Pison illecebrosum Pulawski, 2018

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 : 228-230

Pison illecebrosum Pulawski , species nova

Figures 523 -529.

NAME DERIVATION.– Illecebrosum, Latin neuter adjective for attractive, enticing; with reference to this species general appearance.

RECOGNITION. – Pison illecebrosum has abundant, erect setae on tergum I. The female has a distinctive clypeus whose free margin is not concave laterally ( Fig. 523 ). The male is unknown. The ferruginous tibiae, black gaster, and golden gastral setae are subsidiary recognition features.

DESCRIPTION.– Frons dull, with conspicuous punctures that average about one diameter apart ( Fig. 524 ). Labrum shallowly emarginate. Anteromedian pronotal pit transversely elongate, 3.0 × as long as midocellar diameter. Scutum not foveate along flange, without longitudinal ridges adjacent to posterior margin; scutal punctures well defined ( Fig. 526 ), mostly less than one diameter apart, but about one diameter apart posteromesally in some specimens. Tegula enlarged. Mesopleural punctures well defined ( Fig. 527 ), varying from more than to slightly less than one diameter apart beneath mesopleuron center; interspaces unsculptured, shiny. Postspiracular carina present but ill defined, about 1.5 × as long as midocellar diameter. Metapleural sulcus minimally costulate between dorsal and ventral metapleural pits. Propodeum without longitudinal carina separating side from dorsum and posterior surface; dorsum with well-defined punctures (interspaces merging into ridges), with middle shallow sulcus containing longitudinal carina and short transverse carinae (longitudinal carina absent in some specimens); side punctate, punctures conspicuous in posterior half, interspaces merging into small ridges along anterior and ventral margins; posterior surface punctate, also ridged in at least ventral half. Posteroventral forefemoral surface with conspicuous punctures that are at least one diameter apart (some punctures about two diameters apart in some specimens). Tergum I slightly elongate, about as long as its apical width; its punctures several diameters apart on anterior slope, about one diameter apart on horizontal portion, minute, less than one diameter apart on apical depression. Punctures of sterna well defined, these of sternum II more than one diameter apart mesally.

Setae pale golden on head and thorax, golden on gaster (but silvery on tergum I and anterolaterally on tergum II in one specimen from Mount Webb, Queensland), suberect on frons, forecoxal venter, and femoral venters (setal length about 1.5 × midocellar diameter on frons and scutum, about 2.0 × midocellar diameter on forefemur; erect, sinuous on lower gena, up to about

2.0 × midocellar diameter; erect on tergum I; not concealing integument on clypeus. Apical depressions of terga with golden setal fasciae ( Fig. 528 ) except black on tergum IV in specimens from Queensland.

Head, thorax, propodeum, and gaster black, female clypeus in some specimens ferruginous next to lobe free margin; mandible black basally, ferruginous mesally, dark brown at very apex; scape and pedicel either black or ferruginous, flagellomeres I and II ferruginous. Femora black (except apically), tibiae and tarsi ferruginous.

♀.– Upper interocular distance equal to 0.68-0.70 × lower interocular distance; ocellocular distance equal to 1.2-1.3 × hindocellar diameter, distance between hindocelli equal to 0.9-1.2 × hindocellar diameter ( Fig. 525 ); eye height equal to 0.98-1.02 × distance between eye notches. Free margin of clypeal lateral section not concave, minimally convex ( Fig. 523 ). Dorsal length of flagellomere I 2.7-2.8 × apical width, of flagellomere IX 1.2-1.3 × apical width. Mandible: trimmal carina with small incision at about one third length. Length 11.3-12.9 mm; head width 2.9-3.4 mm.

♂.– Unknown.

GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION (Fig. 529).–

Eastern New South Wales, eastern Queensland.

RECORDS.– HOLOTYPE: ♀, AUSTRALIA: New

South Wales: Cairncross State Forest 15 km N Wauchope at 31°21ʹS 152°47ʹE, 5 Jan 2009, D. Bray

(AMS).

PARATYPES: AUSTRALIA: Queensland: Brisbane: Mount Coot-tha , 4 Feb 1987, W.J. Pulawski

(1 ♀, CAS); Eungella National Park at 21°10.5ʹS

148°30.3ʹE, 31 Oct 2006, V. Ahrens and W.J.

Pulawski (1 ♀, CAS); same locality, 3 Dec 2006 ,

W.J. Pulawski (1 ♀, CAS); 3 km NE Mount Webb at

15°03ʹS 145°09ʹE, 1-30 Oct 1980, J.C. Cardale (1 ♀,

ANIC) and 30 Apr – 3 May 1981, I.D. Naumann FIGURE 529. Collecting localities of Pison illecebrosum (1 ♀, ANIC). Pulawski, sp. nov .

Figures

FIGURES 523-528. Pison illecebrosum Pulawski, sp. nov., female. (523) Clypeus and mandibles; (524) Frons; (525) Vertex; (526) Tegula and adjacent scutum; (527) Mesopleuron; (528) Gaster in dorsal view.