Apanteles cuprum 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 cuprum

description: Apanteles cuprum Slater-Baker, Fagan-Jeffries, Fernández-Triana, Portmann & Oestmann sp. nov.
Fig. 5 A (distribution), Fig. 30 (holotype)
Type material.
Holotype. Australia • ♀; NT, Keep River NP, Hazard Creek, 23.7 km SSW Jarrnarm Camp Ground; - 15.9592, 129.017; 3–8 Jun. 2001; M. E. Irwin, F. D. Parker & C. Lambkin leg.; Malaise trap; BOLD Process ID: AUMIC 1395-24; ANIC: 32-085574. Paratypes. Australia • ♀; QLD, Gununa, Wellesley Islands; - 16.666, 139.182; 1–8 Mar. 2022; Mornington Island State School P- 10 students leg.; Malaise trap; Insect Investigators; BOLD Process ID: ASMII 3877-22; QM: T 261165. Australia • ♂; QLD, Mount Molloy; - 16.674, 145.336; 8–15 Mar. 2022; Mount Molloy State School students leg.; Malaise trap; Insect Investigators; BOLD Process ID: ASMII 12307-22; QM: T 261166. • ♀; WA, Kununurra; - 15.769, 128.737; 15–22 Mar. 2022; East Kimberley Kununurra students leg.; Malaise trap; Insect Investigators; BOLD Process ID: ASMII 9771-22; WAM: 130551. FIJI • ♀; Viti Levu, Sigatoka Province, Sigatoka Sand Dunes Nat. Park; - 18.1678, 177.506; 31 m; 28 Nov. – 3 Dec. 2003; Irwin & Schlinger leg.; Malaise Trap; BOLD Process ID: CNCHW 953-09; CNC: CNCH 2363.
Examined material.
The following specimen agrees in general morphology to the type series, and has a matching COI barcode; however, it is significantly smaller in size; we leave this specimen out of the type material in case it represents a contaminated sequence.
Australia • ♂; QLD, Laura; - 15.5811, 144.458; 15 Mar. 2017; R. Leijs leg.; vehicle netting from Laura caravan park to Quinkan Bush Blitz Site SSS 2 (Welcome Rd); BOLD Process ID: AUMIC 972-24; QM: T 261164.
Diagnostic description.
Size: Total body length: 2.5 mm; fore wing length: 2.5 mm. Head: anterior scape colour similar or only very slightly paler than head colour; F 2 L / W ratio: 3.8; F 14 L / W ratio: 1.3. Mesosoma: scutoscutellar sulcus with seven pits; mesoscutellar disc punctate throughout; propodeal areola complete, or mostly so; propodeum mostly rugose; coxae colour (pro, meso, meta): dark all; metafemur colour mostly dark. Wings: centre of pterostigma pigmented to same degree as the outer edges; fore wing r vein length / 2 RS vein length ratio: 1.4. Metasoma: T 1 shape mostly parallel but narrowing slightly in posterior 1 / 3 or 1 / 4, 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 cuprum can be separated from the other species of Apanteles known from Australia with a dark hind coxa by the metafemur with pale area in the proximal 1 / 4, the trochanter and trochantellus also pale, the anterior side of the scape similar in colour to the head (not much paler), T 2 smooth, and T 1 narrowing posteriorly as in Fig. 30 B.
Due to this species also occurring in Fiji (identified through a COI sequence from Fiji in the same BIN, with the specimen (CNC CNCHW 953-09) examined and morphology aligning to that of the Australian material) we also diagnose this species against those known from Fiji. Diagnoses are based on the information in Nixon (1965) unless otherwise noted. Apanteles cuprum can be separated from:
Apanteles aglaus Nixon, 1965 and Apanteles daimenes Nixon, 1965 by the ovipositor sheath approximately the same length as the metatibia (A. aglaus and A. daimenes described as having the ovipositor sheath only 2 / 3 as long as the metatibia).
Apanteles eurynome Nixon, 1965 by the fore wing membrane hyaline (no infuscation) and the antennae at least as long as the body length (A. eurynome is described as having a “ faint proximal cloud of the fore wing [that] hardly extends into the median cell ” and “ the antenna is short with the three preapical segments slightly transverse. ”
Apanteles hymeniae Wilkinson, 1935 by having T 2 smooth and the hind leg mostly brown (although pale on the proximal 1 / 2 of the metatibia and the trochanter), whilst A. hymeniae is described by Nixon (1965) as “ characterised essentially by the weakly transverse, heavily rugose median field of tergite (2 + 3) and the bright yellow legs. ”
Apanteles orphne Nixon, 1965 by the fore wing membrane hyaline and the ovipositor sheath approximately the same length as the metatibia; A. orphne is described as having a “ proximal cloud of the fore wing [which fills] only about distal sixth of the median cell ” and the ovipositor sheaths 1.5 × as long as the metatibia.
Apanteles samoanus Fullaway, 1940 by the T 1 being close to 2 × longer than wide (if anterior width is measured) or> 2 × longer than wide (if posterior width is measured), and narrowing in posterior 1 / 3 or 1 / 4; whilst A. samoanus is described as the “ 1 st tergite a little longer than wide with parallel sides ” (from original description, not treated by Nixon (1965)).
Apanteles tirathabae Wilkinson, 1928 by the antennae similar length to the body length (A. tirathabae has the antenna short, thick, with segments 16 and 17 not longer than wide).
Apanteles trifasciatus Muesebeck, 1946 by having the fore wing membrane hyaline (A. trifasciatus has very strong infuscated areas, images of type compared: http://n 2t.net/ark:/65665/3ff1ddf70-f69e-4d29-97f1-7c4dffd71683).
Etymology.
The species epithet is a Latin noun in apposition (genitive case) and was named by students at Mount Molloy State School, who collected two paratype specimens during ‘ Insect Investigators’. The Latin noun means ‘ copper’ (the metal) and the students chose the name to relate to the rich copper resources found in the Mount Molloy region. Whilst the species is found in many places without copper mining, we think this name is also apt because of the more coppery colour of this species compared to many others in the genus.
Distribution.
Apanteles cuprum is found in the north of Australia (northern NT, QLD, WA) and also in Fiji.
Molecular information.
Apanteles cuprum is currently represented by sequences in BIN BOLD: AAM 7397. The COI sequences are at least 6 % divergent from any of the other species treated here, or any available sequence on BOLD. There is only a wg sequence available for the specimen from Laura (AUMIC 972-24), but all COI delimitation methods resolved A. cuprum 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