Belesica madiba Rousse

Rousse, P. & Noort, S. Van, 2014, Belesica madiba and Cremastus tutui (Ichneumonidae: Cremastinae), two entomological gems from South Africa, Zootaxa 3795 (2), pp. 161-173 : 163-165

Belesica madiba Rousse & van Noort, sp. nov.

( Figs 1–2 )

Type material. HOLOTYPE ♀: South Africa, Western Cape, Gamkaberg Nature Reserve, 33°39.941’S 21°53.505’E, 315m, 5–23 May 2009, S. van Noort, Malaise Trap, Gamka Thicket GB09–SUC1–M07 (SAM- HYM-P047376) ( SAMC). PARATYPES 1♀ 18♂♂: same label data ( SAMC); 2♂♂: same label data except: 31 July-10 Sept 2009 GB09–SUC1–M16 (SAM-HYM-P047377) ( SAMC); 1♂: GB09–SUC3–M12 (SAM-HYM- P047378) ( SAMC); 2♂♂: South Africa, E. Cape, 32 km S.E. Murraysburg, Grand View Farm, 24 Mar-3 April 1995, V. B. Whitehead, Malaise Trap, Karoo Scrub - Lycium with riverine elements Restio , etc (SAM-HYM- P006005 and P006007) ( SAMC). Other material 1♂: same label data as Holotype except: 23 may-31 July 2009, GB09–SUC1–M11 (SAM-HYM-P046950) ( SAMC); 1♀ 1♂: same label data except: 33°39.504’S 21°53.947’E, 322m, GB09–SUC4–M09 (SAM-HYM-P046930) ( SAMC Genbank accession number KJ636467 ).

Diagnosis. Head black with mouthparts yellowish testaceous, body mostly yellowish testaceous with variable dark markings; head strongly transverse; clypeus smooth, remainder of head moderately punctate granulate to coriaceous; frons and ventral margin of clypeus simple, without tooth or protuberance; mesosoma moderately punctate to smoothly rugose reticulate; propodeal carination reduced to apical areas; front wing with areolet open and Rs & M apical to cu-a, hind wing with 1/Cu & cu-a not intercepted; tergite 1 characteristic of the genus, metasoma apically weakly compressed; ovipositor sheath apically enlarged. Male with subgenital plate hardly produced medially. CT 2.7; ML 0.4; IO 2.3; OO 2.4; Fl1 4.8; Fl15 3.3; Fl32 1.7; OT 0.3.

Differential diagnosis. Readily distinguishable from B. pictipennis : frons simple, without median horn; ventral margin of clypeus simple, without median pair of teeth; antero-ventral margin of pronotum not pointed; wings hyaline, fore wing with no trace of 3Rs-m, Rs & M apical to cu-a, hind wing with distal abscissa of Cu absent.

Description. FEMALE (2 specimens). B 5.0–5.6; A 5.6–6.1; F 4.6–4.9 (Holotype: B 5.0; A 5.6; F 4.6). Color. Head black with clypeus, mouthparts but mandibular teeth and antenna yellowish testaceous; mesosoma, legs and metasoma mostly yellowish testaceous with dark reddish-brown to black markings of variable extension: propodeum, metapleuron, metanotum, mesosternum, dorsal part of mesopleuron, apical half of mesoscutum, tergite 1, and apex of metasoma; wings hyaline, venation light brown.

Head. Distinctly transverse in frontal view, moderately densely setose with long hairs, hairs shorter on vertex, temple and gena; mandible long and stout, slightly and evenly narrowed toward apex, lower tooth 1.6x longer than upper tooth; clypeus short and wide, flat and smooth, its ventral margin rounded and hardly truncate medially, without median teeth; face smoothly granulate and moderately densely punctate, weakly bulging medially; frons finely punctate reticulate with some transverse striations medially, without median protuberance; vertex and temple coriaceous; ocellar triangle wider than long; temple evenly rounded, head not constricted behind eyes; antenna filiform with 33–34 flagellomeres.

Mesosoma. Pronotum, mesopleuron and metapleuron smoothly rugose punctate; anterior margin of pronotum canaliculate; speculum weak and mostly smooth; mesoscutum moderately punctate, sculpture fading apically to smoothly rugose reticulate, notaulus indistinct; scuto-scutellar groove weakly crenulate; scutellum sparsely punctate; propodeum smoothly rugose with carination reduced to quadrate petiolar and latero-apical areas. Wings. Fore wing with areolet open and no trace of 3Rs-m, Rs & M apical to cu-a; hind wing with 1/Cu & cu-a not intercepted, hardly curved, distal abscissa of Cu absent. Legs. Tarsal claws basally pectinate.

Metasoma. Metasoma short and stout, dorso-ventrally depressed to tergite 3 then weakly laterally compressed, apically truncate; tergite 1 bottle-shaped in dorsal view, abruptly enlarged from middle; glymma very deep, both glymmae nearly joining medially; tergite 1 smoothly rugose-reticulate, following tergites smooth; ovipositor short and almost straight, sheath apically widened.

MALE (21 specimens). B 4.1–5.2; A 6.1–6.5; F 4.0–4.6. Similar to female; subgenital plate hardly produced medially.

Etymology. We respectfully dedicate this rare gem to “ Madiba ” Nelson Mandela, for the enlightenment he brought to South Africa and the remainder of the World. Enkosi uhambe kakuhle Tata Madiba . Noun in apposition.

Distribution. South Africa (Western and Eastern Cape).

Comments. Despite its rarity, this species appears to be locally abundant in some Karoo habitats. The overwhelming proportion of males collected by Malaise traps might be the result of a swarming behavior.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Belesica madiba sp. nov. Holotype female. A, habitus lateral view; B, head, mesosoma, dorsal view; C, head anterior view.

FIGURE 2. Belesica madiba sp. nov. Holotype female (A – E); paratype male (F). A, mesopleuron, lateral view; B, propodeum, dorsal view; C, terminal metasomal segments, lateral view; D, wings; E, data labels; F, male habitus, lateral view.