Aphanogmus mashariki, Salden & Peters, 2023

Salden, Tobias & Peters, Ralph S., 2023, Afrotropical Ceraphronoidea (Insecta: Hymenoptera) put back on the map with the description of 88 new species, European Journal of Taxonomy 884 (1), pp. 1-386 : 48-51

Aphanogmus mashariki sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:AA73FC1E-81A0-46C9-9BDA-2EE554A7734A

Fig. 11

Diagnosis

Head width 1.39 × head height; Weber length 0.97 × mesoscutum width; Weber length 1.17 × mesoscutellum length; fore wing length 2.46 × width. Male genitalia: harpe rectangular in ventral and dorsal view; harpe/gvc index 0.19; ventromedial margins of harpes not touching at distoventral margin of gvc, ventromedial margin of harpe straight and parallel to lateral margin and oriented distomedially in basal third, straight and diverging distolaterally in apical two thirds; ventral margin of harpe straight, dorsal margin straight in basal part, concave with straight apex in apical half, at its middle with pointed and distodorsally oriented protrusion, lateral margin straight and oriented distomedially.

Etymology

The species name is derived from the Swahili word ‘ mashariki ’ which means ‘east’, with reference to the Kakamega Forest as easternmost relic of the Guineo-Congolian rainforest.

Material examined

Holotype

KENYA • ♂; Western Province, Kakamega Forest; 00°14′22.9 N, 34°51′21 E; 1594 m a.s.l.; 17 Jul. 2007; F. Hita Garcia leg.; Transect 12; primary rain forest; Winkler leaf litter extraction; ZFMK; ZFMK- HYM-00037028 .

Description

Male

BODY LENGTH. 0.65 mm.

COLOUR. Head brown, mesosoma brown, metasoma light brown; scape light brown except proximal third lighter and pedicel light brown, flagellum light brown, gradually darkening from F1 to F9; legs light brown except joints and tarsi lighter; fore wing venation light brown, fore and hind wing disc hyaline and weakly melanized.

ANTENNA. 11-segmented, flagellomeres trapezoidal; scape 3.6× as long as pedicel, scape longer than F1 and F2 combined, F1 2.0× as long as wide, F1 1.6× as long as pedicel, F1 1.2× as long as F2, F1 shorter than F7 and F8 combined, F1 shorter than F9, F6 1.4 × as long as wide, F6 shorter than F7 and F8 combined, F6 1.1 × as high as F9; few distinctly small multiporous plates on flagellomeres, sensillae on flagellomeres erect and longer than width of flagellomeres.

HEAD. Head width 1.39 × head height; head width 1.53 × interorbital space; maximum eye diameter 1.18 × minimum eye diameter; head height 1.65 × maximum eye diameter. Dorsal margin of occipital carina ventral to dorsal margin of lateral ocellus in lateral view; preoccipital furrow indistinct; preoccipital carina present. OOL:POL:LOL 1.00:1.25:0.69; OOL 2.00 × lateral ocellus diameter. White, thick setae on upper face absent; supraclypeal depression present; lateral margin of torulus slightly raised; intertorular carina present; posterolateral processes of gena absent.

MESOSOMA, METASOMA. Mesosoma compressed laterally. Head width 1.21 × mesosoma width; Weber length 219 µm. Mesoscutum densely setose, setae curved backwards; median mesoscutal sulcus absent; interaxillar sulcus superficial, scutoscutellar sulcus not adjacent to transscutal articulation, scutoscutellar sulcus straight; dorsal axillar area setose, setae curved backwards; mesoscutellum setose, setae curved backwards or straight. Mesoscutum width 1.80× mesoscutellum width; posterior mesoscutal width 1.35 × mesoscutellum width; mesoscutellum length 1.50 × mesoscutellum width; mesoscutellum length 1.11 × posterior mesoscutal width; Weber length 0.97 × mesoscutum width; Weber length 1.17 × mesoscutellum length. Anteromedian projection of the metanoto-propodeo-metapecto-mesopectal complex absent; mesometapleural sulcus absent; posterior propodeal projection absent; posterior mesosomal comb absent. Basal transverse carina of petiole (on syntergum) absent; longitudinal carinae on syntergum absent; translucent patches on metasoma absent.

FORE WING. Length 2.46 × width; stigmal vein as long as pterostigma marginal length.

MALE GENITALIA. Genital length 100 µm; Weber length 2.19 × genital length; gvc width 63 µm; genital length 1.60× gvc width; gvc width more than two thirds of gvc length; gvc width 1.33 × distal gvc width. Proximodorsal margin of gvc strongly convex; distodorsal margin of gvc descending proximomedially ( Fig. 11C ); proximoventral margin of gvc strongly ascending distomedially; distoventral margin of gvc convex, more strongly descending proximomedially ( Fig. 11A ); ventral area of gvc straight; dorsal area of gvc convex ( Fig. 11B ); proximolateral margin of gvc concave and strongly ascending ventrally; distolateral margin of gvc convex, more strongly descending dorsally ( Fig. 11B ). Harpe rectangular in ventral and dorsal view; harpe/gvc index 0.19; lateral articulation site of harpe with gvc virtually flush ( Fig. 11A, C ); ventral margin of harpe straight, dorsal margin straight in basal part, concave with straight apex in apical half, at its middle with pointed and distodorsally oriented protrusion ( Fig. 11B ), lateral margin straight and oriented distomedially, widest point of harpe at lateral articulation site with gvc ( Fig. 11A, C ); ventromedial margins of harpes not touching at distoventral margin of gvc, ventromedial margin of harpe straight and parallel to lateral margin and oriented distomedially in basal third, straight and diverging distolaterally in apical two thirds ( Fig. 11C ), apex of harpe pointed ( Fig. 11A, C ). Harpe with at least one lateral seta restricted to basal quarter, longest lateral seta slightly longer than length of harpe, lateral seta oriented distolaterally; harpe with at least one ventral seta restricted to basal half, longest ventral seta as long as harpe, ventral seta oriented distolaterally and distoventrally; harpe with at least two apical setae, longest apical setae one quarter as long as harpe, apical setae oriented distodorsally, distolaterally, distomedially and distoventrally.Aedeagus + gonossiculus indistinct. Genitalia moderately sclerotized with strongest sclerotization at aedeagus + gonossiculus and all margins of harpe.

Female

Unknown.

Variation

Unknown.

Biology

Host unknown, specimen collected from leaf litter.

Distribution

Afrotropical: Kenya.

Remarks

Comparison with similar species

Aphanogmus mashariki sp. nov. can be distinguished from all other treated species by the rectangular harpe, and the dorsal margin of the harpe having a pointed protrusion at its middle.

Condition of type material

In the holotype, the hind legs are detached (except coxae). The posterior half of the metasoma is missing, thus the body length measurement is not precise.

Figures

Fig. 11. Holotype of Aphanogmus mashariki sp. nov. (ZFMK-HYM-00037028). A–C. Male genitalia in ventral (A), lateral (B) and dorsal (C) views. D. Habitus in lateral view.