Pison flagellarium 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 : 195-196

Pison flagellarium Pulawski , species nova

Figures 425 -433.

NAME DERIVATION.– Flagellarius (neuter: flagellarium ) is a Latin adjective derived from flagellum; with reference to ventrally convex male flagellomeres III-VI.

RECOGNITION.– Pison flagellarium is an all black species with abundant erect setae on tergum I. It lacks specializations present in many other species with this feature: the frontal punctures are fine, the area between the antennal socket and orbit is punctate throughout, the mandibular apex is simple (not bidentate or tridentate), the mesopleural punctures are compressed against each other, the inclined part of tergum I has dense minute punctures and also somewhat larger, much sparser punctures (several to many diameters apart), the apical depressions of terga are covered with silvery setae, sterna III and IV are densely punctate, and male flagellomeres III-VI are convex ventrally. Unlike P. tibiale , the clypeal lamella of the female is not divided into a dorsal and a ventral portion and the ocellocular distance is about 0.8-1.4 × hindocellar diameter (rather than 1.4-1.8 ×), and male sternum VIII is evenly punctate in apical half (rather than largely unsculptured and glabrous, with setose median sulcus).

DESCRIPTION.– Frons dull, finely, superficially punctate, punctures less than one diameter apart. Occipital carina joining hypostomal carina. Gena narrow in dorsal view. Labrum not emarginate. Anteromedian pronotal pit transversely elongate, about 1.5-2.0 × as long as midocellar diameter. Scutum not foveate along flange, with or without short longitudinal ridges adjacent to posterior margin; scutal punctures well defined, less than one diameter apart except about one diameter apart behind center in some specimens. Tegula enlarged. Mesopleural punctures well defined, compressed against each other. Postspiracular carina rudimentary or absent. Metapleural sulcus not costulate between dorsal and ventral metapleural pits. Propodeum in most specimens without irregular longitudinal carina separating side from dorsum and posterior surface and extending from gastral socket area toward spiracle, but with carina in some; dorsum with ridges evanescent or absent on most or all of its surface ( Fig. 427 ) or with ridges well defined, irregular, oblique (longitudinal in one male), interspaces punctate; side varying from finely, irregularly ridged (punctate between ridges) to mostly unridged and only punctate; posterior surface irregularly, conspicuously ridged, punctate between ridges. Posteroventral forefemoral surface finely, closely punctate. Hindcoxal dorsum with outer margin not carinate. Punctures of tergum I in female averaging about one diameter apart anterior to apical depression, in male many punctures more than one diameter apart; inclined part of tergum with dense minute punctures and with somewhat larger, much spars- er punctures (several to many diameters apart). Sternum II mesally with well-defined punctures that are several to many diameters apart along midline, impunctate apicomesally; sterna III and IV sparsely to densely punctate.

Setae silvery, erect on frons, thorax, propodeum, forecoxal venter, femoral venters, and tergum I; completely concealing integument on clypeus; about as long as midocellar diameter on scutum, and hindfemoral venter (longest setae), on tergum I about 2 × midocellar diameter, on lower gena sinuous, up to 2.0 × midocellar diameter long. Apical depressions of terga with silvery, setal fasciae.

Body all black, apical depressions of sterna II-VI yellowish brown and sterna VII and VIII brown in male from Kings Mill Creek, South Australia.

♀.– Upper interocular distance equal to 0.66-0.74 × lower interocular distance; ocellocular distance equal to 0.8-1.4 × hindocellar diameter, distance between hindocelli equal to 0.7-1.1 × hindocellar diameter; eye height equal to 0.86-0.92 × distance between eye notches. Free margin of clypeal lamella obtusely angulate ( Fig. 425 ). Dorsal length of flagellomere I 2.6-3.0 × apical width, of flagellomere IX 1.2-1.6 × apical width. Mandible: trimmal carina with small incision at about midlength. Length 8.3-11.0 mm; head width 2.6-3.5 mm.

♂.– Upper interocular distance equal to 0.78-0.86 × lower interocular distance; ocellocular distance equal to 1.3-1.9 × hindocellar diameter, distance between hindocelli equal to 1.1-1.3 × hindocellar diameter; eye height equal to 0.92-0.94 × distance between eye notches. Free margin of clypeal lamella acutely angulate ( Fig. 426 ). Flagellomeres III-VI concave basoventrally, convex apicoventrally ( Fig. 428 ). Dorsal length of flagellomere I 2.0-2.7 × apical width, of flagellomere X 0.9-1.3 × apical width; median flagellomeres relatively long, dorsal length of flagellomere III 2.5 × apical width. Sternum VIII convex on ventral surface, apical margin either rounded, truncate, or shallowly, broadly emarginate ( Fig. 429 ); lateral view: Fig. 430 . Genitalia: Figs. 431-432 . Length 7.4-10.1 mm; head width 2.3-2.8 mm.

GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION (Fig. 433).– New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia.

RECORDS.– HOLOTYPE: ♂, AUSTRALIA: Queensland: 7 km S Batavia Downs at 12°43ʹS 142°42ʹE, 19 June – 22 July 1992, P. Zborowski and E.S. Nielsen ( ANIC).

PARATYPES: AUSTRALIA: New South Wales: Kinchega National Park at 32°23.7ʹS 142°22.7ʹE, (1 ♀, ANIC) , 23 Nov – 11 Dec 1992, P. Zborowski and W. Dressler (4 ♀, ANIC; 4 ♀, CAS) ; 5 km S Batavia Downs at 12°41ʹS 142°41ʹE, 18 June – 22 July 1992, P. Zborowski and E.S. Nielsen (1 ♂, ANIC) ; 7 km S Batavia Downs at 12°43ʹS 142°42ʹE, 19 June – 22 July 1992, P. Zborowski and E.S. Nielsen (3 ♂, ANIC) , 23 Aug –16 Sept 1992, P. Zborowski and L. Miller (2 ♀, ANIC) , 24 Oct – 23 Nov 1992, P. Zborowski and A. Calder (1 ♀, ANIC) , 24 May – 17 June 1993, P. Zborowski and I.D. Naumann (1 ♀, ANIC; 1 ♂, CAS) ; Coen at 13°57ʹS 143°12ʹE, 16 July – 16 Aug 1993, P. Zborowski and J. Balderson (1 ♀, ANIC) , 16 Aug – 13 Sept 1993, P. Zborowski and S. Shattuck (1 ♀, 1 ♂, ANIC) , 20 Oct – 16 Nov 1993, P. Zborowski and M. Horak (1 ♀, ANIC; 1 ♀, CAS) ; Pinnacle Creek 27 km S Archer Crossing, 29 June 1975, S.R. Monteith (1 ♀, ANIC) ; 2 km N Rokeby at 13°39ʹS 142°40ʹE, 13 Sept – 26 Oct 1993, P. Zborowski and D. Rentz (1 ♀, CAS) ; Split Rock at 15°39ʹS 144°31ʹE, 28 May – 26 June 1993, P. Zborowski and I.D. Naumann (1 ♀, ANIC) , 16 July – 18 Aug 1993, P. Zborowski and J. Balderson (1 ♀, ANIC) , 29 June – 24 Aug 1992 (P. Zborowski and J.C. Cardale (1 ♀, ANIC; 1 ♀, CAS), 19 Oct – 18 Nov 1993, P. Zborowski and M. Horak (1 ♀, ANIC) , 30 Oct – 24 Nov 1992, P. Zborowski and A. Calder (1 ♀, ANIC) . South Australia: 100 km SE Broken Hill at 32°51ʹS 141°37ʹE, 3-13 Oct 1988, E.D. Edwards (1 ♀, ANIC) ; Brookfield Conservation Park at 34°21ʹS 139°29ʹE, 24-26 Nov 1992, I.D. Naumann and J.C. Cardale (1 ♂, CAS) ; Kings Mill Creek near Arkoola Homestead , 29 Oct 1969, G.F. Gross (1 ♂, SAM) ; 79 km NNW Renmark at 33°31ʹS 140°24ʹE, 11 Oct – 9 Nov 1995, K. Pullen (2 ♂, CAS) . Western Australia: Bodallin , 18 Nov 1979, R.M. Bohart (1 ♀, UCD) ; Charles Darwin Nature Reserve 7.5 km E White Wells Homestead at 29°34ʹ47ʺS 117°02ʹ23ʺE, 27 Oct 2008, T.F. Houston (1 ♂, WAM) ; Kennedy Range National Park at 24°38.7ʹS 115°10.7ʹE, 26 Apr – 10 May 2003, F.D. Parker and M.E. Irwin (1 ♀, ANIC; 1 ♀, CAS) ; Moola Bulla Station: Halls Creek , 1 Oct 1994, R. Patterson (1 ♀, WAM) ; Mount Augustus National Park at 24°19.2ʹS 116°48.9ʹE, 9-22 May 2003, F.D. Parker and M.E. Irwin (1 ♀, 1 ♂, CAS) ; Nanutarra – Wittenoom road at 22°26ʹ8ʺS 117°49ʹ56ʺE, 13-18 Apr 2005, M. Bulbert and G. Wood (1 ♀, AMS) .

Figures

FIGURES 425-428. Pison flagellarium Pulawski, sp. nov. (425) Female clypeus and mandibles; (426) Male clypeus and mandibles; (427) Propodeal dorsum of female; (428) Basal flagellomeres of male.

FIGURES 429-432. Pison flagellarium Pulawski, sp. nov., male. (429) Sternum VIII (ventral surface); (430) Sternum VIII in lateral view; (431) Genitalia in dorsal view; (432) Genitalia in lateral view. FIGURE 433. Collecting localities of Pison flagellarium Pulawski, sp. nov.