Classification
from Australian Faunal Directory
Order Hymenoptera - Wasps, Ants, Bees and Sawflies, 12202 named species in Australia
Family Ichneumonidae - parasitic wasps, 472 named species in Australia
Subfamily Pimplinae - 60 named species in Australia
Genus Sericopimpla
Species Sericopimpla australis
Description
From Gauld (1984), page 250.
Sericopimpla australis Townes, Townes & Gupta
Fore wing length 11-14 mm. Mandible evenly tapered with lower tooth very slightly shorter than the upper; lower face elongate; about 0.8 times as broad as long; face sparsely punctate; genae moderately strongly narrowed behind eyes. Mesoscutum centrally sparsely and shallowly punctate, the punctures separated by more than their own diameters (Fig. 57); scutellum coarsely punctate posteriorly. Mesopleuron quite finely punctate, not swollen below subalar prominences. Propodeum centrally smooth, laterally and posteriorly closely punctate, with lateromedian carinae vestigial. Tergite 1 of gaster with scattered punctures, tergites 2-4 fairly closely punctate. Ovipositor projecting beyond apex of gaster by 2.0-2.2 times length of hind tibia.
Black; scape ventrally in part, palpus, hind corner of pronotum, tegula, anterior two pairs of legs, hind trochanter, trochantellus, much of tarsus and hind margin of gastral tergites, yellow; hind tibia whitish yellow, distal 0.3 and band near proximal 0.2 black; distal hind tarsal segments blackish. Wings hyaline, pterostigma black.
REMARKS. This species is structurally very similar to S. crenator and, although the differences given in the key work well for material to hand, I have some doubt as to whether they are really distinct. They appear to be synchronous and sympatric and attack, at least some of the time, the same host species.
Host Records
Clania ignobllls (Walker) (Chadwick & Nikitin, 1976); Hyalarcta huebneri (Westwood) (Chadwick & Nikitin, 1976), both Lepidoptera: Psychidae. In both cases the material on which these records were based has been examined in DAR and the identity of the ichneumonids confirmed.
References
- Gauld, I.D. (1984) The Pimplinae, Xoridinae, Acaenitinae, Lycorinae (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae) of Australia. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History) Entomology 49: 235-339