Cotesia lasallei Fagan-Jeffries & Austin 2020, sp. nov.

Cotesia lasallei sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 84A4B9CE-BFA1-44E5- ACE 1-37E75E5CBB01

Figs 9B, 11C, 19

Diagnosis

Cotesia lasallei sp. nov. can be separated from all other species of Cotesia currently described from Australia and Papua New Guinea by the following combination of characters: Antennal flagellomere 14 length/width <1.5 in females, clearly shorter than most other species; fore wing r vein straight; T1 parallel sided, T1–2 mostly smooth; T2 with indistinct or shallowly indented border with T3; T3 dark with sparse setae over most of tergite; anteromesoscutum reticulate rugose; scultellar disk smooth with only shallow punctures; centre of medial posterior band of the scutellum (directly posterior to scutellar disk) smooth; fore wing 2RS not creating a ‘stub’ at junction with r.

Etymology

We dedicate this species in honour of the late Dr John La Salle, hymenopterist, biodiversity researcher, director of the Atlas of Living Australia, and great friend to ADA.

Material examined

Holotype

AUSTRALIA • ♀; South Australia, Flinders Ranges, Brachina Gorge; 31.34125° S, 138.56679° E; 5Apr. 2011; R. Kittel leg.; sweeping creek vegetation; BOLD: AUMIC300-18; Genbank COI: MH138642; SAMA 32-44401.

Paratypes

AUSTRALIA – South Australia • 1 ♀; Andamooka; 30.72701° S, 137.2036° E; 30 Aug. 2016; B.A. Parslow leg.; sweeping; Bush Blitz Lake Torrens; in ethanol; BOLD: AUMIC131-18, Genbank COI: MH139126; WINC • 1 ♀; Witchelina Stn; 30.09556° S, 138.13583° E; 14 Oct. 2010; S. Mantel leg.; BOLD: AUMIC321-18, Genbank COI: MH138639; SAMA 32-44402 • 1 ♂ Andamooka Station; Andamooka Homestead; 30.72627° S, 137.20149° E to Wirrda Well 30.67943° S 137.07232° E; vehicle net; 31 Sep. 2016; R. Leijs leg.; Bushblitz Lake Torrens; BOLD: AUMIC534-19, Genbank COI: MK567157; SAMA 32-44403.

Description

Female

COLOUR. Head, antenna and mesosoma dark, all tergites and most of metasoma dark, non sclerotised areas of T1–2 and anterior sternites paler; (fore-, mid-, hind coxa) dark, dark, dark; femora (fore-, mid-, hind femur) pale, light brown, dark; tibiae (fore-, mid-, hind tibia) pale, pale darkening distally, pale darkening distally or completely dark; tegula and humeral complex light brown to dark; pterostigma light brown to dark; fore wing veins light brown to dark.

BODY LENGTH. Head to apex of metasoma: 2.3 (2.4) mm.

HEAD. Antenna slightly shorter than body length; OOL/posterior ocellus diameter 1.7 (1.8); POL/ posterior ocellus diameter 2.1 (2.5); antennal flagellomere 2 length/width 2.4; antennal flagellomere 14 length/width 1.3.

MESOSOMA. Anteromesoscutum reticulate rugose, finer in anterior half; number of pits in scutoscutellar sulcus 10 (11); scutellar disc with only shallow punctures; maximum height of mesoscutellum lunules/ maximum height of lateral face of mesoscutellum 0.7 (0.5).

WINGS. Fore wing length 2.3 (2.7) mm; length of veins r/2RS 1.3; length of veins 2RS/2M 1.5 (1.2); length of veins 2M/(RS+M)b 0.8; pterostigma length/width 2.4.

LEGS. Hind tibia inner spur length/metabasitarsus length 0.6.

PROPODEUM. Relatively smooth, but with scattered carina and rugosity, particularly short carina radiating from posterior centre, and in posterior lateral corners. Medial carina indistinct.

METASOMA. T1 length /T1 width at posterior margin 1.4 (1.3); parallel sided, mostly smooth with only shallow indistinct sculpturing; T2 width at posterior margin /T2 length 3.0 (2.7), rectangular with curved anterior corners, in paratypes more trapezoid shaped, mostly smooth, border with T3 indistinct in holotype, indented in paratypes; T2 length / T3 length 0.8 (0.7); T3 sculpture smooth and shiny; ovipositor sheaths length/hind tibial length 0.3 (0.2).

Male

As female but hind leg all dark, body longer (2.5 mm body length), 14 pits in the scutoscutellar sulcus, some variation in measurements including T1 length / T1 width at posterior margin 1.6, and notably the antenna lengthened: antennal flagellomere 2 length/width 2.8; antennal flagellomere 14 length/width 3.6.

Distribution

Currently only known from arid South Australia, in regions surrounding Lake Torrens.

Host

Unknown.

Remarks

This species constitutes the BIN BOLD:ADL2795, and is greater than 3% divergent from any other sequences available on the database.