Apanteles pharusalis 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 pharusalis

description: Apanteles pharusalis Slater-Baker, Fagan-Jeffries, Fernández-Triana, Portmann & Oestmann sp. nov.
Fig. 5 C (distribution), Fig. 54 (holotype)
Type material.
Holotype. Australia • ♀; QLD, Cooktown, Grassy hill lookout; - 15.4604, 145.254; 140 m; 18 Nov. 2019; E. Fagan-Jeffries & J. B. Dorey leg.; Sweeping vegetation; BOLD Process ID: AUMIC 1223-24; QM: T 261202. Paratypes. Australia • ♂; QLD, Townsville, Mt. Stuart; - 19.3509, 146.801; 400 m; 04 Jul. 2017; Graeme Cocks leg.; netted; BOLD Process ID: GCQT 1820-17; QM: T 261268. • ♀; WA, Northwest Kimberly, Dambimangari Spatial block 2, M 26 / 1 R 3 se; - 15.4011, 124.649; 28 Jan. 2013; OR Edwards & RK Didham CSIRO leg.; Malaise trap sample (7 days); BOLD Process ID: AUMIC 056-18; WAM: 130554.
Diagnostic description.
Size: Total body length: 1.9 mm; fore wing length: 1.7 mm. Head: anterior scape colour much paler, dramatically different colour than head; F 2 L / W ratio: 3.0; F 14 L / W ratio: 1.3. Mesosoma: scutoscutellar sulcus with nine pits; mesoscutellar disc mostly smooth, or with very shallow scattered indentations; propodeal areola complete, or mostly so; propodeum mostly smooth posteriorly, mostly rugose anteriorly; coxae colour (pro, meso, meta): all pale; 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: 1.5. Metasoma: T 1 shape mostly parallel, T 1 medial length / anterior width between 1–2 × longer than wide; T 1 mostly rugose; T 2 with fine sculpture; ovipositor sheath length / metatibia length ratio: 1.0.
Apanteles pharusalis can be separated from all other described Apanteles species in Australia other than A. doreenwatlerae by the pale metacoxa. It can be diagnosed against A. doreenwatlerae by the T 1 anterior width / posterior width ratio (~ 1.2 in A. pharusalis and ~ 1.7 in A. doreenwatlerae).
Etymology.
This species is named for the lighthouse present at the collection locality of the holotype. The species epithet is an adjective formed from the Latin pharus, which comes from Pharos, an island near Alexandria where there was a famous lighthouse.
Distribution.
Apanteles pharusalis is currently known from northern Australia, from sites on both the east and west coast.
Molecular information.
Sequences of Apanteles pharusalis are currently in BIN BOLD: ADL 3000. The COI sequences are at least 9 % divergent from any of the other species treated here, or any available sequence on BOLD. The wg sequences of the holotype is at least 7 bp different to any other species. All delimitation methods resolved A. pharusalis as a discrete 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