Pison tenebrosum 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 : 448-450

Pison tenebrosum Turner

Figures 1092-1094.

Pison tenebrosum Turner, 1908:518 , ♀. Lectotype: ♀, Australia: Queensland: Mackay (BMNH), present designation, examined. – Turner, 1916b:596 (in key to Australian Pison ), 600 (wing venation); R. Bohart and Menke, 1976:336 (in checklist of world Sphecidae ); Cardale, 1985:263 (in catalog of Australian

Sphecidae ).

LECTOTYPE DESIGNATION.– Turner did not mention the number of the specimens examined in the original description of Pison tenebrosum . I have designated as the lectotype the only specimen in The Natural History Museum, London. It wears a handwritten label “ Pison tenebrosum Turner. Type”.

RECOGNITION. – Pison tenebrosum has only two submarginal cells, asetose eyes, the tegula punctate throughout, the mid- and hindtibial spurs whitish, and the body either all black or with the legs ferruginous. Only the female is known. It is unique among the species with two submarginal cells in having an omaulus (which is evanescent next to the pronotal lobe).

DESCRIPTION.– Frons dull, minutely punctate, punctures less than one diameter apart. Distance between antennal sockets slightly larger than distance between socket and adjacent orbit. Occipital carina not joining hypostomal carina. Labrum emarginate. Anteromedian pronotal pit slightly transversely elongate, slightly shorter than midocellar diameter. Scutum foveate along flange, with longitudinal ridges adjacent to posterior margin; scutal punctures minute, less than one diameter apart. Scutellum with foveate sulcus along anterior margin. Tegula enlarged, finely punctate throughout, fully concealing humeral plate. Mesopleuron with omaulus that is evanescent next to pronotal lobe (Fig. 1093), punctures fine, less than one diameter apart, interspaces dull. Postspiracular carina present, about as long as midocellar diameter. Metapleural sulcus not costulate between dorsal and ventral metapleural pits. Propodeum with irregular longitudinal carina separating side from dorsum and posterior surface and extending from gastral socket area toward spiracle; dorsum obliquely ridged (ridges becoming markedly conspicuous next to longitudinal carina); side and posterior surface microareolate, finely ridged, punctate between ridges. Forewing with two submarginal cells; second submarginal cell short, length of its posterior margin 1.3 × height. Posteroventral forefemoral surface microscopically, closely punctate. Hindcoxal dorsum with outer margin obtusely carinate. Outer surface of hindtibia with evanescent spines. Punctures of tergum I less than one diameter apart, interspaces dull. Sterna punctate throughout.

Setae silvery, appressed on thorax, forecoxal venter, femoral venters, and tergum I, oriented dorsally on upper frons, erect on lower gena (about 0.5 × as long as midocellar diameter). Apical depressions of terga with faint, silvery, setal fasciae.

Body either all black (mandible ferruginous except black basally and apically) or legs ferruginous (some specimens from Western Australia); also antenna ferruginous ventrally in several specimens. Mid- and hindtibial spurs whitish.

♀.– Upper interocular distance equal to 1.00 × lower interocular distance; ocellocular distance equal to 0.7 × hindocellar diameter, distance between hindocelli equal to 1.5 × hindocellar diameter; eye height equal to 1.10 × distance between eye notches. Clypeal lamella divided by conspicuous carina into dorsal and ventral parts; free margin inconspicuously, broadly concave between lamella and orbit (Fig. 1092). Dorsal length of flagellomere I 1.5-1.7 × apical width, of flagellomere IX 1.1 × apical width. Mandible: trimmal carina with small indentation at about two thirds of length. Length 5.6-5.9 mm; head width 1.4-1.5 mm.

♂.– Unknown.

GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION (Fig. 1094).–

Queensland and Western Australia.

RECORDS.– AUSTRALIA: Queensland: Bowen

(1 ♀, SAM); Mackay (1 ♀, BMNH, lectotype of

Pison tenebrosum ), 13 km SE Weipa at 12°40ʹS

143°00ʹE (1 ♀, ANIC). Western Australia: 10 km

W Cobra Station at 24°10.2ʹS 116°23.0ʹE (1 ♀,

ANIC), House Creek 65 km E Nanutarra Road

House at 22°27.8ʹS 116°02.6ʹE (1 ♀, ANIC; 1 ♀,

CAS), Nanutarra – Wittenoom road at 22°26ʹ8ʺS

117°49ʹ56ʺE (1 ♀, AMS), Yanchep 32 mi N Perth

(1 ♀, BMNH); Yandicoogina Creek 30 km E Marble

Bar at 21°11.0ʹS 120°01.7ʹE (1 ♀, CAS) .