Therophilus leucogaster
Creators: name: Stevens, Nicholas B.
name: Austin, Andrew D.
name: Jennings, John T.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2011
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Braconidae
Therophilus
Therophilus leucogaster

description: Therophilus leucogaster (Holmgren)   
(Figs 12E, 18A)  
 Ischius leucogaster Holmgren, 1868: 427 [examined]. Holotype NHRS ♂; Type locality: Sydney, New South Wales. Orgilus leucogaster (Holmgren); Parrott, 1953: 198 [catalogue, generic transfer].   
 Agathis leucogaster (Holmgren); Shenefelt, 1970b: 340 [catalogue, generic transfer]; Yu et al., 2005 [catalogue].   
 Therophilus leucogaster (Holmgren); Stevens et al., 2010: 10 [catalogue, generic transfer].   
 Diagnosis. Propodeum extensively rugose-carinate with pair of carinae forming large spindle-shape medially; sternalus relatively long, distinct, entirely scrobiculate; notauli absent anteriorly; with BROW colour pattern.   
 Description (male). Body length 4.6 mm; head orange, except black dorsally, both antennae incomplete, but remaining segments entirely black to dark brown; anterior mesosoma (propleuron, mesoscutum, mesoscutellum, and metanotum) orange; posterior mesosoma (propodeum, metapleuron, mesepimeron and mesopleuron) black to dark brown; fore leg orange, slightly darker shading on distal tarsomeres; mid coxa, trochantellus, trochanter, basal femur and tarsomeres black to dark brown, remainder of mid leg orange; hind leg black to dark brown except 2 pale bands in basal half of tibia; dorsal and ventral anterior metasoma, extending to beyond anterior margin of T3, white except small dark patch on medial T1; remainder metasoma black to dark brown.   
Head width 0.9 mm, length 0.6 mm, height 0.8 mm; eye width 0.2 mm, length 0.3 mm, height 0.5 mm; head triangular in anterior view; inter-orbital distance 0.6 mm; median ocellus diameter 0.09 mm; distance between lateral ocelli to median ocellus 0.05 mm; distance between lateral ocelli 0.13 mm; single, broad carina between antennae; ante-ocular pit distinct and triangular; antennae incomplete; clypeus width 0.3 mm, height 0.13 mm; malar space height 0.2 mm; distance from ventral eye margin to latero-ventral mouth margin 0.24 mm; labial palpomere 3 length 0.2x labial palpomere 4 length (lengths 0.02 and 0.1 mm, respectively); labial palpomere 2 length 0.09 mm; posterior margin of head, when viewed dorsally, broadly excavated (incursion 0.07 mm); posterior genal margin distinctly carinate but not expanded ventro-posteriorly.  
Mesosomal width 0.9 mm, length 1.8 mm, height 1.2 mm; pilosity mostly 0.05–0.08 mm in length and sparse, particularly dorsally, except distinct dense setal field on metapleuron and mesepimeron, where setae are longer (0.1–0.15 mm) and thicker; antescutal depression distinct, anterior margin carinate with setal fringe; subpronope distinct, bordered posteriorly by pair of faint, short carinae, not extending to anterior margin of pronotum; notauli absent anteriorly (pin obliterates notauli posteriorly); scutellar sulcus divided into 4 main pits by 3 distinct longitudinal carinae, medial carina largest, anterior wall sloped, particularly medially, posterior wall nearly vertical; propodeum extensively and distinctly rugose, with longitudinal carinae forming spindle-shape medially; propodeal spiracle ovoid (maximum distance across 0.06 mm); suture line between metapleuron and propodeum delineated by scrobiculate groove; hind coxal cavities closed to metasomal foramen by relatively wide hind coxal bridge (minimum width 0.08 mm) with carinate margins; sternalus distinctly scrobiculate, relatively straight and horizontal posteriorly, curves slightly upwards anteriorly; metapleuron with setal field; surface sculpturing smooth except for punctuation associated with setae.  
Legs with basal lobe of all claws quadrate; mid tibia with 4 apical and 5 preapical spines; preapical spines spaced on anterior surface in distal half of tibia; hind tibia with 5 apical and 8 preapical spines; preapical spines situated just basal to apical spines.  
Both fore and hind wings lightly infuscate; fore wing maximum width 1.5 mm, length 4.5 mm; cell 1-Rs petiolate and highly reduced so only small round cell, diameter 0.04 mm, diameter less than width of petiole (0.06 mm); petiole of cell 0.1 mm long; basal one-third of M+Cu only lightly pigmented; hind wing maximum width 0.9 mm, length 3.1 mm.  
Metasomal length 2.4 mm, maximum width 0.5 mm; all dorsal surfaces smooth; T1 median area elongate, length 0.7 mm, anterior width 0.24 mm, posterior (maximum) width 0.36 mm, raised nodes on antero-lateral margins associated with spiracles distinct, protruding more dorso-laterally; T2 with medial transverse groove; T2–T3 boundary marked by shallow groove.  
 Female. Unknown.   
 Holotype: ♂, ‘Sidney’[sic] ‘Kinb.’ (NHRS). [examined].   
 Comments. Therophilus leucogaster belongs to the BROW mimicry complex and is similar in colour pattern to T. rugosa. However, T. leucogaster is clearly distinguished from T. rugosa by the presence of the longitudinal carinae that form a spindle-shape on the propodeum. No additional material of this species has been located other than the holotype. There is a possibility that T. leucogaster may be extinct given that it was collected in the mid 1800s from an area that is now the location of Australia’s largest capital city, Sydney (Fig. 18A). The holotype has incomplete antennae, with 8 and 6 flagellomeres remaining on the left and right antennae, respectively.
description: Published as part of Stevens, Nicholas B., Austin, Andrew D. & Jennings, John T., 2011, Diversity, distribution and taxonomy of the Australian agathidine genera Camptothlipsis Enderlein, Lytopylus Foerster and Therophilus Wesmael (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Agathidinae), pp. 1-49 in Zootaxa 2887 (1) on pages 24-25, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.2887.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/5285497