Lasallegrion washingtoni Girault, 1915

Janšta, Petr, Delvare, Gérard, Baur, Hannes, Wipfler, Benjamin & Peters, Ralph S., 2020, Data-rich description of a new genus of praying mantid egg parasitoids, Lasallegrion gen. n. (Hymenoptera: Torymidae: Podagrionini), with a re-examination of Podagrion species of Australia and New Caledonia, Journal of Natural History 54 (9), pp. 755-790 : 781-783

Lasallegrion washingtoni Girault, 1915 , comb. n.

( Figures 6f , 7c , 12 a–g, 13 c–d)

Podagrion washingtoni Girault, 1915: 290 ; ♀ holotype (examined), AustraliaQueensland ( QMB). Label: Podagrion washingtoni ♀ Girault Type, Ny. 3317, E.C.D. 1985, Photographed Specimen. Bouček (1988): 141.

Additional non–type material examined. Australia, QLD, 9 km SE by E of Musselbrook Camp , 18.38°S 138.12°E, 20. May 1995, light trap, leg. I.D. Naumann, (1 ♀, lc _ 21, ANIC); Australia, QLD, Coleman River , 14.48°S 143.22°E, 26. Jun. 1993, leg. I.D. Naumann & P. Zborowski (1 ♀, lc _ 22, ANIC); Australia, QLD, Split Rock, 15.39°S 144.31°E, 24. Aug.–21. Sep. 1992, Malaise trap, leg. P. Zborowski & L. Miller, (1 ♀, lc _ 23, ANIC); Australia, QLD, 9 km W by N of Mt. Tozer, 12.44°S 143.08°E, 30. Jun.–7. Jul. 1986, Malaise trap, leg. J.C. Cardale, (1 ♀, lc _ 24, ANIC); Australia, QLD, Cockatoo Creek Xing, 17 km NW of Heathlands , 11.39°S 142.27°E, 22. Mar.–25. Apr. 1992, Malaise trap open forest #5, leg. T. Mc Leod, (1 ♀, lc _ 25, ANIC); Australia, QLD, 13 km E by S of Weipa, 12.40°S 143.00°E, 15. Aug.–12. Sep. 1993, Malaise trap, leg. P. Zborowski & S. Shattuck, (1 ♀, lc _ 26, ANIC); Australia, QLD, Musselbrook Camp, 18.36°S 138.08°E, 8.–21. May 1995, Malaise trap, leg. I.D. Naumann, (1 ♀, lc _ 27, ANIC); Australia, QLD, 5.5 km SW by S of Mt. Biggenden, 25.35°S 151.57°E, 11. Oct. 1984, at light, leg. I.D. Naumann & J. Cardale (1 ♀, lc _ 28, ANIC); Australia, NT, Keep River NP, Bail–Me–Up Creek , 23.7 km S by SW of Jarrnarm Camp, 15.5755°S 129.0152°E, 3.–8. Jun. 2001, Malaise trap in dry creek bed, leg. M.E. Irwin & F.D. Parker & C. Lambkin (1 ♂, lc _ 20, ANIC); Australia, NT, Keep River NP, Bail–Me–Up Cr. 23.7 km SSW Jarrnarm Camp Ground , 15º57ʹ55ʹ’ S, 129º01ʹ52ʹ’ E, 3.–8.vi.2001, MT in deep creek bed, M.E. Irwin, F.D. Parker, C. Lambkin, MT (1 ♀, PJ 19131 _ 01, CUPC).

Diagnosis. Antenna with all funiculars quadrate, subquadrate or at maximum slightly longer than broad. Clypeus with one broad tooth ( Figure 12c ). Metafemur large, 2.292.50x as long as broad, imbricate and covered with pale setae, with nine or ten ventral teeth ( Figure 12f ). The most distal three teeth coalesced basally and with a successively decreasing size. All other teeth similar in size and shape, about 0.10x as high as the metafemur breadth. Ovipositor between 0.97x and 1.54x as long as body.

Additional characters. FEMALE (N = 10): Body length excluding ovipositor between 2.98 mm and 3.67 mm (mean 3.4 mm); length of ovipositor 3.51–5.57 mm.

Colour. Head, meso- and metasoma entirely metallic bronze blue-green to violescent with coppery reflections. Metafemur, pro- and metacoxa exteriorly metallic bronze bluegreen to violescent with coppery reflections, interior median areas brown, paramedian parts yellow. External median areas of pro– and mesofemur and metafemur on inner side brown with coppery reflections, paramedian areas yellow. Pro-, meso- and metatibia yellow. Pro-, meso- and metatarsal segments yellow, pretarsi brown. Scape, pedicel and flagellum brown. Ovipositor pale yellow or bright red, sheaths brown. Fore wing hyaline, wing venation pale to lightly brown, setae brown.

Head. Head 1.14–1.28x as broad as high ( Figure 12b ) and 1.72–2.12x as broad as long ( Figure 12a ); 1.21–1.44x as broad as pronotum breath. Frontovertex 0.74–0.92x as broad as eye height. Eye 1.21–1.31x as high as long. Parascrobal protuberance 0.045 –0.099 x as high as head height. Malar space 0.46–0.55x as long as breadth of oral fossa and 0.230.29x as long as eye height. Antenna with scape 2.44–3.0x and pedicel 1.14–1.71x as long as broad. Flagellum length 1.09–1.27x as long as breadth of head; with a single transverse anellus, 0.2–0.5x as long as broad, and seven funicular segments (F1: 1.00–1.29x, F2: 1.001.25x, F3: 0.92–1.25x, F4: 0.92–1.11x, F5: 0.90–1.00x, F6: 0.80–1.00x, F7: 0.80–1.00x). POL 2.62–4.25x as long as OOL, OOL 0.4–0.8x as long as POD.

Mesosoma. Pronotum 0.77–0.97x as broad as mesoscutum and 0.50–0.71x as long as mesoscutum ( Figure 12d ). Mesoscutellum 1.07–1.22x as long as broad, with frenal area covering about 0.2–0.34 of its length ( Figure 12e ). Metatarsus 0.5–061x as long as metatibia. Fore wing 2.49–2.83x as long as broad, marginal vein 2.42–4.69x as long as postmarginal vein and 7.33–8.85x as long as stigmal vein.

Metasoma. Metasoma 0.89–1.02x as long as mesosoma. OI = 3.64–5.00.

Variation. One female specimen (lc_23) has the metasoma light brown in anterior two thirds, dark brown with blue reflections in dorsal half of posterior third. Two of the total 10 female specimens (lc_23, lc_28) show a rather filiform funicle with basal segments significantly elongate. One specimen (lc_22) shows the right metafemur bearing 10 ventral teeth while the left metafemur bears nine ventral teeth.

MALE (N = 1): Similar to females, except as follows: Length of body 2.6 mm. Head and mesosoma entirely metallic dark blue-green; metasoma brown in anterior half, dark brown with some blue reflections in posterior half. Pro-, meso-, and metacoxa concolorous with mesosoma. Outer side of pro-, meso-, and metafemur brown with few blue reflections, inner side lighter brown. Flagellum length 0.97x as long as breadth of head. Fore wing 2.42x as long as broad.

Distribution. Australia (Queensland and Northern Territory).

Biology. Unknown.

Taxonomic remarks. The specimens of what used to be called morphospecies 2 match the holotype of P. washingtoni Girault, 1915 . The card-mounted holotype is in poor condition and lacks head, wings, metasoma, right mid leg, right metafemur, metatibia and metatarsi, and part of the left metatarsus. The slide with the type (labelled as Queensland Museum, 5092, Podagrion washingtoni , ♀, 5092, Gir.) is divided into two pieces (fixed together by two pieces of tape) and includes fragmented head (several pieces), metafemur and antenna (without scape). Remnants of the holotype as well as the non-type material show all generic characters of Lasallegrion . Accordingly, the above redescribed species is transferred into Lasellegrion.

Lasallegrion washingtoni can be easily distinguished from the other species within Lasallegrion ( L. koebelei and L. virescens , see above) by the shorter ovipositor, the funicular segments being stouter with its distal segments quadrate, by the number and the shape of nine or 10 uniform and relatively small metafemoral teeth. In L. koebelei and L. virescens the ovipositor is significantly longer, the funicle is more filiform with all segments being distinctly longer than broad and the metafemur only bears less metafemoral teeth of different size and shape.

The DNA extraction failed for the only ethanol-preserved specimen of L. washingtoni . Accordingly, we have no inferences from nucleotide sequence data analysis regarding the delimitation of L. koebelei plus L. virescens and L. washingtoni .

Figures

Figure 6. Diagnostic characters of Lasallegrion gen. n.; L. koebelei (a – e), L. washingtoni (f). (a), habitus, lateral; (b), antenna, lateral; (c), head and mesosoma, lateral (arrows indicate pronotal collar carina and metapleuron); (d), propodeum, dorsal; (e), head, posterior; (f), petiolus and first sternite, ventral.

Figure 7. Metepisternum, posteroventral, females. (a), Lasallegrion koebelei; (b), L. virescens; (c), L. washingtoni; (d), Podagrion idomene sp. gr.; (e), P. pachymerum; (f), Mantiphaga gongylusae Risbec.

Figure 12. Lasallegrion washingtoni, female. (a), head, dorsal; (b), head, frontal; (c), lower face,detail; (d), mesosoma, dorsal; (e), mesoscutellum and propodeum, dorsal; (f), left hind leg, outer aspect.

Figure 13. (a) – holotype of L. koebelei, lateral aspect; (b) – holotype of L. koebelei, dorsal aspect; (c) – holotype of L. washingtoni, lateral aspect; (d) – holotype of L. washingtoni, dorsal aspect.