Pison aurifex F. Smith

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 : 90-91

Pison aurifex F. Smith

Figures 142 -150.

Pison aurifex F. Smith, 1869:293 , ♀, ♂. Lectotype: ♀, Australia: no specific locality (BMNH), present designation, examined. – Kohl, 1885:186 (in checklist of world Pison ); Froggatt, 1892:217 (in catalog of Australian Hymenoptera ); Dalla Torre, 1897:710 (in catalog of world Hymenoptera ); Turner, 1916b:598 (in key to Australian Pison ), 612 (recognition characters); Schulthess Rechberg, 1935:306 ( Australia: Northern Territory: Marakai, determination tentative, as aurifer); R. Bohart and Menke, 1976:335 (in checklist of world Sphecidae ); Cardale, 1985:257 (in catalog of Australian Sphecidae ).

LECTOTYPE DESIGNATION. – F. Smith (1869) described both sexes of this species, but did not mention the exact number of specimens examined. Two females and two males are present in The Natural History Museum, London, of which I labeled one female as the lectotype of Pison aurifex , rendering the remaining specimens paralectotypes.

RECOGNITION. – Like P. elongatum and P. emarginatum , P. aurifex has three submarginal cells, the second recurrent vein interstitial with second intersubmarginal vein or nearly so, mesopleural punctures about one diameter apart at the center or slightly less (interspaces shiny), some setae erect (but not longer than the midocellar diameter) along the lateral margin of tergum I, no carina between propodeal dorsum and side, gaster all or largely black (except apical segment), with apical depressions of terga ferruginous, and the tibiae contrastingly ferruginous. The three species also share well-defined punctures of the upper frons. Pison aurifex differs from P. elongatum in having the scutal punctures minute (rather than small but not minute) with linear interspaces (not linear in the female of P. elongatum ), wing veins ferruginous (rather than brown), wing membrane yellowish (rather than hyaline), male sternum VIII triangular (rather than with the lateral margins subparallel), rounded apically (rather than roundly truncate). Unlike P. emarginatum , the frons of P. aurifex is not swollen above the antennal socket (rather than swollen), the clypeal lamella of the female is arcuate ( Fig. 142 ) rather than angular ( Fig. 357 ), and male sternum VIII is triangular, rounded apically (rather than practically parallel-sided, deeply emarginate apically). Subsidiary recognition features of P. aurifex are: hindcoxal dorsum without carina along outer margin basally, and setae of head, thorax, propodeum, and gaster pale golden.

DESCRIPTION.– Frons dull, finely punctate, punctures less than one diameter apart. Labrum emarginate. Anteromedian pronotal pit transversely elongate, about 1.5 × midocellar diameter. Scutum dull, not foveate along flange, without longitudinal ridges adjacent to posterior margin; scutal punctures minute, less than one diameter apart ( Fig. 144 ). Mesopleural punctures well defined, slightly less than one diameter apart; interspaces unsculptured. Postspiracular carina absent. Metapleural sulcus not costulate between dorsal and ventral metapleural pits. Propodeum without carina separating side from dorsum and posterior surface, dorsum and side punctate (punctures less than one diameter apart) except for median sulcus on dorsum and oblique ridges adjacent to sulcus; posterior surface punctate in dorsal half, punctate and ridged in ventral half. Posteroventral forefemoral surface minutely punctate, punctures averaging about two diameters apart. Hindcoxal dorsum with outer margin not carinate basally. Punctures of tergum I minute, averaging about one diameter apart. Sterna densely punctate throughout, punctures small but well defined.

Setae golden on head, thorax, propodeum, and gaster (almost silvery on frons and clypeus in specimen from Crediton Forest, Queensland), concealing integument on pronotal collar, most of horizontal portion of tergum I in type series, and apical depressions of terga, partly so on propodeal dorsum, erect on frons, suberect on lower gena and forecoxal venter (setal length up to 1.5 × midocellar diameter), appressed on scutum, less than one midocellar diameter on femora, erect along lateral margin of tergum I but not longer than one midocellar diameter.

Head, thorax, and propodeum black; scape, pedicel, and flagellomeres I and II ferruginous (scape and pedicel may be largely black); mandible ferruginous, dark brown basally and apically. Femora black basally, ferruginous apically (basal half of midfemur ferruginous ventrally in most specimens, all venter ferruginous in specimen from Crediton Forest), tibiae and tarsi ferruginous. Gaster black, apical depressions of terga yellowish reddish, apical segment yellowish reddish except black basally or basomedially ( Fig. 145 ).

♀.– Upper interocular distance equal to 0.68 × lower interocular distance; ocellocular distance equal to 1.5-1.6 × hindocellar diameter, distance between hindocelli 1.0 hindocellar diameter; eye height equal to 0.96 × distance between eye notches. Free margin of clypeal lamella minimally convex, nearly straight ( Fig. 142 ), but acutely angulate in one female from Eungella National Park, Queensland. Dorsal length of flagellomere I 2.0 × apical width, of flagellomere IX 1.4 × apical width. Length 11.7-13.2 mm; head width 3.0- 3.2 mm.

♂.– Upper interocular distance equal to 0.82 × lower interocular distance; ocellocular distance equal to 1.7-1.8 × hindocellar diameter, distance between hindocelli 1.1 hindocellar diameter; eye height equal to 0.94 × distance between eye notches. Middle clypeal lamella obtusely pointed ( Fig. 143 ). Flagellomeres II-IV slightly concave basoventrally, slightly convex apicoventrally. Dorsal length of flagellomere I 1.8 × apical width, of flagellomere X 1.4 × apical width. Sternum VIII punctate throughout, acutely triangular, rounded apically ( Fig. 146 ). Genitalia: Figs. 147-149 . Length 8.8-10.0 mm; head width 2.5-2.8 mm.

GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION (Fig. 150).– Eastern New South Wales, eastern Queensland.

RECORDS.– AUSTRALIA: New South Wales: Epping (1 ♀, AMS) . Queensland: Bluff Range near

Figures

FIGURES 142–147. Pison aurifex F. Smith. (142) Female clypeus and mandibles; (143) Male clypeus and mandibles; (144) Female tegula and adjacent scutum; (145) Female gaster in dorsal view; male: (146) Sternum VIII (ventral surface); (147) Genitalia in dorsal view.

FIGUES 357-360. Pison emarginatum Pulawski, sp. nov. (357) Female clypeus; (358) Male clypeus; (359) Female head in lateral view; (360) Female mesopleuron.