Cotesia ginginensis Fagan-Jeffries & Davies, 2025

Fagan-Jeffries, Erinn. P., Davies, Emily & Howe, Andy G., 2025, Cotesia ginginensis sp. nov., a new species of parasitoid wasp (Braconidae: Microgastrinae) from Queensland, Australia, Zootaxa 5660 (2), pp. 293-296 : 294-296

Cotesia ginginensis Fagan-Jeffries & Davies , sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:4A5A4D0A-18EC-4978-8F64-90D451077C33

( Fig. 1 )

Diagnosis. Cotesia ginginensis can be separated from all other species of Cotesia currently described from Australia and Papua New Guinea by the following combination of characters: mesosoma not dorsal-ventrally flattened (i.e., not as in Cotesia nonagriae ( Olliff, 1893)) ; fore wing r vein clearly longer than 2RS (r length>1.4 × length of 2RS); centre of the medial band of the mesoscutellar disc smooth; propodeum strongly sculptured with the medial carina clearly distinct for the whole length; T1 slightly broadening posteriorly but not strongly wedge-shaped (i.e., not as in C. ruficrus ( Haliday, 1834)) ; T2 not strongly sculptured and T3 not densely setose (i.e., not as in C. rubecula ( Marshall, 1885)) .

Material examined. Holotype. AUSTRALIA • ♀; Queensland, Gin Gin ; -24.989, 151.968; 22–29 Mar. 2022; Malaise Trap, Gin Gin State High School Students, Insect Investigators ; Sampe ID: BIOUG82735 -E04, Process ID: ASMII4974-22 . QM: T262276 , T262277 . Paratype. AUSTRALIA • ♀; Queensland, Prospect; -24.42, 150.43; 22 Mar.–1 Apr. 2022; Malaise Trap, Prospect Creek State School students, Insect Investigators ; Process ID: BIOUG85138 - F03, Sample ID: ASMII7948-22 . QM: T262277 . Other material. AUSTRALIA • ♀; Queensland, Townsville, Hermit Park ; -19.28279, 146.80067; 10 m; 16 Apr. 2010; G. Cocks; Process ID: HYQT528-10 , Sample ID: gvc14224 - 1L. We assign this specimen to Cotesia ginginensis based on the COI barcode (100% identical to the holotype) and the inspection of the dorsal habitus image available on the BOLD portal (https://portal.boldsystems.org/result?query= HYQT528-10 [ids]) .

Description

FEMALE. Colour: head, antenna and mesosoma black, dorsal metasoma mostly dark brown, paler than mesosoma, other than T3 which is yellowish and paler than T1–2 and T4–6 ( Fig. 1D ); (fore-, mid-, hind coxa) dark, dark, dark; femora (fore-, mid-, hind femur) pale, light brown, light brown; tibiae (fore-, mid-, hind tibia) pale, light brown, light brown; tegula and humeral complex: dark, humeral complex paler than tegula; pterostigma dark; fore wing veins dark brown ( Fig. 1B ).

Body length (head to apex of metasoma) 2.7 (2.8) mm.

Head: antenna slightly longer than body length; OOL/posterior ocellus diameter 2.9 (2.8); POL/posterior ocellus diameter 2.6; antennal flagellomere 2 length/width 2.8; antennal flagellomere 14 length/width 2.8 (2.5).

Mesosoma: anteromesoscutum reticulate rugose, finer in anterior half; number of pits in scutoscutellar sulcus 8; scutellar disc with numerous shallow punctures; maximum height of mesoscutellum lunules/maximum height of lateral face of mesoscutellum 0.6 (0.7).

Wings: fore wing length 2.7 mm; length of veins r/2RS 1.6 (1.7); length of veins 2RS/2M 1.4; length of veins 2M/(RS+M)b 1.1; pterostigma length/width 2.9 (2.8).

Legs: hind tibia inner spur length/metabasitarsus length 0.7 (0.5).

Propodeum: strongly and irregularly sculptured, medial carina complete and distinct ( Fig. 1G ).

Metasoma: T1 length / T1 width at posterior margin 1.3 (1.2); almost parallel sided slightly widening posteriorly with curved posterior corner, scattered punctures, denser in posterior half ( Fig. 1F ); T2 width at posterior margin / T2 length 1.6 (1.7), slightly trapezoid (almost rectangular) with curved lateral sides, smooth with irregular shallow sculpturing, distinct furrow at posterior border; T2 length / T3 length 0.8; T3 sculpture smooth and shiny; ovipositor sheaths length/ hind tibial length 0.24 (0.26), barely extruding from hypopygium.

MALE. Unknown.

Distribution. Currently only known from eastern Queensland. The Gin Gin specimen was collected in (remnant) broad vegetation group (BVG, Nelder et al. 2023) 11a, i.e. moist to dry open forests to woodlands dominated by Eucalyptus crebra (regional ecosystem ID 12.8.17, Queensland Government 2025). The specimen from Prospect Creek was collected in (remnant) broad vegetation group 16c, woodlands/open woodlands (potentially Eucalyptus tereticornis and/or Eucalyptus spp. woodland, e.g. E. populnea ) on alluvial plains (regional ecosystem ID 11.3.4, 11.3.2). Both BVGs characterise open eucalypt woodland/forest, absence of a shrub layer.

Host. Unknown.

Etymology. This species was named by students at Gin Gin State High School in Queensland, who collected the holotype as part of the Insect Investigators Citizen Science Project in 2022. The species epithet is an adjective meaning ‘of/from Gin Gin’.

Molecular data. This species is currently in BIN BOLD:AAA7143, an extremely large BIN with nearly 2000 individual records and COI divergences of up to 7.6%, with multiple different described species falling within the single BIN. The three known specimens of Cotesia ginginensis produced identical COI barcodes, which are ≥2% divergent to other members of the BOLD BIN.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Cotesia ginginensis; holotype. A. lateral habitus B. fore wing C. dorsal head D. dorsal habitus E. anterior head F. T1 G. metanotum and propodeum.