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

Fig. 5 B ( distribution), Fig. 44 (holotype )

Type material.

Holotype. Australia • ♀; QLD, Kuranda ; - 16.8154, 145.643; 16 Mar. – 12 Apr. 2017; M. S. Moulds leg.; Malaise trap; BOLD Process ID: AUMIC 334-18 ; QM: T 261199 . Paratypes. Australia • ♂; QLD, Daintree National Park ; - 16.0765, 145.472; 28 m; 17 Nov. 2019; E. Fagan-Jeffries & J. B. Dorey leg.; Sweeping vegetation; BOLD Process ID: AUMIC 1233-24 ; QM: T 261200 . • ♀; QLD, Kuranda ; - 16.8154, 145.643; 16 Mar. – 12 Apr. 2017; M. S. Moulds leg.; Malaise trap; BOLD Process ID: AUMIC 330-18 ; QM: T 261201 .

Diagnostic description.

Size: Total body length: 2.0 mm; fore wing length: 2.2 mm. Head: anterior scape colour moderately paler than head colour; F 2 L / W ratio: 3.2; F 14 L / W ratio: 1.4. Mesosoma: scutoscutellar sulcus with eight pits; mesoscutellar disc mostly smooth, or with very shallow scattered indentations; propodeal areola complete, or mostly so; propodeum mostly smooth posteriorly, mostly rugose anteriorly; 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: 1.0. 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; ovipositor sheath length / metatibia length ratio: 0.7.

Apanteles kelpiellus can be separated from the other described species of Apanteles known from Australia with a dark metacoxa by the metafemur mostly dark with pale area only in proximal 1 / 4, T 2 smooth, and the anterior side of scape moderately paler than head colour.

Etymology.

The species epithet means ‘ little kelpie’. A kelpie is a breed of dog in Australia commonly used as a sheepdog or companion animal. The epithet references the yellow anterior of the scape of the new species, which resembles the spots above a kelpie’s eyes. The epithet is a noun in apposition.

Distribution.

Apanteles kelpiellus is currently only known from northern QLD.

Molecular information.

Sequences of Apanteles kelpiellus are currently in BIN BOLD: ADL 3948. The COI sequences are at least 7 % divergent from any of the other species treated here, or any available sequence on BOLD. The wg sequence of the holotype is at least 5 bp different to any other species. Most delimitation methods resolved A. kelpiellus as a discrete species, however COI PTP split one of the paratypes apart, and wg PTP grouped the species with A. margaritarius .

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 44. Apanteles kelpiellus (holotype AUMIC 334-18) A lateral habitus B dorsal propodeum T 1–2 C dorsal head D anterior head E dorsal habitus and wings.