Apanteles apricus 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 apricus

description: Apanteles apricus Slater-Baker, Fagan-Jeffries, Fernández-Triana, Portmann & Oestmann sp. nov.
Fig. 4 A (distribution), Fig. 21 (holotype)
Type material.
Holotype. Australia • ♀; QLD, Cainbable Quarry, OF; - 28.145, 153.113; 03–19 Feb. 2009; F. Turco leg.; Malaise trap; BOLD Process ID: AUMIC 068-18; QM: T 208356. Paratype. Australia • ♀; WA, Kalumburu; - 14.292, 126.642; 15–22 Mar. 2022; Kalumburu Remote Community School students leg.; Malaise trap; Insect Investigators; BOLD Process ID: ASMII 13755-22; WAM: 130573.
Diagnostic description.
Size: Total body length: 2.8 mm; fore wing length: 2.8 mm. Head: anterior scape colour moderately paler than head colour; F 2 L / W ratio: 3.2; F 14 L / W ratio: 1.9. Mesosoma: scutoscutellar sulcus with seven pits; mesoscutellar disc mostly smooth, or with very shallow scattered indentations; propodeal areola complete, or mostly so; propodeum mostly rugose; coxae colour (pro, meso, meta): dark 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: 1.1. 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: 0.8.
Apanteles apricus can be separated from other species of Apanteles in Australia with a dark metacoxa by having the metafemur uniformly pale, the ovipositor sheath 0.8–1.0 × metatibia length and hypopygium with clearly defined ventral pleats, and the propodeum with strong rugose sculpture, areola not well defined amongst strong sculpture and T 1 slightly narrowing posteriorly.
Etymology.
The species epithet is a Latin adjective meaning sunny and relates to the sunshine-filled places the species is currently known from, as well as its yellowish metafemur.
Distribution.
Apanteles apricus is currently known from two specimens collected in northern Australia, one near Brisbane and one in northeastern WA.
Molecular information.
Apanteles apricus is currently BIN BOLD: ADL 3302. The COI sequences are at least 6 % divergent from any of the other species treated here, or any available sequence on BOLD. The wg sequence of the holotype is ≥ 17 bp different to any other species. All molecular species delimitation methods separated Apanteles apricus 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