Wushenia Zettel

Kittel, Rebecca N. & Austin, Andrew D., 2013, Remarkable range extension of the previously monotypic braconid genus Wushenia Zettel (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Cheloninae), with description of a second species from Australia, Zootaxa 3694 (5), pp. 486-492 : 487-488

Genus Wushenia Zettel

Wushenia Zettel, 1990: 186 . Type species Wushenia nana Zettel , by original designation.

Diagnosis. Ocelli as an equilateral triangle; eyes glabrous; occipital carina interrupted dorsally; antenna with 23– 25 antennomeres; notauli present or absent; sternaulus present or absent; fore wing with 1-SR+M present and originating from parastigma, 1-cu1 postfurcal, 2-SR+M antefurcal or postfurcal, with three radial abscissae present, R extends to apex of wing, subdiscal cell open (cu1b absent); lateral propodeal tubercles absent; mid tibia without blister; metasomal carapace with traverse sutures.

Comments. With the description of the new species below, which differs in several respects to the type of the genus, W. nana , the morphological limits of Wushenia need to be expanded slightly, in particular to include the presence or absence of clypeal teeth, notauli, and sternauli, and whether vein 2-SR+M forks antefurcal or postfurcal. Even with these expanded limits, the genus can be easily separated from all other chelonine genera by the following combination of characters: subdiscal cell open (cu1b absent) and occipital carina dorsally interrupted. Based on the significant differences between the two species, we predict that they represent separate lineages of Wushenia for which additional species may be discovered in the future from the Oriental and Australian regions.

Clearly Wushenia is a member of the Phanerotomini given the transverse sutures on the metasomal carapace (Zettel 1990d), but its relationships to other members of the tribe, particularly to the highly speciose, cosmopolitan Phanerotoma , remain unclear. The monophyly of Wushenia is strongly indicated by the two putatively apomorphic states, subdiscal cell open and occipital carina dorsally interrupted. However, Wushenia could also be nested within Phanerotoma , a proposition that can only be thoroughly tested with a comprehensive molecular and morphological dataset comprising an extensive sampling of all chelonine genera. Until such time as this is possible, it will be pragmatic to maintain both as valid genera

Distribution. Previously only known from Taiwan, the second species described below from coastal New South Wales, Australia extends the known distribution of the genus from the Oriental into the Australasian region, indicating either an extreme disjunct distribution or that Wushenia may yet be discovered on the landmasses in between, e.g. the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia and/or Papua New Guinea.

Biology. The hosts of Wushenia are unknown.

Key to the species of Wushenia

1 Clypeus without teeth ( Fig. 3 ); notauli present ( Fig. 4 ); fore wing vein 2-SR+M antefurcal ( Fig. 2 ); propodeum and first metasomal tergite with obvious carinae ( Fig. 4 ); metasomal carapace more convex in cross section and more obvious in lateral view

( Fig. 1 ); head, distal half of antenna and metasomal carapace except anterior part of first tergite black, rest of body yellow ( Figs 1, 4 ) [ Taiwan]........................................................................ W. nana Zettel – Clypeus with teeth ( Fig. 6 ); notauli absent ( Fig. 9 ); fore wing vein 2-SR+M postfurcal ( Fig. 8 ); propodeum and first metasomal tergite rugose (without carinae) ( Figs 9, 10 ); metasomal carapace flatter, without obvious lateral sides ( Fig. 5 ); body completely orange ( Figs 5 , 9, 10 ) [ Australia]................................................ W. australiensis sp. nov.

Figures

FIGURE 5. Lateral habitus, paratype female of Wushenia australiensis sp. nov., scale line = 1 mm.

FIGURES 1 – 4. Holotype female of Wushenia nana Zettel: (1), lateral habitus, (2), fore wings, (3), head, anterior view, (4), mesosoma and metasoma, dorsal view.

FIGURES 6 – 10. Holotype female of Wushenia australiensis sp. nov.: (6), head, anterior view, scale line = 0.5 mm, (7), head, dorsal view, scale line = 0.5 mm, (8), fore wing showing open subdiscal cell (arrowed), scale line = 1 mm, (9), mesosoma, dorsal view, scale line = 0.5 mm, (10), metasoma, dorsal view, scale line = 0.5 mm.