Apanteles apricus 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

publication ID	https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1227.130467
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:627B3463-87D6-4CA6-AAE1-B6F3CB412D75
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14852449
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/EB797968-2F98-5A7B-95EB-D38B648AF9D1
treatment provided by	ZooKeys by Pensoft
scientific name	Apanteles apricus Slater-Baker, Fagan-Jeffries, Fernández-Triana, Portmann & Oestmann
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

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

Fig. 4 A View Figure 4 ( distribution), Fig. 21 (holotype View Figure 21 )

Type material.

Holotype. Australia • ♀; QLD, Cainbable Quarry, OF ; - 28.145, 153.113; 03–19 Feb. 2009; F. Turco leg.; Malaise trap; BOLD Process ID: AUMIC 068-18 ; QM: T 208356 GoogleMaps . Paratype. Australia • ♀; WA, Kalumburu ; - 14.292, 126.642; 15–22 Mar. 2022; Kalumburu Remote Community School students leg.; Malaise trap; Insect Investigators; BOLD Process ID: ASMII 13755-22 ; WAM: 130573 GoogleMaps .

Diagnostic description.

Size: Total body length: 2.8 mm; fore wing length: 2.8 mm. Head: anterior scape colour moderately paler than head colour; F 2 L / W ratio: 3.2; F 14 L / W ratio: 1.9. Mesosoma: scutoscutellar sulcus with seven 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 colour mostly pale. 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 narrowing distally, 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: 0.8.

Apanteles apricus can be separated from other species of Apanteles in Australia with a dark metacoxa by having the metafemur uniformly pale, the ovipositor sheath 0.8–1.0 × metatibia length and hypopygium with clearly defined ventral pleats, and the propodeum with strong rugose sculpture, areola not well defined amongst strong sculpture and T 1 slightly narrowing posteriorly.

Etymology.

The species epithet is a Latin adjective meaning sunny and relates to the sunshine-filled places the species is currently known from, as well as its yellowish metafemur.

Distribution.

Apanteles apricus is currently known from two specimens collected in northern Australia, one near Brisbane and one in northeastern WA.

Molecular information.

Apanteles apricus is currently BIN BOLD: ADL 3302. The COI sequences 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 ≥ 17 bp different to any other species. All molecular species delimitation methods separated Apanteles apricus as a distinct species.