Alfredella teres (Buhl) Lahey & Talamas & Masner & Johnson, 2021

Lahey, Zachary, Talamas, Elijah, Masner, Lubomir & Johnson, Norman F., 2021, Revision of the Australian genus Alfredella Masner & Huggert (Hymenoptera, Platygastridae, Sceliotrachelinae), Journal of Hymenoptera Research 87, pp. 81-113 : 81

Alfredella teres (Buhl) comb. nov.

Figs 26-29 , 30 , 31-33 , 37 , 41 , 45

Amitus teres Buhl, 2014: 428 (original description, diagnosis).

Description.

Setation of mandibles: present. Setation of clypeal area: dense. Shape of clypeus: acuminate. Anterior tentorial pits: large. Facial and malar striae: present, dorsal striations confluent with concentric sculpture of antennal scrobe. Central keel: present. Setation of interantennal area: extending to dorsal margin of toruli. Sculpture of frons: reticulate dorsally and along inner orbits, reticulations fading medially, supplanted by concentric striations of antennal scrobe ventrally, completely smooth dorsally, punctation present near ocelli. Position of lateral ocellus: less than 1 OD from inner margin of compound eye. Interocular space: 1.25 × length of compound eye. Occiput directly anterior to anteromedial portion of occipital carina: densely reticulate. Sculpture of occiput: densely reticulate. Color of antennomeres: yellow-orange; concolorous with legs. Number of papillary sensilla on A6: 1. Number of papillary sensilla on A7: 1. Glabrous patch on lateral propodeal area adjacent to spiracle: present. Shape of mesoscutellum in lateral view: flat. Shape of transepisternal line: straight. Shape of mesoscutellum in dorsal view: pentagonal. Sculpture of posterior mesoscutellar sulcus: weakly striate. Posterior mesoscutellar sulcus: incomplete medially. Setation of mesoscutum: present. Setation of mesoscutellum: present throughout. Path of notauli: converging posteriorly. Shape of notauli: gradually widening posteriorly. Setation of anteromedial T2: interrupted medially. Number of setae on lateral surface of T3: 3; 4; 5. Number of setae on lateral surface of T4: 3; 4; 5. Number of setae on lateral surface of T5: 6. Felt field on S2: approximately as long as lt2. Setation of laterotergites: present on lt2. Setation of dorsal surface of hind coxa: absent medially. Color of coxae: orange.

Diagnosis.

The percurrent notauli and flattened mesoscutellum immediately separates Al. teres from Al. mephisto and Al. tasmanica , and the evenly setose mesoscutum and mesoscutellum distinguishes Al. teres from Al. auriel .

Distribution.

Queensland.

Inhabited ecoregions

(bioregions). Temperate Broadleaf and Mixed Forests (South Eastern Queensland).

Material examined.

Holotype, female: Australia: Queensland, Mount Glorious , 27°19'54"S, 152°45'29"E, 30.X-26.XI.1998, Malaise trap, rainforest, N. Power, Au 1581f, ZMUC 00044534 (deposited in ZMUC) . Other material: Australia: 10 females, 4 males, OSUC 697993-698006, 698010 (CNCI) .

Comments.

Alfredella teres was originally described as a species of Amitus by Buhl (2014), who considered Al. teres to be a characteristic species of Amitus . Superficially, Al. teres is similar to Amitus : it is dorsoventrally flattened, the notauli are percurrent and widened posteriorly, and its light-yellow appendages contrast with its entirely black body. However, this species has a tubular vein in the fore wing, which excludes it from Amitus in the generic concept provided by Masner and Huggert (1989). Masner and Huggert (1989) discussed the probable presence of Amitus in Australia, drawing attention to morphological differences between the putative Australian species and those from other continents. These characters included the proximity of the lateral ocelli to the inner margin of the compound eye, the ‘rim’ along the posterior margin of the mesoscutellum, and similarity in the shape of the male antennae (A8-A10) and female clava. We consider the assertion by Buhl (2014) that Australian species of Amitus have a tubular vein in the fore wing to be a consequence of generic misplacement, and we find that Al. teres fully conforms to the generic concepts of Alfredella provided here and in Masner and Huggert (1989).

Synonymy of Masnerium Polaszek

Figures

Figure 30. Alfredella teres (Buhl), female (OSUC 697995), head, anterior view. Scale bar in millimeters.

Figures 26 - 29. Alfredella teres (Buhl), female (OSUC 697995) 26 head, mesosoma, metasoma, dorsal view 27 head, mesosoma, metasoma, lateral view 28 mesopleuron, lateral view 29 mesosoma, posterodorsal view. Scale bars in millimeters.

Figures 31 - 33. Alfredella teres (Buhl), male (OSUC 697999) 31 head, anterior view 32 head, mesosoma, metasoma, dorsal view 33 head, mesosoma, metasoma, ventrolateral view. Scale bars in millimeters.

Figures 34 - 37. Clava and claval formulae of female Alfredella Masner & Huggert 34 Alfredella auriel Lahey, holotype (OSUC 698019), ventral view 35 Alfredella mephisto Lahey, holotype (OSUC 697984), ventral view 36 Alfredella tasmanica Masner & Huggert, paratype (OSUC 697975), lateral view 37 Alfredella teres (Buhl), (OSUC 697995), posterolateral view. Each arrow indicates a papillary sensillum. Scale bars in micrometers.

Figures 38 - 41. Tyloid morphology of male Alfredella Masner & Huggert 38 Alfredella auriel Lahey, paratype (OSUC 698020), lateral view 39 Alfredella mephisto Lahey, paratype (OSUC 697985), lateral view (tyloid OSUC 697978), lateral view 41 Alfredella teres (Buhl), (OSUC 697999), lateral view. Scale bars in micrometers.

Figures 42 - 45. Clypeal morphology of female Alfredella Masner & Huggert 42 Alfredella auriel Lahey, holotype (OSUC 698019), anterior view 43 Alfredella mephisto Lahey, holotype (OSUC 697984), anterolateral view 44 Alfredella tasmanica Masner & Huggert, paratype (OSUC 697975), anterior view 45 Alfredella teres (Buhl), (OSUC 697995), anterolateral view. Scale bars in micrometers.