Pison infumatum 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 : 236-238

Pison infumatum Turner

Figures 541 -546.

Pison infumatum Turner, 1908:510 , ♀. Lectotype: ♀, Australia: Northern Territory: Darwin (BMNH), present designation, examined. – Turner, 1916b:597 (in key to Australian Pison ), 605 (recognition character); R. Bohart and Menke, 1976:336 (in checklist of world Sphecidae ); Cardale, 1985:260 (in catalog of Australian Sphecidae ).

LECTOTYPE DESIGNATION.– Turner (1908) did not mention the number of the specimens examined in the original description of Pison infumatum . I have designated as the lectotype of this species the only specimen, a female, present at The Natural History Museum, London.

RECOGNITION.– Pison infumatum is an all black, small species (length 5.5-7.0 mm in female, 5.1-6.0 mm in male). It has three submarginal cells, the second recurrent vein interstitial with the second intersubmarginal vein, and the setae appressed on tergum I. It is characterized by the ocellocular distance 0.3-0.5 × as great as the hindocellar diameter in the female ( Fig. 541 ) and 0.4-0.9 × in the male, the propodeum without the longitudinal carina separating the side from the dorsum and posterior surface, and the propodeal dorsum minutely punctate, punctures averaging 2-3 diameters apart ( Fig. 542 ), in most specimens without ridges except ridged adjacent to the anterior margin, with minute, inconspicuous ridges in some specimens, with the interspaces unsculptured, shiny. Pison nitens is similar, but P. infumatum has the frons with an ill-defined protuberance (rather than well defined), the pronotal collar not swollen (rather than swollen), the punctures of the scutum, mesopleuron, and tergum I minute (rather than well defined), the clypeal lip of the female evenly, prominently arcuate (rather than with a small median projection), and the female mandible unidentate apically (rather than tridentate apically).

DESCRIPTION.– Frons minutely punctate, punctures about one diameter apart, interspaces dull, microsculptured. Labrum emarginate. Anteromedian pronotal pit transversely elongate, about twice as long as midocellar diameter. Propleural punctures up to several diameters apart at center. Scutum not foveate along flange, without ridges adjacent to posterior margin; scutal punctures minute, about one to two diameters apart, interspaces microsculptured. Mesopleural punctures minute, less than one diameter apart adjacent to episternal sulcus, about two diameters apart posteriorly. Postspiracular carina present, about as long as midocellar diameter; integument depressed between postspiracular carina and episternal sulcus. Metapleural sulcus not costulate between dorsal and ventral metapleural pits. Propodeum without longitudinal carina separating side from dorsum and posterior surface; dorsum punctate ( Fig. 542 ), most punctures 2-3 diameters apart (interspaces unsculptured, shiny), with middle carina in at least anterior quarter, without median depression in anterior third, with fine, short, oblique ridges emerging from midline in at least posterior two thirds, with minute, inconspicuous ridges on most of its surface in specimen from Keep River National Park, Northern Territory; side punctate, interspaces in some specimens merging into minute ridges anterodorsally; posterior surface transversely ridged ventrally, punctate dorsally. Hindcoxal dorsum with outer margin not carinate. Punctures of tergum I minute, 2-4 diameters apart on disk; interspaces with evanescent microsculpture. Sterna finely punctate throughout.

Setae silvery, appressed on upper frons, scutum, and tergum I, suberect on lower gena (as long ocellar diameter; eye height equal to 1.02 × distance between eye notches. Free margin of clypeal lamella slightly sharper than in Australian P. westwoodii (see Fig. 1184). Dorsal length of flagellomere I 2.0-2.1 × apical width, of flagellomere X 1.1-1.2 × apical width. Sternum VIII broadly emarginate apically (Fig. 543). Genitalia: Figs. 544, 545. Length 5.1-6.0 mm; head width 1.4-1.6 mm.

GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION (Fig. 546).–

Northern parts of Northern Territory and of

Western Australia, also eastern Queensland.

RECORDS.– AUSTRALIA: Northern Territory:

Darwin (1 ♀, BMNH, lectotype of Pison infumatum ), Gregory National Park at 15°36ʹ43ʺS

130°24ʹ08ʺE (1 ♀, ANIC; 1 ♂, CAS), Gregory

National Park near Victoria River Roadhouse at

15°36.8ʹS 131°08.7ʹE (2 ♀, CAS), Gungaree in

Kakadu National Park (1 ♀, NTM), Howard Spring

Nature Reserve at 12°27.3ʹS 131°03.1ʹE (1 ♂, CAS) ,

91 km SW Kalkarindji at 17°40ʹ36ʺS 130°00ʹ34ʺE

(1 ♀, ANIC), Keep River National Park at

15°57ʹ33ʺS 129°01ʹ44ʺE (1 ♀, CAS). Queensland :

Arcadia on Magnetic Island at 19°09ʹS 146°52ʹE FIGURE 546. Collecting localities of Pison infumatum (2 ♂, ANIC), Balgal Beach 51 km NW Townsville at Turner .

19°02.5ʹS 146°25.2ʹE (2 ♀, 1 ♂, CAS) , 3 km W Batavia Downs at 12°40ʹS 142°39ʹE (1 ♀, 1 ♂, ANIC) , Biggenden: Geissler’s scrub (1 ♀, ANIC) , Bowling Green Bay National Park at 19°26.0ʹS 146°56.7ʹE (41 ♀, CAS) and 19°26.6ʹS 146°56.7ʹE (1 ♀, CAS) , Brisbane: Indooroopilly (1 ♂, BMNH) , Burdekin River 20 km ENE Charters Towers at 20°00.1ʹS 146°26.3ʹE (1 ♀, 1 ♂, CAS) , Claudie River near Mount Lamond (1 ♂, AMS) , Coen: Mount White at 13°58ʹS 143°11ʹE (1 ♀, QMB) , Granite Gorge ca 6 km SW Mareeba (1 ♀, CAS) , Hann River at 15°11ʹS 143°52ʹE (1 ♀, ANIC) , Heathlands at 11°45ʹS 142°35ʹE (2 ♀, ANIC) , 12 km SSE Heathlands at 11°51ʹS 142°38ʹE (1 ♀, ANIC) , Iron Range National Park (1 ♂, ANIC) , Mossman (1 ♀, 1 ♂, CAS) , 3 km SSW Mount Baird at 15°10ʹS 145°07ʹE (1 ♂, ANIC) , 3.5 km SSW Mount Baird at 15°38ʹS 145°15ʹE (1 ♀, ANIC) , 11 km ENE Mount Tozer at 12°43ʹS 143°18ʹE (2 ♂, ANIC) , Mount Webb National Park at 15°04ʹS 145°07ʹE (1 ♀, ANIC) , Paluma Range National Park at 18°51.6ʹS 146°07.6ʹE, altitude ca 50 m (1 ♀, CAS) , 2 km N Rokeby at 13°39ʹS 142°40ʹE (1 ♀, 1 ♂, ANIC) , 11 km S Townsville at 19°21.8ʹS 146°53.2ʹE (2 ♀, CAS) , 37 km S Townsville at 19°22.4ʹS 141°01.7ʹE (1 ♀, CAS) . Western Australia: 12 km S Kalumburu Mission at 14°25ʹS 126°38ʹE (1 ♀, ANIC) , Lone Dingo in Mitchell Plateau at 14°35ʹS 125°45ʹE (2 ♀, ANIC) , Mining Camp in Mitchell Plateau at 14°49ʹS 125°50ʹE (1 ♀, ANIC) , Synnot Creek at 16°31ʹS 125°16ʹE (1 ♀, ANIC) .

Figures

Figures 541-542. Pison infumatum Turner, female. (541) Vertex; (542) Propodeal dorsum. Figures 543-545. Pison infumatum Turner, male. (543) Sternm VIII (ventral surface); (544) Genitalia in dorsal view; (545) Genitalia in lateral view.