Cotesia wonboynensis, Fagan-Jeffries & Austin, 2020

Fagan-Jeffries, Erinn P. & Austin, Andrew D., 2020, Synopsis of the parasitoid wasp genus Cotesia Cameron, 1891 (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Microgastrinae) in Australia, with the description of seven new species, European Journal of Taxonomy 667 (667), pp. 1-70 : 59-61

Cotesia wonboynensis sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:67EECA2C-26A3-401A-A0A7-98B6DF264677

Figs 10B , 32

Diagnosis

Cotesia wonboynensis sp. nov. can be separated from all other species of Cotesia currently described from Australia and Papua New Guinea by the following combination of characters: T2 ovoid, occasionally semicircle shaped, with very strong, wide crenulate border; scutoscutellar sulcus with approximately 9–11 pits; T1 parallel sided; T3 dark with sparse setae on most of tergite; anteromesoscutum sculpturing punctate reticulate; scutellar disk smooth with shallow punctures associated with setae; centre of medial posterior band of the scutellum smooth; fore wing 2RS not creating a ‘stub’ at junction with r.

Etymology

This species is named for the town Wonboyn, from where the type series was collected and reared by Paul Whitington and Kerri-Lee Harris.

Material examined

Holotype

AUSTRALIA • ♀; NSW, Wonboyn; 37.24417° S, 149.90306° E; emerged 25 Mar. 2019; P. Whitington and K-L. Harris leg.; reared from Anthela s p., cf A. connexa , on Allocasuarina littoralis (Salisb.) L.A.S.Johnson ; BOLD (for co-reared specimen): AUMIC539-19; Genbank COI (for co-reared specimen): MN182700 ; ANIC 32 130294 .

Paratypes

AUSTRALIA • 3 ♀♀, 1 ♂; same collection data as for holotype; ANIC 32 130295 to 130298 • 1 ♀, 1 ♂; same collection data as for holotype; WINC .

Description

Female

COLOUR. Head, antenna and mesosoma and dorsal metasoma other than non-sclerotised areas of T1 dark; anterior sternites pale, darkening posteriorly; (fore-, mid-, hind coxa) dark, dark, dark; femora (fore-, mid-, hind femur) pale, pale, pale darkening distally; tibiae (fore-, mid-, hind tibia) pale, pale, light brown darkening distally; tegula and humeral complex dark; pterostigma dark; fore wing veins dark.

BODY LENGTH. Head to apex of metasoma: 2.7 (2.4–2.7) mm.

HEAD. Antenna slightly longer than body length; OOL/posterior ocellus diameter 2.0 (2.0–2.1); POL/ posterior ocellus diameter 1.8 (1.7–1.9); antennal flagellomere 2 length/width 3.0 (3.3–3.4); antennal flagellomere 14 length/width 3.0 (2.7–3.2).

MESOSOMA. Anteromesoscutum sculpturing punctate reticulate, reasonably regular but less dense and shallower in centre and on lateral sides; number of pits in scutoscutellar sulcus 9 (9, 11); scutellar disc with only shallow pits associated with setae and no basal rugostiy; maximum height of mesoscutellum lunules/maximum height of lateral face of mesoscutellum 0.52 (0.55).

WINGS. Fore wing length 2.8 (2.4–2.8) mm; length of veins r/2RS 0.9; length of veins 2RS/2M 1.3 (1.5–1.6); length of veins 2M/(RS+M)b 1.6 (1.2); pterostigma length/width 2.9 (2.6–3.1).

LEGS. Hind tibia inner spur length/metabasitarsus length 0.5 (0.5–0.6).

PROPODEUM. Medial carina distinct, rest of propodeum rugose, in paratypes with stronger, less dense carinae and smoother posterio-lateral corners.

METASOMA. T1 length / T1 width at posterior margin 1.6; parallel sided, irregularly punctured in posterior third; T2 width at posterior margin /T2 length 1.7, semicircle shaped, almost ovoid in holotype, irregularly sculptured with strong crenulate border on all sides, T2 length / T3 length 0.7; T3 sculpture smooth and shiny; ovipositor sheaths length/hind tibial length 0.1 (0.15–0.17).

Male

As female, only slight variations in measurements.

Host

Anthela sp., most likely A. connexa (Walker, 1855) (Anthelidae) (identification from image of larvae by E.P. Beaver).

Distribution

Currently known only from type locality on the southern NSW coastal region, although as the host occurs throughout the east coast of Australia and into Tasmania, this parasitoid is likely to have a wider range than is currently known.

Figures

Fig. 10. A. Cotesia anthelae (Wilkinson, 1928), T2 (paratype, NHMUK 3.c.002). B. C. wonboynensis sp. nov., T2 (holotype ANIC 32 130294). C. C. medusae sp. nov., T2 (paratype, QM T246705). D. C. scripta sp. nov., T2 (paratype, MV T22495).

Fig. 32. Cotesia wonboynensis sp. nov., ♀, holotype (ANIC 32 130294) A. Mesoscutellum, propodeum, T1–2. B. Head in dorsal view and anteromesoscutum. C. Habitus in lateral view. D. Fore wing. E. Head in anterior view. F. Habitus in dorsal view. G. Cocoons on host caterpillar (image credit: P. Whitington).