Mirax supremus Slater-Baker 2025, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Slater-Baker, Mollie-Rosae
name: Guzik, Michelle
name: Rodriguez, Juanita
name: Howe, Andy
name: Woodward, Alice
name: Ducker, Nathan
name: Fagan-Jeffries, Erinn
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Braconidae
Mirax
Mirax supremus

description: Mirax supremus Slater-Baker sp. nov.
Fig. 4
Specimens examined.
Holotype: Australia • 1 ♀; Queensland, Beerwah; 26°51.93'S, 152°57.22'E; 1–8 Mar. 2022; Beerwah State High School students leg.; M / T; MS 22-2; BOLD Sample ID: BIOUG 82726-D 01; BOLD Process ID: ASMII 2639-22; QM T 261159. Paratypes: Australia • 1 ♀; Queensland, Kuranda, 16°48.81'S, 145°38.59'E; 317 m; 4 Sept. – 29 Oct. 2020; M. S. Moulds leg.; M / T; BOLD Sample ID 22-ME 334; BOLD Process ID: AUMIC 889-23; QM T 261160 • 1 ♂; New South Wales, Barren Grounds; 34°40.18'S, 150°42.72'E; 23–29 Jan. 2020; K. Bayless, J. Lumbers leg.; M / T; BOLD Sample ID: ExtractionMS 4; BOLD Process ID: AUMIR 011-21; ANIC: 32-085575.
Diagnosis.
Mirax supremus is morphologically very similar to its closest known relatives M. caelicus and M. arcisensis. M. supremus is therefore best distinguished from these species based on DNA barcodes, for which the holotype of M. supremus is 4.6 and 9.3 % divergent from holotypes of M. caelicus and M. arcisensis respectively (Fig. 1; see Suppl. material 2). There are some subtle morphological differences between these species however: T 1 is comparatively broader (2.1–2.4 × longer than maximum width) in M. supremus, whereas it is 3.2–3.4 × longer than wide and appears strongly narrowed basally in M. arcisensis; Scutellar medio-posterior depressions are smaller and semi-eliptical in M. arcisensis, whereas they are larger and oval-shaped in M supremus; Scutellar medio-posterior depressions are separated by a distance approximately equal to the maximum width of one depression in M. supremus, whereas they separated by a distance less than the maximum width of one depression in both M. caelicus and M. arcisensis; Ratio of r-rs / 2 RS length is 4.4– 4.3 in M. supremus, whereas it is 3.7 in M. caelicus. M. supremu s can be differentiated from all other described Australian Miracinae (M. ceduna, M. cowellensis, M. kaatijan, M. trianguliceps) by the presence of a medial longitudinal carina on the propodeum.
Description.
Measurements of the holotype are provided, with paratype measurements given in parentheses when different to the holotype.
Size: body length 1.3 mm; fore wing length 1.4 (1.5) mm; length of antenna approximately equal to body length (Fig. 4 A).
Colour: head and mesosoma dark brown, except for mandible yellow-brown (or brown), mouthparts dull yellow, scape and pedicel brown; metasoma dull yellow basally, gradating to brown distally; T 1 yellow-brown (or brown), with brown (or dark) margin; T 2 yellow; ovipositor sheaths brown; hind coxa, femur and tarsus yellow; fore wing veins and pterostigma translucent brown.
Head: dorsal head 1.9 (1.8) × wider than medial length (Fig. 4 F); dorsal head width 1.7 (1.5) × face height (Fig. 4 E, F); head and face smooth, sparsely setose dorsally, with the face densely setose (Fig. 4 E, F); head shape nearly ovoid in anterior view (Fig. 4 E); dorsal eye length (maximum length measured diagonally) 0.7 × dorsal distance between the eyes at narrowest point (Fig. 4 F); dorsal medial head length 1.3 × longer than dorsal eye length; dorsal distance between the eyes at narrowest point 0.6 × head width in dorsal view (Fig. 4 F); ratio POD: POL: OOL; 1: 2: 3.5 (1: 1.9: 3.2) (Fig. 4 F); inner eye margin narrowing slightly posteriorly (towards clypeus; Fig. 4 E); eyes with a few short, sparse setae (barely visible); antennae with 14 segments; scape 2.0 (1.9) × longer than wide; pedicel 1.9 (1.8) × longer than wide; first flagellomere 5.0 (4.5) × longer than wide; 11 th flagellomere 2.2 (2.6) × longer than wide; apical flagellomere pointed; distal end of each flagellomere with several thickened setae which are longer than surrounding setae.
Mesosoma: mesosoma 0.4 (0.3) × body length, 1.4 (1.2) × longer than wide; anteromesoscutum mostly smooth (or with very shallow, dense punctures, more prominent towards edges), moderately – densely setose; scutellar sulcus faintly indicated by smooth, shallow depression (Fig. 4 D); scutellum with medium-sized, elongate, oval-shaped medio-posterior depressions, separated by width approximately equal to one depression (Fig. 4 D); propodeum mostly smooth with a medial longitudinal carina, meeting transverse carinae two thirds down propodeum in a ‘ Y’ shaped configuration.
Wings: pterostigma 2.5 (2.4) × longer than wide, with outer edge rounded and protruding slightly from wing outline (Fig. 4 C); length of vein 2 RS 4.4 (4.3) × r-rs, vein 2 - M 1.3 (2.0) × longer than r-rs (Fig. 4 C).
Legs: hind coxa, femur and tarsus densely setose, except for basal hind coxa sparsely setose; length of hind femur 2.1 (1.7) × hind basitarsus; length of hind tibia 3.1 (2.6) × hind basitarsus.
Metasoma: mesosoma 0.4 (0.5) × body length; T 1 approximately 2.1 (2.4) × longer than maximum width, teardrop shaped, almost ovoid apically; T 1 Smooth, with a few setae distally; ovipositor sheaths short, 3.8 (5.0) × longer than wide, densely setose (Fig. 4 G).
Male. Appears similar to the female, except for the following: fore wing 1.7 mm; mesosoma dark, brown basally; T 1 brown with dark margin; T 2 dark; antennae longer than the body; penultimate flagellomere 2.9 × longer than wide; POD: POL: OOL 1: 1.3: 2.7; head width 1.4 × face height; dorsal medial head length 1.4 × longer than dorsal eye length; pterostigma 3.2 × longer than wide; length of vein 2 RS 5.3 × r-rs, vein 2 - M 1.9 × longer than r-rs; T 1 2.8 × longer than wide.
Remarks.
The holotype and female paratype were collected in Queensland, and may be expected to show lighter overall colouration compared to specimens collected from other states in Australia (based on observations of related braconid subfamilies). At time of publication, this species forms BOLD BIN: BOLD: ADS 1803 and is 4.33 % divergent from its nearest neighbour on BOLD based on COI.
Etymology.
The species epithet ‘ supremus’ is a Latin masculine adjective meaning ‘ highest’ or ‘ loftiest’, to represent the term ‘ pinnacle’. This epithet was selected by the year 8–9 students of Beerwah State High School who collected the holotype, to celebrate the students being part of the Pinnacle Class program at their school. Female type specimens are deposited at the Queensland Museum, Australia, and the male paratype is deposited at the Australian National Insect Collection, Australia.
Distribution.
This species is currently known from Queensland and New South Wales, Australia. It is likely to be distributed along the east coast of Australia, however may also be found in other regions. Further sampling is required to determine an accurate distribution for this species.
description: Published as part of Slater-Baker, Mollie-Rosae, Guzik, Michelle, Rodriguez, Juanita, Howe, Andy, Woodward, Alice, Ducker, Nathan & Fagan-Jeffries, Erinn, 2025, Three new species of Australian miracine parasitoid wasps collected by regional schools as part of the Insect Investigators citizen science project (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Miracinae), pp. 19-45 in Journal of Hymenoptera Research 98 on pages 19-45, DOI: 10.3897/jhr.98.137806