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

Fig. 5 B ( distribution), Fig. 36 (holotype )

Type material.

Holotype. Australia • ♀; NT, Keep River National Park: Bail-Me-Up Cr. 23.7 km SSW Jarrnarm Camp Ground ; - 15.9653, 129.031; 13–20 Jun. 2001; ME Irwin, FD Parker, C Lambkin leg.; Malaise in dry creekbed; BOLD Process ID: AUMIC 474-18 ; ANIC: 32-130232 .

Diagnostic description.

Size: Total body length: 2.1 mm; fore wing length: 2.3 mm. Head: anterior scape colour similar or only very slightly paler than head colour; F 2 L / W ratio: 2.7. Mesosoma: scutoscutellar sulcus with ten pits; 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 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: 1.2. Metasoma: T 1 shape mostly parallel, T 1 medial length / anterior width ~ 2 × longer than wide; T 1 mostly smooth; T 2 mostly smooth; ovipositor sheath length / metatibia length ratio: 0.8.

Apanteles focusalis can be separated from most of the other species of Apanteles with dark metacoxa and metafemur, ovipositor sheaths> 0.6 × metatibia length, and antenna similar length or longer than body length, by having the metatibia mostly pale, the pterostigma uniformly coloured without a paler centre or pale spot on the proximal corner, and T 1 mostly smooth with only a small rugose area in the centre. We do not diagnose this species against A. sinusulus , but as the species are not closely related based on molecular data, they can be identified through DNA barcoding and the placement of the sequences on a phylogeny in the context of the holotype barcodes.

Etymology.

This species was collected in a campground, a place which invokes imagery of campfires and warmth. The species was named for this location and also in honour of the love that KJO’s husband, Jordan Pincher, holds for cosy fires. The species epithet is a Latin adjective meaning ‘ pertaining to hearth, fireplace, central point’.

Distribution.

Apanteles focusalis is currently only known from a single specimen from northern NT.

Molecular information.

The holotype of Apanteles focusalis is the only sequence in BIN BOLD: ADL 3396. The COI sequences are at least 3 % divergent from any of the other species treated here, or any available sequence on BOLD. The wg sequence of the holotype is at least 7 bp different to any other species and all delimitation methods resolved A. focusalis as a discrete species.

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 36. Apanteles focusalis (holotype AUMIC 474-18) A lateral habitus B dorsal propodeum and T 1 – T 3 C lateral head D fore wing E dorsal habitus F anterior head G dorsal head.