Westwoodia romani Wharton and Roeder

Wharton, Robert A., Roeder, Karl & Yoder, Matthew J., 2008, A monograph of the genus Westwoodia (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae), Zootaxa 1855, pp. 1-40 : 14-16

Westwoodia romani Wharton and Roeder , n. sp.

( Figs 7–8 , 10 , 13 , 15 , 26 , 30 , 34 , 42 , 52–53 , 62 )

Description

Female. Head ( Figs 7–8 , 10 , 13 , 15 ): Face largely polished, rarely somewhat matt, densely punctate and setose medially, sparsely and finely punctate laterally. Clypeus moderately but weakly punctate, otherwise unsculptured; ventral margin broadly truncate and carinate medially, abruptly angled laterally; epistomal sulcus distinct. Eye in lateral view 1.2–1.5X longer than temple; malar space in frontal view 0.3–0.4X eye height, about 0.8X basal width of mandible; malar space sparsely to moderately punctate and setose, gena sparsely and weakly punctate. Frontal depression distinct; lateral swelling of frons moderately well-developed (more so than in W. rodmani but less so than in W. gauldi ), smoother and punctate anteriorly, punctate and shagreened posteriorly, inner margin carinate; frons medially with median carina low, poorly developed anteriorly, absent posteriorly, with distinct pair of elevated carinae diverging posteriorly from posterior end of short median carina resulting in Y-shaped set of frontal carinae. Occipital carina complete and well-developed throughout, curving abruptly towards mandible ventrally. Antenna with 47–49 flagellomeres, flagellum approximately 1.3–1.4X longer than fore wing; first flagellomere 2.9–3.4X longer than wide, 1.2–1.3X longer than second, densely setose; second flagellomere 2.3–2.7X longer than wide; 10th flagellomere 1.7–2.0X longer than wide.

Mesosoma ( Figs 26 , 30 , 34 , 42–43 ): Dorsolateral margin of pronotum moderately and weakly punctate, mostly smooth and polished. Notauli broad, deep at anterior margin, short, not extending posteriorly onto dorsal surface of mesoscutal disc, with only faint indication of median depression posteriorly; median lobe of mesoscutum very weakly elevated above lateral lobes anteriorly. Mesopleuron weakly punctate and densely setose except smooth and polished posteriorly above and below mesopleural fovea. Propodeum moderately densely to densely setose medially; pleural carina indistinct, poorly developed throughout; longitudinal carinae well-developed apically, shorter than in other species. Fore wing areolet distinctly petiolate, 2m-cu arising before middle, from proximal 0.30–0.45; 1cu-a interstitial, rarely postfurcal; CU1a inclivous, forming straight line with 2cu-a. Fore basitarsus 6.1–6.6X longer than mid-width, 2.0X longer than fifth tarsomere; second tarsomere of fore leg 4.0–5.2X longer than wide; hind basitarsus 7.6–7.8X longer than wide, 3.4X longer than fifth tarsomere; second tarsomere of hind leg 3.6–4.0X longer than wide; fore tibia densely setose, setae slightly more stout anteriorly than posteriorly, hind tibia densely setose throughout; fore and hind tarsomeres 1–4 compressed but slender, densely setose throughout, with very small, almost imperceptible pads at apex of each tarsomere.

Metasoma ( Fig. 62 ): Petiole without groove or depression mesad spiracle; dorsal carina obsolescent except at base.

Color: Head yellow to yellow-orange; mandibular teeth, frons medially, and ocellar triangle black; antenna dark brown to black. Mesosoma black; fore and hind wings distinctly infumate, stigma dark brown; fore leg coxa and at least part of trochanter dark brown, remainder yellow with apical tarsomere usually yellow-brown, tarsus of middle leg varying from yellow to yellow-brown; hind leg including tarsus dark brown to black. Petiole of metasoma largely very pale yellow to pale reddish, with darker, often black, crescentshaped transverse stripe medially; T2 very pale yellow to pale reddish with dark, irregular, transverse stripe anteriomedially; T3–7 black with apical margin yellow; penultimate sternite with black blotches laterally, sternum otherwise very pale yellow to pale reddish.

Male ( Figs 52–53 ) as in female except: eye in lateral view 1.0–1.1X length of temple; malar space weakly rugulose. Fore basitarsus 7.8X longer than mid-width, 1.8X longer than fifth tarsomere; third and fourth tarsomeres of fore leg 3.8 and 2.6X longer than wide, respectively; hind basitarsus 9.4X longer than wide. Color as in female except sternum as in W. longipes .

Body length: approximately 10.7–14.7 mm; fore wing 11–15 mm.

Host: Perga dorsalis Leach from either Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehnh. or E. leucoxylon F. Muell. (1 paratype from Naracoorte, see Weinstein & Austin 1995).

Material examined. Holotype Ψ (ANIC): [ AUSTRALIA,] Canberra A C T 11 Mar 1960 E F Riek; second label = Westwoodia det. I. D. Gauld, 1984. Paratypes: 1 Ψ 1 ɗ (ANIC) VICTORIA, Ringwood, Brood 57, emerged 11–12.iii.1936, J.W. Raff; 1 Ψ (WINC) SOUTH AUSTRALIA, Naracoo[r]te, emerged 7.iv.1984, Colony 9, P. Weinstein, ex pupa Perga dorsalis .

Diagnosis

First flagellomere of antenna densely setose throughout; tall interantennal flange absent, replaced by low but well-developed Y-shaped carina; lateral swelling of frons with carinate inner margin especially welldeveloped near ocelli; face distinctly punctate medially; occipital carina complete, distinctly developed throughout; female with tarsomeres of fore leg long, slender, and flattened, not appreciably different from male; fore wing stigma dark brown; fore wing areolet present, with 2m-cu arising proximal to middle; fore tarsus orange to yellow-orange, hind tarsus dark brown, mesosoma black, metasoma dorsally, except for apical margin of terga, white to reddish basally, largely black apically.

Distinguished from all other species of Westwoodia by the combination of a densely setose occiput, presence of a sharply defined occipital carina ( Fig. 15 ), and an interantennal carina that is not elevated as a prominent flange medially ( Fig. 13 ). This species is very similar to W. longipes based on the sculptural details of the interantennal area and frons and the setal pattern on the occiput.

Remarks

The occipital region is more densely setose in the few specimens available for study than it is in other species. However, this area is difficult to see without removing the head, and many of the specimens are in poor condition. Thus, this character needs to be examined more closely with additional, fresh material to assure that it is not an artifact of the preservation of the material at hand. The setal pattern on the meso- and metapleuron was variable, but much of this variation can probably be attributed to specimen quality. One specimen from Adelaide, South Australia is somewhat intermediate between this species and W. longipes and is discussed under the treatment of the latter.

This is one of only two species of Westwoodia with host data.

Figures

FIGURES 5 – 8. Head, frontal and oblique views. 5 – 6, Westwoodia ruficeps; 7 – 8, paratype, W. romani, n. sp.

FIGURES 9 – 10. Head, lateral view showing clypeus in profile. 9, Westwoodia ruficeps; 10, paratype, W. romani, n. sp.

FIGURES 11 – 14. Frons, presence or absence of elevated flange in frontal depression. 11, Westwoodia ruficeps; 12, paratype, W. gauldi, n. sp., arrow = carinate lateral margin of frontal depression; 13, paratype, W. romani, n. sp., arrow = absence of elevated flange; 14, holotype, W. longipes, arrow = weak, indistinct frontal depression.

FIGURES 15 – 18. Occipital carina. 15, paratype, Westwoodia romani, n. sp., arrow = carina present mid-dorsally; 16, holotype, W. longipes, arrow = where carina absent mid-dorsally; 17, paratype, W. rodmani, n. sp.; 18, W. ruficeps, view of back of head near base of mandible (mandible at upper right corner) arrows = occipital carina (left), hypostomal carina (right) and their junction.

FIGURES 24 – 27. Lateral habitus. 24, holotype, Westwoodia gauldi, n. sp.; 25, paratype, W. rodmani, n. sp.; 26, paratype, W. romani, n. sp.; 27, neotype, W. ruficeps.

FIGURES 28 – 31. Mesosoma, lateral view. 28, holotype, Westwoodia gauldi, n. sp., elevated median lobe of mesoscutum; 29, W. ruficeps; 30, paratype, W. romani, n. sp.; 31, paratype, W. rodmani, n. sp.

FIGURES 34 – 37. Propodeum. 34, holotype, Westwoodia romani, n. sp., densely setose; 35, W. ruficeps, sparsely setose; 36, holotype, W. gauldi, n. sp.; 37, paratype, W. rodmani, n. sp., arrow = well-developed pleural carina.

FIGURES 42 – 45. Wings. 42, holotype, Westwoodia romani, n. sp., areolet of normal size; 43, W. cf. longipes, arrow = relatively small areolet; 44, W. gauldi, n. sp., paratype male; 45, W. gauldi, n. sp., holotype female.

FIGURES 50 – 53. Legs, male. 50, Westwoodia ruficeps, fore leg; 51, W. ruficeps, hind leg; 52, holotype, W. romani, n. sp, fore leg; 53, holotype, W. romani, n. sp., hind leg.

FIGURES 60 – 63. Color patterns. 60 – 61, Westwoodia ruficeps from Queensland; 60, habitus; 61, wings, arrow = pale stigma. 62, holotype, W. romani, n. sp., petiole with dark, crescent-shaped transverse line (arrow). 63, neotype, W. ruficeps, petiole, arrow = large, membranous laterotergite.