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

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

Fig. 4 A View Figure 4 ( distribution), Fig. 19 (holotype View Figure 19 )

Type material.

Holotype. Australia • ♀; ACT, Canberra, Black Mtn Res ; - 35.2795, 149.105; 9–30 Apr. 2020; KM Bayless leg.; Malaise trap over stream near ANBG pumphouse; BOLD Process ID: AUMIC 910-23 ; ANIC: 32-085529 . GoogleMaps

Diagnostic description.

Size: Total body length: 2.5 mm; fore wing length: 2.6 mm. Head: anterior scape colour similar or only very slightly paler than head colour; F 2 L / W ratio: 3.6; F 14 L / W ratio: 1.5. Mesosoma: scutoscutellar sulcus with eight pits; mesoscutellar disc mostly smooth; 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: 1.1. 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: 1.2.

Apanteles amicalis can be separated from the other species of Apanteles in Australia that have a dark metacoxa and metafemur and the pterostigma uniformly pigmented (no pale centre or large pale spot on the proximal corner), the ovipositor sheath lengths> 0.8 × metatibia length and the antenna of similar size to the body length, by having T 1 with strong sculpture over at most of posterior 1 / 2 of tergite, the mesoscutellar disc mostly smooth, fore wing veins 1 M and 1 CUa of similar pigmentation, and T 2 posterior length / width ratio ~ 5.0.

This species is not diagnosable against A. persephone Nixon, 1965 at the current time, but as A. persephone was described from two specimens near Perth in WA, and we have only a single specimen from Canberra ACT, we think it is unlikely that it is the same species. However, we acknowledge that synonomy may be required in the future if DNA is able to be obtained from the holotype or paratype of A. persephone .

Etymology.

The species epithet is from a Latin adjective meaning friendly and refers to the friendly exchange of specimens between dipterist K. M. Bayless, the collector of the holotype, and the authors; they thank him for generously sharing bulk Hymenoptera from his many Malaise traps!

Distribution.

Apanteles amicalis is known from one specimen from the ACT.

Molecular information.

The holotype of Apanteles amicalis is the only sequence currently in BIN BOLD: AFF 0137, and the COI sequences in that BIN are at least 6 % divergent from any of the other species treated here, or any available sequence on BOLD. The wg sequence of the holotype is 1 bp different to the undescribed lineage A. sp. MRSB 26, and ≥ 5 bp different to any other described species. Six of the molecular delimitation methods separated A. amicalis as a distinct species; the wg ASAP analysis grouped the species with A. pellucidus and A. sp. MRSB 26.