Glyptapanteles austini, Fagan-Jeffries & Bird, 2022

Fagan-Jeffries, Erinn P., McCLELLAND, Alana R., Bird, Andrew J., Giannotta, Madalene M., Bradford, Tessa M. & Austin, Andrew D., 2022, Systematic revision of the parasitoid wasp genus Glyptapanteles Ashmead (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Microgastrinae) for Australia results in a ten-fold increase in species, European Journal of Taxonomy 792 (1), pp. 1-116 : 18

Glyptapanteles austini species group

The G. austini species group contains three species: G. austini Fagan-Jeffries & Bird sp. nov., G. guzikae Fagan-Jeffries, Bird & Austin sp. nov. and G. kingae sp. nov., which are a monophyletic, molecularly distinct lineage ( Fig. 2 ). Two species in this group ( G. guzikae sp. nov. and G. austini sp. nov.) are known from single localities in southern SA, whilst G. kingae sp. nov. has a broad distribution and is found in the northern half of WA, central SA and the ACT ( Fig. 4C ). The group can be separated from the other species of Glyptapanteles described from Australia by the following combination of characters: gena without a pale spot, T1–T2 dark, anteromesoscutum all dark and with punctures without smooth areas greater than the diameter of punctures (i.e., anteromesoscutum not as in the G. niveus species group (i.e., not as in Fig. 12B )), propodeum not coarsely rugose, T1 only parallel for at most ⅔ of length before narrowing posteriorly, mesoscutellar disk without dense, strong punctures, scape darker or the same colour as flagellomeres, tegula pale, labrum dark.

Figures

Fig. 2. Maximum likelihood phylogeny constructed using IQ-TREE ver. 1.6.12 of a concatenated COI and wingless alignment including Glyptapanteles Ashmead, 1904 from Australia, Papua New Guinea and Fiji, with specimens of Cotesia Cameron, 1891 from Australia included for contextual placement of the genus. Branch support values are given as SH-aLRT support (%) / ultrafast bootstrap support (%), with symbols representing value ranges as follows: * = 96–100; • = 91–95; ^ = 85–90; - = <85.

Fig. 4. Distribution of species groups of Glyptapanteles Ashmead, 1904 in Australia. A. G. albigena species group. B. G. arcanus species group. C. G. austini species group. D. G. eburneus species group. E. G. mouldsi species group. F. G. niveus species group. G. Unplaced species of Glyptapanteles in Australia.

Fig. 12.A. Glyptapanteles bradfordaeFagan-Jeffries, Bird & Austin sp. nov., paratype, ♀ (QM T250944), anteromesoscutum with very sparse deep punctures and slight orange markings. B. G. cooperi Fagan- Jeffries, Bird & Austin sp. nov., holotype, ♀ (QM T250947), anteromesoscutum with very sparse deep punctures and no orange markings. C. G. baylessi Fagan-Jeffries, Bird & Austin sp. nov., paratype, ♀ (AM K.517936), anteromesoscutum with dense punctures, strong orange markings on the postero-lateral corners. D. G. kurandaensis Fagan-Jeffries, Bird & Austin sp. nov., paratype, ♀ (QM T250971), with dense shallow punctures, but no strong orange markings on the anteromesoscutum.