Pristomerus, Curtis, 1836

Rousse, Pascal & Noort, Simon van, 2015, Revision of the Afrotropical species of Pristomerus (Ichneumonidae: Cremastinae), with descriptions of 31 new species, European Journal of Taxonomy 124, pp. 1-129 : 3-27

Key to females of Pristomerus

1. Fore wing with abscissa of M between rs-m and 2m-cu short, less than 0.5× rs-m (A); female ocelli distinctly reduced (POL> 1.5) (B); ovipositor stout and evenly up-curved with apex down-curved (C); female femoral tooth absent (FFT = 0) (C); south-western South Africa.................................. 2

– Fore wing with abscissa of M between rs-m and 2m-cu longer, distinctly longer than 0.5× rs-m (a); female ocelli larger (POL <1.5) (b); ovipositor straight to slightly down-curved, usually more slender and apically unevenly sinuous (c); female femoral tooth present or absent (FFT various) (c) ............. 3

2. Face totally black, deeply and densely punctate, inter-puncture area smooth (A); area superomedia subquadrate (ASM <1) (B) ...................................................................................... P. protea sp. nov. – Face mostly lighter, densely punctate-granulate (a); area superomedia longer than wide (ASM>1) (b) .......................................................................................................................................... P. restio sp. nov. 3. Entire face black to dark brown, including orbits (A, B) .................................................................. 4

– At least facial orbits distinctly lighter, pale yellow to testaceous-orange; median face almost always similarly coloured though sometimes more or less infuscate (a, b) ................................................ 16

4. Frons with a strong mid-longitudinal flattened protuberance (A); femoral tooth nearly absent with minute following denticles (B); ovipositor short (OT <1.5)...................................... P. kuku sp. nov.

– Frons without distinct mid-longitudinal protuberance (a); femoral tooth and ovipositor various, usually both longer (b)....................................................................................................................... 5

5. Female femoral tooth absent, femur without any distinct subapical protuberance ventrally (FFT = 0) (A, B); tropical rainforest of central mainland Africa ....................................................................... 6 – Female femoral tooth distinct, small to very strong (FFT> 0) (a, b) ................................................ 7 6. Female with tergites 3–6 bicoloured, black and yellowish-orange (A); propodeum polished with

punctures (B) ............................................................................................................... P. tutsi sp. nov.

– Female with tergites 3–6 entirely orange (a); propodeum rugose with punctures (b).........................

............................................................................................................................... P. yangere sp. nov.

7. Scutellum smooth or nearly so, distinctly smoother than mesoscutum (A–C).................................. 8 – Scutellum distinctly punctate, punctation denser than on mesoscutum (a–c) ................................. 10

8. Small (fore wing length <3.5 mm); malar line very long (ML> 1.2) (A); ovipositor moderately long (OT> 1.5) (B); South Africa................................................................................ P. khoikhoi sp. nov.

– Larger (fore wing length> 3.5 mm); malar line short to very short (ML <0.7) (a); ovipositor short (OT <1.5) (b); tropical rainforest of central mainland Africa........................................................... 9

9. Ovipositor very short (OT <1) and apically straight (A); mesosoma rather stout, scutellum not unusually flat (A) ..................................................................................................... P. mbaka sp. nov.

– Ovipositor longer (OT> 1) and apically sinuous (a); mesosoma distinctly elongate with scutellum quite flat (b)................................................................................................................... P. teke sp. nov.

10. Mesosoma partly to totally yellowish-orange (A) to testaceous (B); Southern Africa and Indian Ocean islands ....................................................................................................................................11 – Mesosoma entirely black (a, b); tropical mainland Africa .............................................................. 13

11. Speculum and pronotum entirely punctate (A); ovipositor long (OT> 1.5) (B); Réunion................. ..................................................................................................... P. rivier Rousse & Villemant, 2012

– Pronotum centrally and ventral half of speculum smoother (a); ovipositor short (OT <1.5) (b) ....... ......................................................................................................................................................... 12 12. Female femoral tooth distinctly smaller than basally wide (FFT = 1) (A); malar line short (ML <0.6) (B); Madagascar............................................................ P. melissa Rousse, Villemant & Seyrig, 2013

– Female femoral tooth longer than basally wide (FFT = 2) (a); malar line long (ML> 0.6) (b); Southern Africa.......................................................................................................... P. sotho sp. nov. 13. Small (fore wing length <3.5 mm) (A); mesoscutum coriaceous without punctures (B)................... ...................................................................................................................................... P. aka sp. nov. – Larger (fore wing length> 3.5 mm) (a); mesoscutum distinctly punctate (b)................................. 14

14. Speculum entirely punctate (A); propodeum with area basalis strongly petiolate (B); female femoral tooth much shorter than basally wide (FFT = 1) (C); antenna with less than 32 flagellomeres.......... ................................................................................................................................ P. mbama sp. nov.

– Speculum distinctly smoother ventrally (a); propodeum with area basalis widely sessile (b); female femoral tooth much longer than basally wide (FFT = 2) (c); antenna with more than 32 flagellomeres ............15

15. Notauli coarsely rugose and lateral lobes of mesoscutum apically nearly smooth (A); ovipositor stout and apically straight (B)................................................................................ P. nzakara sp. nov.

– Notauli more finely sculptured and lateral lobes of mesoscutum apically more uniformly punctate (a); ovipositor slender and apically sinuous (b)...................................................... P. dikidiki sp. nov. 16. Facial orbits, and most often entire face, whitish (A, B); Madagascar and Southern Africa .......... 17 – Facial orbits, and most often entire face, yellow to testaceous orange (a, b) .................................. 22

17. Female femoral tooth present (FFT> 0) (A); metasoma mostly black with apical margins of most tergites white (B); Madagascar and South Africa............................................................................ 18

– Female femoral tooth totally absent (FFT = 0) (a); metasoma differently coloured, mostly orange with sometimes infuscate markings (b); Madagascar...................................................................... 19

18. Face entirely whitish, malar line moderately long (ML> 0.5) (A); hind femur uniformly orange, female femoral tooth nearly as long as basally wide (FFT = 1–2) (B); Madagascar.......................... ................................................................................... P. guinness Rousse, Villemant & Seyrig, 2013

– Face medially testaceous, malar line short (ML <0.5) (a); hind femur testaceous, apically pale, female femoral tooth distinctly longer than basally wide (FFT = 2) (b); South Africa....................... ..................................................................................................................................... P. zulu sp. nov.

19. Clypeus narrow (CT <1.7) (A); ovipositor short (OT <1.5) (B)........................................................ ...................................................................................... P. vahaza Rousse, Villemant & Seyrig, 2013 – Clypeus wider (CT> 1.7) (a); ovipositor longer (OT> 1.5) (b) ..................................................... 20

20. Ovipositor very long (OT> 2.5) (A); pterostigma light testaceous, moderately enlarged (B)............ .................................................................................... P. hansoni Rousse, Villemant & Seyrig, 2013 – Ovipositor shorter (OT <2.5) (a); pterostigma dark brown and strongly enlarged (b)................... 21

21. Fore wing with abscissa of M between rs-m and 2m-cu very long, far longer than rs-m (A); ovipositor very long (OT> 2.0) (B)...................................... P. ranomafana Rousse, Villemant & Seyrig, 2013

– Fore wing with abscissa of M between rs-m and 2m-cu shorter, about as long as rs-m (a); ovipositor shorter, moderately long (OT <2.0) (b) .............................................................. P. caris Fitton, 1994

22. Mesonotum usually entirely black (A, B), sometimes mesoscutum partially lighter with scutellum totally black; female femoral tooth always distinct though sometimes reduced (FFT> 0) ............ 23

– Mesonotum nearly always distinctly lighter, yellowish orange to partially testaceous (a, b); female femoral tooth variable; if, rarely, mesoscutum almost entirely dark testaceous (some P. moramora ), then female femoral tooth absent (FFT = 0).................................................................................... 24

23. Mesonotum densely punctate-granulate, punctures somewhat confluent along notaulus line (A); femoral tooth weak (B); tropical central Africa.......................................................... P. hutu sp. nov. – Mesonotum coriaceous, without punctures (a); femoral tooth strong (b); Seychelles........................ ................................................................................................................. P. ruficaput ( Morley, 1912) 24. Malar line exceptionally long, longer than mandible base (ML> 1) (A, B); South Africa............. 25 – Malar line shorter, usually much shorter than mandible base (ML <1) (a, b) ................................ 26

25. Femoral tooth reduced to a subapical point, followed by minute denticles (A); mesosoma mottled black, orange and pale yellow (B) ............................................................................ P. xhosa sp. nov.

– Femoral tooth strong, followed by 5 strong denticles (a); mesosoma reddish-orange with black markings (b).............................................................................................................. P. kagga sp. nov.

26. Ovipositor tip straight (A); clypeus unusually narrow and long (CT = 1.5) with eyes slightly converging ventrally (B); small (F ≤ 3.5); female femoral tooth present but often hardly distinct (C); Madagascar, Eastern and Southern Africa............................................... P. albescens ( Morley, 1917)

– Ovipositor most often at least slightly sinuous apically (a, b); if, rarely, ovipositor tip barely sinuous, then not fully agreeing with the above combination ....................................................................... 27

27. Female femoral tooth totally absent, not even distinct as a subapical protuberance, and never with following denticles (FFT = 0) (A, B)............................................................................................... 28

– Female femoral tooth weak to moderate, at least distinct as a subapical ventral protuberance (a) and distinctly shorter than basally wide, sometimes followed by secondary denticles (FFT = 1) (b) ... 34

– Female femoral tooth strong, about as high as wide (aa) to strongly higher than basally wide (bb), always followed by secondary denticles (FFT = 2) .................................................................................................42

28. Hind femur, and often other femora, with an obvious apical white patch (A); anterior margin of pterostigma white (B); tropical mainland Africa ............................................................................. 29

– Femora without distinct apical white patches, though often lighter apically (a); pterostigma uniformly dark (b); southern Africa and Madagascar....................................................................................... 30 29. Ovipositor short (OT <1.4) and apically nearly straight (A); clypeus long (CT <2) (B) .................. ................................................................................................................................... P. zande sp. nov.

– Ovipositor moderately long (OT> 1.4), apically sinuous (a); clypeus shorter (CT> 2) (b)............... ..................................................................................................................................... P. sara sp. nov. 30. Penultimate flagellomere distinctly wider than long (Fl n-1 ≤ 0.9) (A); large (F> 5 mm); ovipositor very long (OT> 2.0) (b); Namibia............................................................. P. herero sp. nov (in part)

– Penultimate flagellomere subquadrate to distinctly elongate (a); distinctly smaller (F <5 mm); ovipositor shorter (OT<2.0) (b) ...................................................................................................... 31

31. Malar line rather long (ML> 0.5) (A); pronotum almost entirely smooth with some punctures postero-dorsally (B); ovipositor moderately short (OT <1.6); entire body without obvious dark markings except sometimes some infuscate markings around scutellum and on basal tergites; Southern Africa............................................................................................................. P. san sp. nov.

– Malar line short (ML <0.5) (a); pronotum more extensively punctate (b); ovipositor usually longer (OT> 1.5); colour various, often with large brown to black dorsal markings ................................ 32

32. Metasoma uniformly yellow to orange (A); mesonotum almost smooth, only scutellum and apex of mesoscutum weakly punctate (B); antenna with more than 30 flagellomeres; Madagascar.................................................................. P. kelikely Rousse, Villemant & Seyrig, 2013

– Metasoma with at least basal tergites distinctly black maculated (a); entire mesonotum distinctly punctate (b); antenna with at most 30 flagellomeres ....................................................................... 33

33. Dark markings of body strongly extended: all metasomal tergites largely black maculated (A), mesosoma with dark testaceous markings dorsally and laterally (A, B); Madagascar........................ ................................................................................ P. moramora Rousse, Villemant & Seyrig, 2013

– Body lighter, with only basal tergites partially dark (a); mesosoma uniformly pale (a, b), but sometimes with infuscate markings around scutellum; Southern Africa.................. P. venda sp. nov.

34. Hind femur, and often other femora, with an obvious apical white patch (A, B); tropical mainland Africa ............................................................................................................................................... 35 – Femora without distinct apical white patches, though often lighter apically (a, b)......................... 37 35. Scutellum smooth (A)............................................................................................. P. mboum sp. nov. – Scutellum distinctly punctate (a, b) ................................................................................................. 36

36. Ocelli enlarged, posterior ocelli close together (POL <0.8) (A); tergites 1–3 at least half black, and occiput black-maculated in female (B); femoral tooth moderate (C); widespread in tropical Africa ........................................................................................................................ P. masai sp. nov.

– Ocelli not enlarged, posterior ocelli more widely separated (POL> 0.8) (a); tergites 1–3 mostly yellow, at most basally blackened, and occiput not black-maculated (b); femoral tooth strongly reduced (c); Western Africa ....................................................................................... P. wolof sp. nov.

37. Area superomedia not defined postero-laterally (A, B); large wasps (F> 6 mm); ovipositor long (OT> 1.7) ........................................................................................................................................ 38

– Area superomedia most often fully delimited (a), though sometimes weakly so in P. keyka (b) but then specimens very small (F <4.5 mm); otherwise small to moderately large wasps (F <5.5 mm); ovipositor variable ........................................................................................................................... 39

38. Female femoral tooth moderate in size (A); antenna with more than 35 flagellomeres, penultimate flagellomere elongate (B); Madagascar........................ P. patator Rousse, Villemant & Seyrig, 2013

– Female femoral tooth reduced to a subapical protuberance followed by small denticles (a); antenna with fewer than 35 flagellomeres, penultimate flagellomere transverse (b); Namibia........................ .................................................................................................................... P. herero sp. nov (in part)

39. Ovipositor long (OT> 1.7) (A); notauli concolourous with remainder of mesoscutum (B); Madagascar..........................................................................................................................................40 – Ovipositor shorter (OT <1.7) (a); notauli often distinctly lighter than remainder of mesoscutum (b)....41

40. Mesoscutum coriaceous with punctures along notauli lines (A); small species (F <3.2) (B); antenna with less than 28 flagellomeres (B) ................................ P. keyka Rousse, Villemant & Seyrig, 2013

– Mesoscutum distinctly punctate (a) (coriaceous in male); larger species (F> 3.2) (b); antenna with at least 28 flagellomeres (b)........................................... P. roberti Rousse, Villemant & Seyrig, 2013

41. Clypeus strongly transverse (CT> 2.4) (A); female femur unusually stout (B); ovipositor short (OT ≤ 1.3) (C); body without dark markings (C); Eastern Africa.............................. P. bullis Fitton, 1994

– Clypeus less transverse (CT <2.4) (a); female femur more slender (b); ovipositor longer (OT ≥ 1.3) (c); body most often with dark dorsal markings (c) .......................... P. pallidus Kriechbaumer, 1884

42. Clypeus strongly transverse (CT> 2.4) (A); inner margins of eyes distinctly diverging ventrally (A); antenna with more than 34 flagellomeres (B); Central Africa............................... P. babinga sp. nov.

– Clypeus less transverse (CT <2.4) (a); inner margins of eyes at most slightly diverging ventrally (a); antenna various (b) ......................................................................................................................... 43 43. Mesoscutum, and often scutellum, densely punctate over entire surface (A, B)............................. 44 – Mesoscutum largely to entirely coriaceous, scutellum often quite smooth (a, b) ........................... 46

44. Malar line moderately short (ML <0.6) (A); antenna with fewer than 32 flagellomeres (B); size moderate (F <5.0) (B); Western Africa.................................................................. P. yoccolo sp. nov.

– Malar line moderately long (ML> 0.6) (a); antenna with more than 32 flagellomeres (b); large (F> 5.0) (b); South Africa and Madagascar.................................................................................... 45 45. Area superomedia stouter (ASM <1.8) and punctate (A); metasoma black (B); Madagascar........... ...................................................................................... P. veloma Rousse, Villemant & Seyrig, 2013 – Area superomedia elongate (ASM> 2.0) and transversely rugulose (a); metasoma lighter (b); South Africa................................................................................................................... P. afrikaner sp. nov.

46. Scutellum punctate (A); antenna with less than 27 flagellomeres; mesosoma rufous, ventrally and posteriorly black (B); tropical Africa....................................................................... P. bemba sp. nov.

– Scutellum smooth (a); antenna with more than 27 flagellomeres; mesosoma usually uniformly yellow to orange (b), postero-dorsally black in P. swahili (b, inset) ............................................... 47

47. Femora and trochanters without obvious apical white patches (A); antenna with more than 31 flagellomeres (B); Madagascar......................................... P. yago Rousse, Villemant & Seyrig, 2013

– Femora and trochanters with obvious apical white patches (a); antenna with fewer than 31 flagellomeres (b); Eastern Africa ..................................................................................................... 48

48. (47) Clypeus weakly transverse (CT <1.8) (A); flagellum uniformly dark brown (B); propodeum dorsally black (B) ................................................................................................... P. swahili sp. nov.

– Clypeus more transverse (CT> 1.8) (a); flagellum brown, basally distinctly lighter and sometimes with a long whitish segment in apical half (b); propodeum uniformly yellowish-orange (b)............. ............................................................................................................................... P. yakoma sp. nov.