin; mandible yellowish red, dark apically; antenna ferruginous. Female fore- and midfemora black, ferruginous apically, hindfemur black, ferruginous in apical fifth or third; male femora black, ferruginous in apical third; tibiae and tarsi ferruginous. Gaster varying from all ferruginous except tergum I narrowly black basally (e.g., specimens from Karawatha Forest, New South Wales and Kuranda , Queensland) to all black (e.g., specimens from Broulee and Wollemi National Park, New South Wales).

♀.– Upper interocular distance equal to 0.66-0.70 × lower interocular distance; ocellocular distance equal to 0.7 × hindocellar diameter, distance between hindocelli 0.5-0.7 × hindocellar diameter; eye height equal to 1.16 × distance between eye notches. Free margin of clypeal lamella obtusely tridentate (Fig. 1175). Dorsal length of flagellomere I 3.4-3.8 × apical width, of flagellomere IX 1.7-1.8 × apical width. Mandible: trimmal carina with minute incision at about one third length. Length 7.6-9.1 mm; head width 2.4-2.5 mm.

♂.– Upper interocular distance equal to 0.75 × lower interocular distance; ocellocular distance equal to 1.0 × hindocellar diameter, distance between hindocelli 0.7 × hindocellar diameter; eye

1 ♂, QMB), Brisbane: Blunder Creek (2 ♀, QMB) , Brisbane Forest Park at 27°25ʹS 152°50ʹE (1 ♀, MNKB) , Brisbane: Indooroopilly (1 ♀, BMNH) , Brisbane: Karawatha Forest at 27°38.6ʹS 153°04.2ʹE (1 ♀, CAS) , Brisbane: Taringa (1 ♀, QMB) , Herberton (1 ♀, BMNH) , Mackay (3 ♀, 1 ♂, BMNH, lectotype and paratypes of Pison virosum ), Maryborough at 25°32ʹS 152°44ʹE (1 ♀, ANIC) , Mount Coot-tha at 27°29ʹS 152°58ʹE (1 ♀, ANIC) , Russet Park near Kuranda (1 ♀, CAS) . Western Australia: Guildford (1 ♀, WAM) .