Apanteles doreenwatlerae Slater-Baker, Fagan-Jeffries, Fernandez-Triana, Portmann & Oestmann 2025, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Slater-Baker, Mollie-Rosae
name: Fagan-Jeffries, Erinn P.
name: Oestmann, Katherine J.
name: Portmann, Olivia G.
name: Bament, Tiahni M.
name: Howe, Andy G.
name: Guzik, Michelle T.
name: Bradford, Tessa M.
name: McClelland, Alana R.
name: Woodward, Alice
name: Clarke, Sylvia
name: Ducker, Nathan
name: Fernández-Triana, José
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Braconidae
Apanteles
Apanteles doreenwatlerae

description: Apanteles doreenwatlerae Slater-Baker, Fagan-Jeffries, Fernández-Triana, Portmann & Oestmann sp. nov.
Fig. 5 C (distribution), Fig. 32 (holotype)
Type material.
Holotype. Australia • ♀; QLD, Kuranda; - 16.814, 145.643; 395 m; 26 Jul. – 26 Aug. 2020; M. S. Moulds leg.; Malaise trap; BOLD Process ID: OZBOL 431-21; QM: T 261203. Paratypes. Australia • ♀; QLD, Kuranda; - 16.8135, 145.643; 317 m; 12 Feb. – 6 Apr. 2020; M. S. Moulds leg.; Malaise trap; BOLD Process ID: AUMIC 1491-24; QM: T 261204. • ♂; as previous except: BOLD Process ID: AUMIC 1506-24; QM: T 261206. • ♂; QLD, Kuranda; - 17.0564, 145.786; 19 May – 8 Aug. 2017; M. S. Moulds leg.; Malaise trap; BOLD Process ID: AUMIC 1294-24; QM: T 261205.
Diagnostic description.
Size: Total body length: 2.6 mm; fore wing length: 2.4 mm. Head: anterior scape colour much paler, dramatically different colour than head; F 2 L / W ratio: 2.9; F 14 L / W ratio: 1.4. Mesosoma: scutoscutellar sulcus with seven pits; mesoscutellar disc mostly smooth, or with very shallow scattered indentations; propodeal areola complete, or mostly so; propodeum mostly smooth; coxae colour (pro, meso, meta): pale all; metafemur colour mostly pale. Wings: centre of pterostigma pigmented to same degree as the outer edges; fore wing r vein length / 2 RS vein length ratio: 2.1. Metasoma: T 1 shape narrowing distally, T 1 medial length / anterior width between 1–2 × longer than wide; T 1 mostly rugose; T 2 mostly smooth; ovipositor sheath length / metatibia length ratio: 1.0.
Apanteles doreenwatlerae can be separated from all other described Apanteles species in Australia other than A. pharusalis by the pale metacoxa. It can be diagnosed against A. pharusalis by the T 1 anterior width / posterior width ratio (~ 1.7 in A. doreenwatlerae and ~ 1.2 in A. pharusalis).
Etymology.
This species is named for Doreen Watler, for her contribution to hosting numerous visiting students and researchers (including EPFJ) at the CNC; her hospitality enables a considerable number of the international entomology exchanges in Ottawa.
Distribution.
Apanteles doreenwatlerae is currently only known from northern QLD.
Molecular information.
Apanteles doreenwatlerae contains sequences currently in BIN BOLD: AAM 7396. The COI sequences are at least 9 % divergent from any of the other species treated here, or any available sequence on BOLD. The wg sequence of the holotype is ≥ 7 bp different to any other species. All delimitation methods separated Apanteles doreenwatlerae as a distinct species.
description: Published as part of Slater-Baker, Mollie-Rosae, Fagan-Jeffries, Erinn P., Oestmann, Katherine J., Portmann, Olivia G., Bament, Tiahni M., Howe, Andy G., Guzik, Michelle T., Bradford, Tessa M., McClelland, Alana R., Woodward, Alice, Clarke, Sylvia, Ducker, Nathan & Fernández-Triana, José, 2025, DNA barcoding, integrative taxonomy, citizen science, and Bush Blitz surveys combine to reveal 34 new species of Apanteles (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Microgastrinae) in Australia, pp. 1-128 in ZooKeys 1227 on pages 1-128, DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1227.130467