Pison difficile 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 : 152-156

Pison difficile Turner

Figures 309 -319.

Pison difficile Turner, 1908:520 , ♀. Lectotype: ♀, Australia: Queensland: Mackay (BMNH). present designation, examined. – Turner, 1916b:595 (in key to Australian Pison ), 599 (resembling Icaria socialis de Saussure , now Ropalidia socialis ); Menke, 1968a:3 (has a semipetiolate gaster); R. Bohart and Menke, 1976:337 (in checklist of world Sphecidae ); Cardale, 1985:263 (in catalog of Australian Sphecidae ).

LECTOTYPE DESIGNATION.– Turner did not indicate the number of specimens examined in the original description of Pison difficile . Of the two specimens of this species present in The Natural History Museum, I have labeled one as the lectotype and the other as a paralectotype.

versely elongate, about twice as long as midocellar diameter. Scutum not foveate along flange, without longitudinal ridges adjacent to posterior margin; scutal punctures fine but well defined, averaging about one diameter apart. Mesopleuron with fine but well defined punctures that are about 2-3 diameters apart. Postspiracular carina present, about 1.5 × as long as midocellar diameter. Metapleural sulcus may be costulate between dorsal and ventral metapleural pits (left and right sides may be different in same specimen). Propodeum all punctate (punctures averaging about 1-2 diameters apart, interspaces unsculptured, shiny), without longitudinal carina separating side from dorsum and posterior surface; dorsum without middle carina ( Fig. 312 ). Hindcoxal dorsum not carinate on outer side. Forewing with two submarginal cells ( Fig. 313 ); length of posterior margin of second submarginal cell 1.9-2.2 × height. Tergum I elongate (length 1.45-1.70 × apical width), sloping gently toward base, markedly less so than in most other Pison , with minute punctures that average several diameters apart. Sternum II largely impunctate except for a few minute, sparse punctures, densely punctate laterally.

Setae golden on whole body, appressed on scutum and tergum I, erect on lower gena, as long there as one midocellar diameter; forming conspicuous setal fasciae on apical depressions of terga.

Head, thorax, and propodeum black except the following are ferruginous: clypeal lip largely, mandible mesally, flagellum (apex black), and pronotal lobe posteriorly. Wings slightly infumate; humeral plate ferruginous or partly brown. Femora black except ferruginous apically, tibiae and tarsi ferruginous. Tergum I all or partly ferruginous or pale yellow ( Figs. 314, 315 ); terga II-IV or II-VI black except tergum II narrowly ferruginous basolaterally and apical depressions brown; terga V and VI ferruginous in one specimen.

♀.– Upper interocular distance equal to 0.50-0.52 × lower interocular distance; ocellocular distance equal to 0.3-0.4× hindocellar diameter, distance between hindocelli 0.6 × hindocellar diameter ( Fig. 311 ); eye height equal to 1.06-1.10 × distance between eye notches. Clypeal lip markedly, obtusely angulate ( Fig. 309 ). Dorsal length of flagellomere I 2.8-3.2 × apical width, of flagellomere III 2.6-2.8 × apical length, of flagellomere IX 1.7 × apical width. Mandible: trimmal carina with small incision shortly beyond midlength. Length 9.3-10.4 mm; head width 2.4-2.7 mm.

♂.– Upper interocular distance equal to 0.5-0.6 × lower interocular distance; ocellocular distance equal to 0.5-0.6 × hindocellar diameter, distance between hindocelli 0.7 × hindocellar diameter; eye height equal to 1.12-1.14 × distance between eye notches. Free margin of clypeal lamella acutely angulate to approximately rectangular ( Fig. 310 ). Dorsal length of flagellomere I 2.5-2.9 × apical width, of flagellomere III 2.3-2.5 × apical length, of flagellomere X 1.4-1.5 × apical width. Sternum VIII shallowly emarginate apically ( Fig. 316 ). Genitalia: Figs. 317-318 . Length 6.5-9.4 mm; head width 1.9-2.3 mm.

GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION (Fig. 319).–

Eastern New South Wales, northern part of

Northern Territory, eastern Queensland, Papua

New Guinea.

RECORDS.– AUSTRALIA: New South Wales:

Gibraltar Range National Park (1 ♀, CAS), Iluka

Nature Reserve at Clarence River (4 ♀, AMS) ,

0.5 km SE Lansdowne near Taree (1 ♀, ANIC), Wilson River Reserve 15 km NW Bellangry (1 ♀,

AMS). Queensland: Brisbane (1 ♀, QMB) , Brisbane Forest Park at 27°25ʹS 152°50ʹE (1 ♂,

MNKB), Cairns (1 ♀, CAS) , near Curtain Fig Tree via Yungaburra (4 ♀, ANIC) , Eurimbula at 24°11ʹS

FIGURE 319. Collecting localities of Pison difficile 151°50ʹE (1 ♀, AMS), 12 km SSE Heathlands at Turner.

11°51ʹS 142°38ʹE (2 ♀, ANIC; 1 ♀, 1 ♂, CAS), Mackay (2 ♀, BMNH, lectotype and paralectotype of Pison difficile ), Mission Beach (5 ♀, AMS) , Paluma Range National Park at 18°51.6ʹS 146°07.6ʹE, altitude ca 50 m (1 ♀, CAS) , and 18°58.6ʹS 146°09.6ʹE, altitude ca 900 m (1 ♀, CAS) , Port Douglas (1 ♂, AMS) , 18 km S Ravenshoe (1 ♀, AMS) , Tamborine (1 ♀, QMB) , Tully (1 ♀, QMB) , Woodford (1 ♀, QMB) .

PAPUA NEW GUINEA: EAST SEPIK PROVINCE: Bainyik at 3º40ʹ0ʺS 143º3ʹ0ʺE (1 ♀, BISH) .

Figures

FIGURES 309–313. Pison difficile Turner. (309) Female clypeus and mandibles; (310) Male clypeus and mandibles; (311) Female vertex; (312) Female propodeum; (313) Dis- tal portion of female left wings.

FIGURES 314–318. Pison difficile Turner, (314) Female gaster with predominantly ferruginous tergum I; (315) Female gaster with predominantly black tergum I; male: (316) Sternum VIII (ventral view); (317) Genitalia in dor- sal view; (318) Genitalia in lateral view.