Xiphentedon musimba, Gumovsky, 2023

Gumovsky, Alex, 2023, Revision of Xiphentedon Risbec, 1957 and Colpixys Waterston, 1916 (Hymenoptera, Eulophidae), with descriptions of new species from the Afrotropics, European Journal of Taxonomy 905, pp. 1-83 : 36-39

Xiphentedon musimba sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:C118FAB4-49A3-4B37-B8F5-7B47FE1E8757

Fig. 18

Diagnosis

As for the group and also: scape, pedicel and flagellum dark, head dorsally nearly 3.0× as wide as long ( Fig. 18F ); interantennal space slightly elevated, but without a process, coarsely reticulate, gena weakly bulging ( Fig. 18E ); all legs dark, with just tips of tibiae and femora and two basal tarsomeres paler ( Fig. 18A ); axillular projection with jagged margin bearing four to five teeth, sitting on a ‘neck’ ( Fig. 18D ); median propodeal strip broad Y-shaped, light coriaceous ( Fig. 18C ).

Female

Pedicel plus flagellum about 2.7–2.8 × as long as scape, flagellum with relatively robust segments, clavate ( Fig. 18B ); gaster about 1.2 × as long as wide, syntergum broader than long ( Fig. 18A ); CC asetose; WIP with broad violet field along apical margin, followed by narrow green and violet stripes ( Fig. 18B ).

Etymology

The species name is derived from the locality, Mt. Musimba (Tshiaberimu), situated at 0°9′– 0°11′ S, 29°24′– 29°31′ E, near the Musavaki River, a tributary of the North Talya River, Virunga National Park (formerly Albert National Park) in North Kivu Province, DRC – one of the world’s most biodiverse and threatened tropical forests. The specific epithet is a noun that does not change with changing generic gender.

Type material examined

Holotype

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO • ♀; “‘ Congo Belge’: P.N.A. ( Albert Nat. Park ), 12.806- 12, Secteur Tshiaberimu , Mont Musimba , 2.450 m, près riv. Musavaki ”; 18Apr. 1955; P.Vanschuytbroeck and R. Fonteyn leg.; MRAC.

Description

Female

Length 2.4 mm. Body dark green, face and first metasomal tergum bright metallic; trochanters dark brown, femora dark metallic, tibiae dark metallic except for paler extreme tips; fore tarsi and two terminal tarsomeres of mid and hind tarsi dark brown, first two tarsomeres of mid and hind legs paler; antenna dark metallic; wings hyaline, venation dark brown; metasoma dark green, OMA dark, traced mainly by sculpture.

Head in dorsal view about 3.0× as wide as long. Ocelli large, MDO: OOL: OCL in ratio 4.2: 4.0:1.7, POL 2.7 × OOL. Occipital margin traced as a sharp carina raised laterally into small peaks.

Head in frontal view about 1.3 × as wide as high. Smooth area above frontal sutures reaching at most half the distance between cross point of frontal sutures and level of their junction with eye orbits. Eye height about 0.8× interocular distance and nearly 2.0 × malar space. Interantennal space weakly raised, but without a process. Width of oral fossa 1.4 × malar space. Antenna inserted at level of ventral eye margin.

Scape about 5.0× as long as wide, 0.7× eye height; combined length of pedicel and flagellum about as long as width of head; pedicel 1.8× as long as wide, nearly 0.7 × F1, which is slightly more than 2.0 ×, F2 about 1.6×, F3 1.3×, clava about 2.2× as long as wide, with short terminal spine.

Mesosoma about 1.7× as long as wide. Pronotal collar not carinate; mesoscutum 1.5× as broad as long; mesoscutellum slightly longer than broad, slightly longer than mesoscutum. Axillula with a projection sitting on a ‘neck’, with four to five spines.

Propodeum with slightly sunken, coriaceous median strip, of broad Y shape; submedian areas mostly flat, smooth anteriorly but with light reticulation near nucha. Spiracular elevation of propodeum convex, with short blunt tubercle posteriad. Lateral propodeal sulcus complete, narrower apically, wider posteriorly. Supracoxal flange relatively narrow.

Fore wing 2.0× as long as wide; CC asetose, nearly 7.0× as long as wide, SC with two setae on dorsal margin; MV slightly longer than CC, PMV about as long as STV. Speculum open below.Apical marginal fringe as long as or slightly longer than width of PR at its widest part.

Metasomal petiole robust, long, about 2.0× as long as wide (may look shorter in dorsal view due to its abrupt position to axis of mesosoma), about as long as propodeum. Gaster 1.5× as long as wide, syntergum transverse, nearly 4.0× as broad as long, about 1/12 of length of entire gaster.

Male

Unknown.

Biology

Unknown.

Distribution

DRC.

Remarks

This species is reminiscent of X. dewittei sp. nov. in having a Y-shaped median strip of the propodeum and a multidentate axillular projection. However, it differs from X. dewittei in having an entirely dark antennal scape (half pale in X. dewittei ), a long and robust metasomal petiole (short conical in X. dewittei ) and a nearly evenly curved genae (bulging in X. dewittei ).

Figures

Fig. 18. Xiphentedon musimba sp. nov., ♀, holotype (DRC; MRAC). A–B. Habitus. A. Dorsal view. B. Dorso-lateral view. C. Propodeum. D. Posterior mesosoma in dorso-lateral view (axillula is arrowed). E. Face. F. Head in dorsal view.