Paul WhitingtonBatch 7

Diphamorphos apicalis (Euryinae)

Paul WhitingtonBatch 7
Diphamorphos apicalis (Euryinae)

Workbook

Detailed description of an adult female Diphamorphos apicalis, collected by Matt Campbell at his property at Jerralong Junction VIC, near Morwell. This is the first iNaturalist observation of this species.

Matt found that this tiny sawfly associates closely and apparently preferentially with Goodenia ovata, resting on the leaves of this plant. A cluster of a large number of individuals was observed on several occasions. When disturbed, they flew off in a swarm before settling on a nearby Goodenia ovata plant. They always chose that species and were never seen on any other plants in the area.

Living insect shown in this iNaturalist observation.

Following images show the living and euthanised insect.

Notes accompanying these images were taken from the original description of this species by Forsius (1927) as well as Matt’s iNaturalist observations. I have noted in square brackets [] where features of this insect differ from the Forsius description. The holotype is in the South Australian Museum, Adelaide. I plan to ask Ben Parslow the SAMA insect curator to send me photos of that specimen for comparison with the present insect.

Features of the 4 described Diphamorphos spp. are compared on this notes page.

Diphamorphos apicalis
iNaturalist observation - @mattcampbellaus female viewed from above - head, thorax, abdomen piceous (glossy, dark brownish-black) - head as broad as thorax, finely and closely punctured - antennae black, 14-segmented, as long as abdomen - hind ta
female, #PW118
female, #PW118

iNaturalist observation - @mattcampbellaus

female viewed from above
- head, thorax, abdomen piceous (glossy, dark brownish-black)
- head as broad as thorax, finely and closely punctured
- antennae black, 14-segmented, as long as abdomen
- hind tarsi shorter than tibia
- legs pale yellow, except femora below and tips of hind tibiae and tarsal joints brownish

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female, #PW118
- head finely and closely punctured, with fine and short hairs, slightly shining - antennae as long as abdomen, 14-segmented - thorax dorsally almost flat, thinly covered with some fine, short and pale hairs, finely and closely punctured, shining -
female, #PW118
female, #PW118

- head finely and closely punctured, with fine and short hairs, slightly shining
- antennae as long as abdomen, 14-segmented
- thorax dorsally almost flat, thinly covered with some fine, short and pale hairs, finely and closely punctured, shining
- parapsidal furrows shallow, middle furrow only apparent in front
- scutellum moderately elevated, with some scattered punctures
- front wings with costa a little thickened before stigma; stigma moderately broad, apically pointed; base of costa yellowish, stigma and nerves piceous [some nerves dark brown in this insect]

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female, #PW118
- head finely and closely punctured, with fine and short hairs, slightly shining - vertex about 4X as broad as long - thorax dorsally almost flat, thinly covered with some fine, short and pale hairs, finely and closely punctured, shining - parapsida
female, #PW118
female, #PW118

- head finely and closely punctured, with fine and short hairs, slightly shining
- vertex about 4X as broad as long
- thorax dorsally almost flat, thinly covered with some fine, short and pale hairs, finely and closely punctured, shining
- parapsidal furrows shallow, middle furrow only apparent in front
- scutellum moderately elevated, with some scattered punctures

Read more →
female, #PW118
- antennae as long as abdomen, 14-segmented, tapering towards apex and inserted close to clypeus - pedicel as long as scape; third joint as along as 4 + 5 [somewhat shorter here]; intermediate joints thickened apically, about as long on the apex bro
female, #PW118
female, #PW118

- antennae as long as abdomen, 14-segmented, tapering towards apex and inserted close to clypeus
- pedicel as long as scape; third joint as along as 4 + 5 [somewhat shorter here]; intermediate joints thickened apically, about as long on the apex broad [somewhat longer here]
- tip of coxae, trochanters and legs pale yellow [orange here] with coxae, hind femur, basal region of fore and mid femora and tips of hind tibiae and tarsal joints brownish [piceous here]
- wings hyaline

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female, #PW118
- labrum, base of mandibles and palpi yellow; otherwise head piceous with fine and short hairs - eyes slightly converging downwards - malar space very narrow - antennae inserted close to clypeus - fore coxae, base of fore femur piceous; trochanter,
female, #PW118
female, #PW118

- labrum, base of mandibles and palpi yellow; otherwise head piceous with fine and short hairs
- eyes slightly converging downwards
- malar space very narrow
- antennae inserted close to clypeus
- fore coxae, base of fore femur piceous; trochanter, apex of fore femur orange

Read more →
female, #PW118
- wings hyaline; base of costa yellowish, stigma and nerves piceous - thorax dorsally almost flat, thinly covered with some fine, short, and pale hairs, finely and densely punctured, shining - angles of pronotum, tegulae rear sides of middle lobes o
female, #PW118
female, #PW118

- wings hyaline; base of costa yellowish, stigma and nerves piceous
- thorax dorsally almost flat, thinly covered with some fine, short, and pale hairs, finely and densely punctured, shining
- angles of pronotum, tegulae rear sides of middle lobes of mesonotum, hind margin of scutellum and superior part of pleurae more or less pale brownish [these regions are piceous in this insect with shining, cupreous reflections]
- legs orange with base of fore and mid femora, whole of hind femora, apex of hind tibia and fore and mid tarsomeres and all hind tarsi black

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female, #PW118
- abdomen very finely sculptured, shining cupreous colour - sawsheath apically with long, curved hairs; from the side broadly rounded with nearly straight apex
female, #PW118
female, #PW118

- abdomen very finely sculptured, shining cupreous colour
- sawsheath apically with long, curved hairs; from the side broadly rounded with nearly straight apex

Read more →
female, #PW118

References:

Forsius, R. (1927) On some sawflies from the Australian region (Hymenoptera Tenthridinidae). Records of the South Australian Museum 3: 283-308 (pp. 286-287).

This is a workbook page … a part of our website where we record the observations and references used in making species identifications. The notes will not necessarily be complete. They are a record for our own use, but we are happy to share this information with others.