Therophilus mishae Stevens 2011, n. sp.
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 mishae

description: <i>Therophilus mishae</i> Stevens, n. sp. (Figs 2B, 3B, 4C, 5B, 16C, 19A) <b>Diagnosis.</b> Broad rounded elevation between antennae; notauli scrobiculate; propodeal sculpturing entirely rugose on granulate background or granulate; T1 granulate to granulate-rugose; T2 granulate to granulate-striate; body yellow and black to dark brown with S1–2 white. <b>Description (female).</b> Body length 3.2 (3.0–4.6) mm; ovipositor 3.1 (3.1–3.8) mm; head mostly yellow, except black dorsally (head sometimes entirely yellow or mostly dark brown to black), antenna brown to dark brown except anterior scape and pedicel lighter; mesosoma brown, dark brown or black except pronotum, propleuron and fore wing tegula entirely yellow, mesoscutum with yellow ‘Y’-shaped pattern extending along notauli, mesopleuron with a large region of yellow on medial anterior margin extending to posterior margin as a narrow yellow swathe (mesosoma can range from mostly yellow to mostly dark brown to black); both fore and mid legs mostly yellow except tarsomeres dark brown; hind leg mostly yellow except coxa mostly black to dark brown, legs yellow except tarsomeres brown; T1 and T2 dark brown (T1 yellow medially; T2 mostly yellow); latero-tergites of T1 and T2, and S1 and S2 white; T3 to T7 dark brown to brown with latero-tergites gradating to lighter shade ventrally, (T3 entirely yellow; T4 mostly yellow but with darker shading on antero-medial margin; T5 and T6 brown dorsally only; T8 and T9 uniformly yellow); remainder of sternites pale yellow. Head width 0.7 (0.6–0.9) mm, length 0.4 (0.4–0.7) mm, height 0.6 (0.5–0.7) mm; eye width 0.2 (0.15–0.22) mm, length 0.3 (0.2–0.3) mm, height 0.3 (0.3–0.4) mm; head not triangular in anterior view, more elliptical; interorbital distance 0.4 (0.4–0.5) mm; median ocellus diameter 0.06 mm; distance between lateral ocelli and median ocellus 0.04 (0.04–0.07) mm; distance between lateral ocelli 0.08 (0.08–0.12) mm; broad rounded elevation between antennae; ante-ocular pit not defined; antenna with 29 (26–30) flagellomeres; clypeus width 0.2 (0.2–0.3) mm, height 0.1 mm; malar space height 0.2 (0.18–0.23) mm; distance from ventral eye margin to latero-ventral mouth margin 0.2 (0.2–0.3) mm; labial palpomere 3 length 0.2x (0.2–0.25) labial palpomere 4 length (lengths 0.02 and 0.08 (0.1–0.08) mm, respectively); labial palpomere 2 length 0.07 (0.07–0.08) mm; posterior margin of head, when viewed dorsally, slightly excavated, incursion 0.03 (0.03–0.04) mm; posterior genal margin distinctly carinate, with no expansion ventro-posteriorly. Mesosomal width 0.6 (0.5–0.8) mm, length 1.3 (1.2–1.7) mm, height 0.75 (0.7–1.1) mm; setae of uniform length (0.06 mm), and thickness overall, density generally greater laterally; antescutal depression with carinate anterior margin and associated setal fringe; subpronope distinct and bordered posteriorly by 4 short carinae, none of which extend close to anterior margin of pronotum; notauli scrobiculate; scutellar sulcus scrobiculate with 6 pits formed by 5 complete longitudinal carinae, medial carina most prominent, lateral pits smallest, anterior margin convex, posterior margin concave, anterior wall sloped, posterior wall steeper, nearly vertical; propodeal surface rugose on granulate background; propodeal spiracle round (diameter 0.02 mm); suture line between metapleuron and propodeum delineated by scrobiculate groove on granulate background; hind coxal cavities closed to metasomal foramen by hind coxal bridge (minimum width 0.03 mm), with carinate margins; sternalus deep, distinctly scrobiculate, and relatively long, posterior half straight and horizontal, anterior section curves upward; metapleuron without setal field; surface sculpturing smooth except for punctation associated with setae. Legs with basal lobe of all claws prominent and quadrate; mid tibia with 3 apical and 3 preapical spines on the anterior surface in distal half of tibia (can possess 2 apical and 2 preapical spines); hind tibia with 4 apical and 6 preapical spines; preapical spines clumped just basal to apical spines (can range from 4 to 8 preapical spines). Both fore and hind wings clear, not infuscate; fore wing maximum width 0.9 (0.8–1.2) mm, length 2.8 (2.7– 3.7) mm; cell 1-Rs petiolate, highly reduced in size, therefore round, cell diameter (0.03 mm) marginally greater than width of petiolate vein 0.02 mm (highly variable in size and shape, ranging from nearly absent to round (diameter 0.01–0.03) or triangular, triangular-shaped cells largest, up to 0.08 mm); petiole of cell 0.09 (0.06–0.09) mm long; basal one-third or more of M+Cu unpigmented; hind wing maximum width 0.5 (0.4–0.6) mm, length 2.2 (2.0–2.7) mm. Metasomal length 1.55 (1.5–2.5) mm, maximum width 0.6 (0.5–0.7) mm; median T1 surface sculpturing entirely granulate to granulate-rugose; T 1 in dorsal view triangular in shape, length 0.53 (0.5–0.7) mm, anterior width 0.2 (0.1–0.3) mm, posterior width 0.3 (0.2–0.44) mm, raised nodes associated with spiracles on dorso-lateral margin; T2 surface sculpturing entirely granulate to granulate-striate, medial transverse groove as faint curved depression; T2–T3 boundary distinct; T3 smooth, as is remaining metasomal dorsal surface. <b>Male</b>. Same as female except for genitalia. <i>Holotype</i>: &amp;female;, ‘ 29.02S 167.57E, Norfolk Island, nr Highlands Guesthouse 20–26 March 1984, D.C.F. Rentz. Stop 2 pan trap in palm forest’ (ANIC). <i>Paratypes</i>: <b>Norfolk Island:</b> 2 &amp;female;, 1 &amp;male;, 29.03S 167.55E, Rocky Point Reserve, 14.XI–2.XII.1984, I.D. Naumann. Malaise trap, ethanol (ANIC); 2 &amp;female;, 11 &amp;male;, 29.03S 167.56E, Bullocks Hut Rd, 20.XI.1984, I.D. Naumann. NINP, ex. ethanol; <b>Phillip Island</b> (6 km south of Norfolk Island): 29.07S 167.57E; 1 &amp;female;, 7 &amp;male;, Upper Dykes, 26.III– 2.IV. 1984, D.C.F. Rentz (ANIC; WINC); 1 &amp;male; North Coast, 28.III.1984, E.D. Edwards (ANIC); 1 &amp;female;, Long Valley, 27.III.1984, E.D. Edwards (ANIC); 1 &amp;female;, 3 &amp;male; 20–24.XI.1984, Long Valley, L. Hill (ANIC); 13 &amp;female;, 19 &amp;male;, 20– 24.XI.1984, Long Valley, I.D. Naumann. Malaise trap, ethanol (ANIC; WINC); 3 &amp;female;, 1 &amp;male;, 20–24.XI.1984, Long Valley, 26.III–2.IV.1984, D.C.F. Rentz. Malaise trap, ethanol (ANIC); 3 &amp;female;, 2 &amp;male;, 20–24.XI.1984, between Red Rd &amp; Whitewood Valleys, T.A. Weir, I.D. Naumann (ANIC); 1 &amp;female;, 1 &amp;male;, 20–24.XI.1984, Whitewood Valley, I.D. Naumann. ex. ethanol (ANIC). <b>Comments.</b> The colour and sculpturing patterns of <i>T. mishae</i> make this species easy to distinguish from all other Australian <i>Therophilus</i> species. <i>Therophilus mishae</i> is yellow and black to dark brown with sternites 1 and 2 white. However, considerable variation exists in the amount of yellow versus black and dark brown present. Some specimens are nearly completely yellow with only small regions of black and/or dark brown, while others are nearly completely dark brown to black with only small areas of yellow. Most specimens exhibit colour patterns somewhere inbetween these two extremes. The species is confined to Norfolk Island and surrounding islands (Fig. 19A) and is named after the senior author’s daughter, Ms Misha Anais Stevens.
description: Published as part of <i>Stevens, Nicholas B., Austin, Andrew D. &amp; 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)</i> on pages 32-34, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.2887.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/5285497