Schizopyga alinae Varga & Reshchikov, 2018

Varga, Oleksandr & Reshchikov, Alexey, 2018, Schizopyga alinae, a genus of pimpline parasitoid wasps (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae: Pimplinae) new to the Afrotropical region, Zootaxa 4422 (2), pp. 291-295 : 291-293

Schizopyga alinae Varga & Reshchikov , sp. n. ( Fig. 1 )

Material examined. Holotype: female, Musée du Congo, Rutshuru, 3758, 1.1937, J. Ghesquiere, RMCA . Paratypes: 2 females, idem, RMCA; female, idem, 4.1937, RMCA; female, Uganda, Kampala, T.337, 9.1936, T. H. C. Taylor, BMNH .

Diagnosis. Schizopyga alinae sp. n., typically for species of the genus, is characterized by convex clypeus, confluent with the face and forming an almost flat surface. This is the only known species with the entirely yellow body.

Description. Holotype. Female ( Fig. 1 ). Body length approximately 6.5 mm, fore wing 4.5 mm.

Head ( Fig. 1b ) generally matt, granulate and sparsely pubescent. Antenna with 20 flagellomeres, first flagellomere 1.6 × length of second flagellomere; inner margins of eyes weakly emarginate opposite antennal sockets, eyes slightly converging ventrally, with dense, but short and almost invisible pubescence; face convex, about 0.6 × as long as wide, with sparse and almost non-existent punctation on granulate surface, more densely pubescent than rest of head; clypeus convex, about 0.5× as long as wide, confluent with face and forming almost flat surface, apical margin thin and rounded laterally, straight apically; supraclypeal pits deep; malar space about 0.3 × basal width of mandible; mandible strongly narrowed apically, twisted, only one tooth visible; maxillary palps elongate, surpassing fore coxae; occipital carina complete, ventrally strongly projecting as a keel before mandible base; frons granulate and shiny opposite antennal sockets; maximum diameter of lateral ocellus 0.6 times × length of ocellar-ocular distance, temples long and straight, strongly narrowed behind eyes, weakly emarginate ventrally.

Mesosoma ( Figs 1c, d ). Propleuron matt, granulate and pubescent; pronotum shiny and weakly granulate, with minute punctation and pubescence only along upper edge, epomia indistinct; mesoscutum matt, granulate and densely pubescent, with notauli strong and deep on basal 0.5; scutellum shiny and more weakly sculptured and pubescent, with lateral carina present anteriorly; mesopleuron matt, granulate and weakly punctate and pubescent, shiny on posterior upper part; epicnemial carina present on lower 0.5 of mesopleuron; metapleuron convex, same sculpture as mesoscutum, submetapleural carina strong, forming small lobe anteriorly, pleural carina present and complete; propodeum ( Fig. 1c ) with same sculpture as metapleuron, with traces of longitudinal carinae on anterior 0.1 and distinct posterior transverse carina, interrupted centrally. Legs slender, hind femur 4.0 × as long as wide; fifth tarsomere of hind tarsus enlarged, about 0.5 × as long as length of tarsomeres 2–4; fore femur stout, approximately same width as hind femur. Fore wing with vein 2 rs-m short and almost obliterated, about 0.2 × distance between 2 rs-m and 2 m-cu; vein cu-a distad of Rs&M by about 0.2 of its own length. Hind wing with distance between distal abscissa of Cu 1 and M about 1.8 × longer than vein cu-a.

Metasoma ( Figs 1c, e ) generally matt, granulate and sparsely pubescent (sparser on tergites 1–2, denser on remaining tergites). First tergite 1.2 × as long as apical width, with weak distal oblique grooves, dorsolateral carina distinct only on anterior 0.2, median longitudinal carina indistinct; first sternite short, weakly convex medially; second tergite 0.9 × as long as apical width, with weak median swellings; third tergite 0.6 × as long as apical width, with indistinct swellings, remaining tergites without well-defined swellings; ovipositor up-curved, length from tip of hypopygium approximately 0.8 × length of hind tibia, lower valve weakly swollen subbasally ( Fig. 1e ).

Colour. Body generally yellow. Fore and middle coxae and trochanters with pale yellowish marks. Mandibles and

last two metasomal tergites with brownish-black marks; pterostigma and ovipositor sheaths yellow basally, brownish apically.

Variability. The number of flagellomeres varies from 19 to 20.

Male. Unknown.

Distribution. Currently known from Congo and Uganda.

Etymology. This species is named after the first author’s friend, Alina Tiukalova.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Schizopyga alinae sp. n., holotype female: a) lateral view of habitus; b) frontal view of head; c) dorsal view of propodeum and metasomal tergites 1–2; d) dorsal view of head and mesosoma; e) lateral view of ovipositor.