Pison laticeps Pulawski, 2018

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 : 251-252

Pison laticeps Pulawski , species nova

Figures 578 -581.

NAME DERIVATION.– Laticeps is a combination of the Latin adjective latus, broad, and the suffix - ceps, - headed; with reference to the unusually broad head of this species.

RECOGNITION.– The female of P. laticeps (the male is unknown) has an unusually broad head ( Fig. 579 ); in particular the distance between the antennal sockets equals about 3.5 × socket width and 1.8 × the distance between a socket and the adjacent orbit. An undescribed species from Homevale National Park, Queensland approaches this condition, but it lacks a series of features found in P. laticeps : the presence of psammophores on the lower gena, posterior mandibular margin, and forefemoral venter; gena unsculptured and asetose between oral fossa and the psammophore; terga I and II and all the legs red.

DESCRIPTION.– Head unusually broad both at the clypeus level and on postocellar area: distance between antennal sockets about 3.5 × socket width and 1.8 × distance between antennal socket and adjacent orbit. Frons finely punctate, punctures less than one diameter apart; middle supraantennal carina absent. Gena narrow in dorsal view ( Fig. 580 ). Labrum not emarginate. Anteromedian pronotal pit ill defined. Propleuron sparsely punctate. Scutum not foveate along flange, without longitudinal ridges adjacent to posterior margin; flange broadened at posterior end, about twice as high as anterior part; scutal punctures well defined, about 1-2 diameters apart on disk. Tegula enlarged, largely unsculptured. Mesopleural punctures compressed against each other. Postspiracular carina absent. 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 toward spiracle; dorsum punctate

(punctures less than one diameter apart), without ridges (sculpture largely concealed by setae); side punctate (punctures less than one diameter apart), without ridges; posterior surface conspicuously ridged, punctate between ridges. Posteroventral forefemoral surface unsculptured, shiny, with a few minute, sparse punctures. Most punctures of tergum I less than one diameter apart, punctures on horizontal part anteriorly about one diameter apart. Sternum II punctate, punctures about 2-3 diameters apart mesally, apical depression impunctate mesally.

Setae silvery, oriented dorsolaterally on frons, erect on scutum (up to about two midocellar diameter long), appressed on tergum I; completely concealing integument on clypeus (lost mesally in single specimen examined). Apical depressions of terga with silvery, setal fasciae.

Head, thorax, and propodeum black, antenna ferruginous except three apical flagellomeres markedly darkened, mandible brown mesally. Femora, tibiae, and tarsi ferruginous. Terga I and II ferruginous, remaining terga black.

♀.– Upper interocular distance equal to 0.84 × lower interocular distance; ocellocular distance equal to 1.8 × hindocellar diameter, distance between hindocelli equal to 1.0 × hindocellar diameter; eye height equal to 0.86 × distance between eye notches. Free margin of clypeal lamella broadly arcuate ( Fig. 578 ). Dorsal length of flagellomere I 2.0 × apical width, of flagellomere IX 0.9 × apical width. Lower gena, mandibular posterior margin, propleural and forecoxal outer margins, and forefemoral venter with psammophores (longest setae of genal, mandibular, and forefemoral psammophores about 0.8 ×, 0.5 ×, and 0.5 ×,

respectively, of greatest forefemoral width);

lower gena impunctate and asetose on each side of oral fossa. Mandible: trimmal carina with small incision shortly beyond midlength.

Length 7.7 mm; head width 2.2 mm.

♂.– Unknown.

GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION (Fig. 581).–

Known from one locality in northern Queensland.

RECORDS.– HOLOTYPE: ♀, AUSTRALIA:

Queensland: Hann River at 15°11ʹS 143°52ʹE,

17 Aug – 15 Sept, P. Zborowski and S. Shattuck

(ANIC). FIGURE 581. Collecting locality of Pison laticeps Pulawski , sp. nov.

Figures

FIGURES 578-580. Pison laticeps Pulawski, sp. nov., female. (578) Clypeus and mandible; (579) Head in frontal view; (580) Head in dorsal view.