Apanteles phantasmatus Slater-Baker, Fagan-Jeffries, Fernández-Triana, Portmann & Oestmann sp. nov.

Fig. 5 B (distribution), Fig. 53 (holotype)

Type material.

Holotype. Australia • ♀; QLD, Samsonvale Cemetery, 8.5 km SSE Dayboro; - 27.2703, 152.856; 5–22 Oct. 2014; S. Wright leg.; Malaise trap; Casuarina / open forest; BOLD Process ID: AUMIC 087-18; QM: T 208361 . Paratypes. Australia • ♀; NSW, Hat Head; - 31.063, 153.052; 26 Dec. 2009; Paul D. N. Hebert leg.; Malaise trap; BOLD Process ID: HYAS 060-10; QM: T 261269 . • ♂; as previous except: 18 Feb. 2018; Trap # 4; BOLD Process ID: NSWHO 4562-18; QM: T 261270 . • ♀; as holotype except; 23 Sep. – 05 Oct. 2014; BOLD Process ID: AUMIC 071-18; QM: T 208357 . • ♀; as holotype except; 14 Nov. – 16 Dec. 2014; S. Wright leg.; Malaise trap; BOLD Process ID: AUMIC 090-18; QM: T 208362 . • ♀; as previous except: BOLD Process ID: AUMIC 091-18; QM: T 208358 . • ♀; as holotype except: 22 Oct. – 14 Nov. 2014; BOLD Process ID: AUMIC 410-18; QM: T 208363 . • ♀; as holotype except: BOLD Process ID: AUMIC 413-18; QM: T 208359 . • ♀; as holotype except: 6 Jan. – 8 Feb. 2015; BOLD Process ID: AUMIC 414-18; QM: T 208360 . • ♂; as previous except: BOLD Process ID: AUMIC 1437-24; QM: T 261171 . • ♂; as previous except: BOLD Process ID: AUMIC 1439-24; QM: T 261172 . • ♂; as previous except: BOLD Process ID: AUMIC 1441-24; QM: T 261173 . • ♂; as previous except: BOLD Process ID: AUMIC 1443-24; QM: T 261174 . • ♂; as previous except: BOLD Process ID: AUMIC 1444-24; QM: T 261175 . • ♂; as previous except: BOLD Process ID: AUMIC 1445-24; QM: T 261176 . • ♂; as previous except: BOLD Process ID: AUMIC 1442-24; QM: T 261177 .

Diagnostic description.

Size: Total body length: 2.3 mm; fore wing length: 2.3 mm. Head: anterior scape colour similar or only very slightly paler than head colour; F 2 L / W ratio: 3.1; F 14 L / W ratio: 1.3. Mesosoma: scutoscutellar sulcus with eight pits; mesoscutellar disc mostly smooth, or with very shallow scattered indentations; propodeal areola complete, or mostly so; propodeum mostly rugose; coxae colour (pro, meso, meta): dark all; metafemur colour mostly dark. Wings: centre of pterostigma pigmented to same degree as the outer edges; fore wing r vein length / 2 RS vein length ratio: 1.1. Metasoma: T 1 shape mostly parallel, T 1 medial length / anterior width between 1–2 × longer than wide; mostly rugose; T 2 mostly smooth; ovipositor sheath length / metatibia length ratio: 0.6.

Apanteles phantasmatus can be separated from the other species of Apanteles in Australia that have a dark metacoxa and metafemur, ovipositor sheaths> 0.5 × metatibia length, antennae of similar size or longer than the length of the body, a completely hyaline fore wing membrane, and a uniformly pigmented pterostigma (no paler centre region, and no large pale spot on proximal corner), by the metatibia mostly dark with a very pale (almost white) band discrete and restricted to proximal 1 / 3 of the tibia, T 3 with setae not reduced to a single row (setae more irregularly arranged), and T 2 posterior width / medial length ratio ~ 4.1). The species could be confused with the individuals of A. magicus that lack fore wing infuscation, but the DNA barcodes of the two species cluster discretely in a phylogeny.

Etymology.

The species epithet is an adjective formed from the Latin noun phantasma meaning ghost and relates to the collection of most of the specimens from a cemetery.

Distribution.

Apanteles phantasmatus is currently known from the east coast of Australia.

Molecular information.

Sequences of Apanteles phantasmatus are currently in BIN BOLD: AAU 8268. The COI sequences are at least 9 % divergent from any of the other species treated here, or any available sequence on BOLD. The wg sequences of the species are at least 8 bp different to any other species. All delimitation methods resolved A. phantasmatus as a discrete species.