Apanteles darthvaderi Slater-Baker, Fagan-Jeffries, Fernández-Triana, Portmann & Oestmann, 2025

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, ZooKeys 1227, pp. 1-128 : 1-128

Apanteles darthvaderi Slater-Baker, Fagan-Jeffries, Fernández-Triana, Portmann & Oestmann sp. nov.

Fig. 5 B ( distribution), Fig. 31 (holotype )

Type material.

Holotype. Australia • ♀; QLD, Prospect Creek State School ; - 24.4218, 150.43; 6 Oct. – 4 Nov. 2020; E. Fagan-Jeffries & Prospect Creek State School leg.; Malaise trap; BOLD Process ID: AUMIC 637-23 ; QM: T 261222 . Paratypes. Australia • ♀; ACT, Canberra, Cook, 8 Moss Street ; - 35.261, 149.059; 10 Apr. 2011; P. Hebert, R. Labbee, V. Levesque-Beaudin, J. McCormick, J. Sones, J. Webb leg.; BOLD Process ID: AACTA 4853-20 ; ANIC: 32-085567 . • ♀; as previous except 02 Apr. 2011; BOLD Process ID: AACTA 5193-20 ; ANIC: 32-085568 . • ♀; NSW, Bendemeer ; - 30.819, 151.142; 19 Dec. 2020 – 04 Jan. 2021; A. Goodwin, R. Noakes leg.; Malaise trap; BOLD Process ID: AUMIC 626-23 ; AM: K. 647416 . • ♀; NSW, Bendemeer ; - 30.819, 151.142; 19 Dec. 2020 – 04 Jan. 2021; A. Goodwin, R. Noakes leg.; Malaise trap; BOLD Process ID: AUMIC 627-23 ; AM: K. 647417 . ♀; as previous; BOLD Process ID: AUMIC 629-23 ; AM: K. 647418 . • ♂; as previous; BOLD Process ID: AUMIC 946-24 ; AM: K. 647419 . • ♂; NSW, Hat Head ; - 31.063, 153.052; 20–27 Dec. 2012; Paul Hebert leg.; Malaise trap; BOLD Process ID: AUSMA 270-14 ; QM: T 261271 . • ♂; as previous; BOLD Process ID: AUSMA 277-14 ; QM: T 261275 . • ♂; as previous except 10–17 Dec. 2010; BOLD Process ID: HYAS 463-11 ; QM: T 261276 . • ♂; as previous except 22 Feb. 2019; BOLD Process ID: NSWHP 4438-19 ; QM: T 261277 . • ♀; NSW, Oxley Wild Rivers National Park, East Kunderang Track ; - 30.8181, 152.136; 07 Nov. 2015; D. M. Bray leg.; pan trap - blue; BOLD Process ID: AUMIC 1249-24 ; AM: K. 379878 . • ♀; as previous; BOLD Process ID: AUMIC 1250-24 ; AM: K. 646439 . • ♀; NSW, Wonboyn ; - 37.2447, 149.903; 26 Jan. – 10 Feb. 2020; P. Whitington, K-L. Harris leg.; Malaise trap; BOLD Process ID: AUMIC 900-23 ; ANIC: 32-085561 . • ♀; QLD, Back Plains ; - 27.892, 151.783; 1–8 Mar. 2022; Back Plains State School students leg.; Malaise trap; Insect Investigators; BOLD Process ID: ASMII 13121-22 ; QM: T 261181 . • ♂; QLD, Cockburn Rvr Camp ; - 31.0522, 151.144; 10 Dec. 2019; J. B. Dorey leg.; General sweep over Brachychiton flowering species in sclerophyll forest along dry creekbed; Sunny and warm ~ 33 C; BOLD Process ID: AUMIC 1139-24 ; ANIC: 32-085562 . ♂; as previous; BOLD Process ID: AUMIC 1140-24 ; ANIC: 32-085563 . • ♂; as previous; BOLD Process ID: AUMIC 1141-24 ; QM: T 261223 . • ♂; as previous; BOLD Process ID: AUMIC 1142-24 ; QM: T 261224 . • ♂; as previous; BOLD Process ID: AUMIC 1180-24 ; QM: T 261225 . • ♂; as previous; BOLD Process ID: AUMIC 1181-24 ; QM: T 261226 . • ♂; QLD, Crediton ; - 21.2079, 148.521; 23 Nov. 2019; JB Dorey leg.; General sweep over white flowering Acacia in farmland with big gums around.; Sunny and warm.; BOLD Process ID: AUMIC 1226-24 ; QM: T 261227 . • ♀; QLD, Prospect ; - 24.42, 150.43; 22 Mar. – 1 Apr. 2022; Prospect Creek State School students leg.; Malaise trap; Insect Investigators; BOLD Process ID: ASMII 7957-22 ; QM: T 261182 . • ♀; as previous except 15–22 Mar. 2022; BOLD Process ID: ASMII 7910-22 ; QM: T 261183 . • ♀; as previous except 6 Oct. – 4 Nov. 2020; BOLD Process ID: AUMIC 664-23 ; QM: T 261228 . • ♂; as previous; BOLD Process ID: AUMIC 674-23 ; QM: T 261229 . • ♂; as previous; BOLD Process ID: AUMIC 662-23 ; QM: T 261230 . • ♀; as previous except 12 Aug. – 15 Sep. 2020; BOLD Process ID: OZBOL 418-21 ; AM: K. 647420 . • ♀; QLD, Townsville , Hervey Range; - 19.3812, 146.449; 380 m; 23 Jun. 2017; Graeme Cocks leg.; netted; BOLD Process ID: GCQT 1802-17 ; QM: T 261272 .

Diagnostic description.

Size: Total body length: 2.2 mm; fore wing length: 2.2 mm. Head: Anterior scape colour similar or only very slightly paler than head colour; F 2 L / W ratio: 3.1; F 14 L / W ratio: 1.2. Mesosoma: Scutoscutellar sulcus with 12 pits; mesoscutellar disc mostly smooth, or with very shallow scattered indentations; propodeal areola complete, or mostly so; propodeum mostly rugose; coxae colour (pro, meso, meta): dark all; metafemur completely dark; outer side of metatibia mostly dark with pale area in proximal 1 / 3. Wing: Fore wing membrane completely hyaline / transparent, without any trace of infuscation in the membrane. Centre of pterostigma pigmented to same degree as the outer edges; no large pale spot present on pterostigma; fore wing r vein length / 2 RS vein length ratio: 0.8. Metasoma: T 1 shape mostly parallel, T 1 medial length / anterior width between 1–2 × longer than wide; T 1 mostly rugose; T 2 mostly smooth; T 3–6 with setae reduced to a single row on each tergite (exceptionally there may be a few extra setae laterally on some tergites but most setae are in a single row on each tergite); ovipositor sheath length / metatibia length ratio: 1.0.

Apanteles darthvaderi can be diagnosed from the other species with a dark metacoxa and metafemur, the outer side of metatibia mostly dark with a paler area in the proximal 1 / 3, an ovipositor> 0.6 × metatibia length, the pterostigma uniformly pigmented (no hyaline centre or large pale spot), and T 1 with rugose sculpturing, by the fore wing membrane completely hyaline (no infuscation) and T 3 – T 6 with setae mostly reduced to a single row on each tergite.

Etymology.

The species was named by students from Back Plains State School. The students named the species for a fictional character from the Star Wars space opera franchise, “ because this mean little wasp is from the dark side like Darth Vader, because it sucks the life out of the caterpillars. ” The species epithet is a noun in the genitive case.

Distribution.

Apanteles darthvaderi is currently known from along the east coast of Australia, from as far north as Townsville, as far south as Wonboyn, and as far inland as Canberra.

Molecular information.

Apanteles darthvaderi contains a single BIN ( BOLD: AAU 8286). The COI sequences are at least 8 % divergent from any of the other species treated here, or any available sequence on BOLD. The species contains a single wg haplotype which is ≥ 3 bp different to any other species. We consider A. darthvaderi a well-supported species, with 5 / 7 congruent molecular delimitation methods. PTP and ASAP using wg grouped the species with A. auroralis , but as there are clear morphological differences ( A. darthvaderi has the metafemur dark, A. auroralis has the metafemur completely pale), we believe these methods were too conservative in this case.

Remarks.

Apanteles darthvaderi closely resembles A. persephone and runs to the same couplet in the key if A. persephone is treated as having the metatibia mostly dark. We do not have a strong morphological character to separate these species, but also hesitate to identify the specimens here as A. persephone . Apanteles persephone was described from two specimens collected from near Perth in Western Australia, whilst A. darthvaderi is only currently known from the east coast. We have decided to describe A. darthvaderi as new based on this geographic disparity, but note that DNA sequencing of the type material of A. persephone , or at minimum sequencing a matching specimen from near the type locality, would resolve these two species more confidently.

Figures

Figure 5. Known distribution in the of the following Apanteles species in Australia, Fiji, and New Zealand: A A. carpatus, A. sp. nr carpatus, A. cuprum, A. ippeus, A. kelpiellus, A. ligdus B A. darthvaderi, A. focusalis, A. lamingtonensis, A. pellucidus, A. phantasmatus C A. doreenwatlerae, A. margaritarius, A. pharusalis, A. rufiterra, A. translucentis. Maps include examined material and public DNA barcode records, see Suppl. material 3 for full details.

Figure 31. Apanteles darthvaderi (holotype AUMIC 637-23) A anterior head B lateral habitus C dorsal propodeum and T 1-3 D dorsal head E fore and hind wing F dorsal habitus.