Ceraphron buyangu, 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 : 154-157

Ceraphron buyangu sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:C8E7D470-957B-4F6E-AB4E-3837C7BF0C6D

Fig. 43

Diagnosis

Legs yellowish except metacoxa light yellow; scape shorter than F1 and F2 combined; F1 2.6 × as long as wide; fore wing length 3.09–3.33× (3.09) width. Male genitalia: harpe cone-shaped in ventral and dorsal view; harpe/gvc index 0.93; dorsomedial margins of harpes not touching at distodorsal margin of gvc, dorsomedial margin of harpe straight and parallel to other harpe from base to apex, apex of harpe pointed, oriented slightly distomedially; apical and median setae of harpe distinctly crossing; longest apical setae more than two thirds as long as harpe; gvc width slightly less than gvc length; gvc width equal to distal gvc width; genitalia weakly sclerotized with strongest sclerotization at apical third of harpe and weakest sclerotization at aedeagus + gonossiculus;

Etymology

The species is named after the Buyangu hill which is close to the type locality.

Material examined

Holotype

KENYA • ♂; Western Province, Kakamega Forest; 00°21′4.4 N, 34°51′41.1 E; 1602 m a.s.l.; 5 Jun. 2007; F. Hita Garcia leg.; Transect 2; primary rain forest; Winkler leaf litter extraction; ZFMK; ZFMK- HYM-00036929 .

Paratypes

KENYA – Western Province • 2 ♂♂; same collection data as for holotype; ZFMK-HYM-00036930 , ZFMK-HYM-00036932 • 4 ♂♂; Kakamega Forest; 00°21′4.4 N, 34°51′41.1 E; 1602 m a.s.l.; 7 Jun. 2007; F. Hita Garcia leg.; Transect 2; primary rain forest; Winkler leaf litter extraction; ZFMK; ZFMK- HYM-00036931, ZFMK-HYM-00036933 to ZFMK-HYM-00036935 .

Description

Male (N = 3 in morphometric measurements)

BODY LENGTH. 1.06–1.18 mm (1.06 mm).

COLOUR. Head brown, mesosoma brown, metasoma light brown; scape, pedicel and flagellum light brown, gradually darkening from F1 to F9; legs yellowish except metacoxa light yellow; fore wing venation light brown, fore and hind wing disc slightly melanized, fore wing more strongly melanized along wing venation.

ANTENNA. 11-segmented, flagellomeres cylindric; scape 3.5 × as long as pedicel, scape shorter than F1 and F2 combined, F1 2.6× as long as wide, F1 2.1× as long as pedicel, F1 1.5× as long as F2, F1 shorter than F7 and F8 combined, F1 shorter than F9, F6 2.0 × as long as wide, F6 shorter than F7 and F8 combined, F6 1.3× as high as F9; numerous small multiporous plates on flagellomeres, sensillae on flagellomeres sickle-shaped and shorter than width of flagellomeres.

HEAD. Head width 1.06–1.11× (1.11) head height; head width 1.96–2.04 × (2.00) interorbital space; maximum eye diameter 1.25–1.27× (1.27) minimum eye diameter; head height 1.67–1.73 × (1.68) maximum eye diameter. Dorsal margin of occipital carina ventral to dorsal margin of lateral ocellus in lateral view; preoccipital furrow present; preoccipital carina present. OOL:POL:LOL 1.00:0.36– 0.44:0.34–0.53 (1.00:0.36:0.34); OOL 1.50–2.20 × (2.20) lateral ocellus diameter. White, thick setae on upper face absent; supraclypeal depression present; lateral margin of torulus light and slightly raised; intertorular carina present; posterolateral processes of gena absent.

MESOSOMA, METASOMA. Mesosoma not compressed laterally. Head width 1.06–1.16× (1.16) mesosoma width; Weber length 313–356 µm (313 µm). Mesoscutum densely setose, setae curved backwards; median mesoscutal sulcus present; median mesoscutal sulcus adjacent to transscutal articulation; interaxillar sulcus present (= scutoscutellar sulcus not adjacent to transscutal articulation), scutoscutellar sulcus concave; dorsal axillar area setose, setae curved backwards; mesoscutellum setose, setae curved backwards or straight. Mesoscutum width 1.75–1.89× (1.89) mesoscutellum width; posterior mesoscutal width 1.36–1.38 × (1.36) mesoscutellum width; mesoscutellum length 1.45–1.50 × (1.45) mesoscutellum width; mesoscutellum length 1.07–1.09 × (1.07) posterior mesoscutal width; Weber length 1.20–1.36 × (1.20) mesoscutum width; Weber length 1.56–1.58 × (1.56) mesoscutellum length. Anteromedian projection of the metanoto-propodeo-metapecto-mesopectal complex distinctly short, oriented posterodorsally in lateral view with broad, blunt and lighter end; mesometapleural sulcus absent; posterior propodeal projection very short and light in ventrolateral view; posterior mesosomal comb absent. Basal transverse carina of petiole (on syntergum) present; Basal longitudinal carinae on syntergum indistinct; pair of translucent patches on metasomal syntergum.

FORE WING. Length 3.09–3.33 × (3.09) width; stigmal vein longer than 3× pterostigma marginal length.

MALE GENITALIA. Genital length 119–138 µm (119 µm); Weber length 2.59–2.65× (2.63) genital length; gvc width 56–63 µm (56 µm); genital length 2.11–2.26× (2.11) gvc width; gvc width slightly less than gvc length; gvc width equal to distal gvc width. Proximodorsal margin of gvc concave; distodorsal margin of gvc descending proximomedially ( Fig. 43C ); proximoventral margin of gvc slightly convex; distoventral margin of gvc descending proximomedially ( Fig. 43A ); ventral area of gvc straight; dorsal area of gvc indistinct and slightly convex ( Fig. 43B ), indented distomedially; proximolateral margin of gvc slightly concave; distolateral margin of gvc convex, more strongly descending ventrally ( Fig. 43B ). Harpe cone-shaped in ventral and dorsal view; harpe/gvc index 0.93; lateral articulation site of harpe with gvc virtually flush ( Fig. 43A, C ); ventral margin of harpe straight, dorsal margin slightly convex ( Fig. 43B ), lateral margin convex, widest point of harpe at lateral articulation site with gvc ( Fig. 43A, C ); dorsomedial margins of harpes not touching at distodorsal margin of gvc, dorsomedial margin of harpe straight and parallel to other harpe from base to apex ( Fig. 43C ), apex of harpe pointed, oriented slightly distomedially ( Fig. 43A, C ). Harpe with at least four lateral setae restricted to apical third, longest lateral setae more than half as long as harpe, lateral setae oriented distolaterally and distoventrally; harpe with at least two apical setae, longest apical setae more than two thirds as long as harpe, apical setae distinctly crossing and oriented distomedially and distoventrally; harpe with at least three median setae, longest median setae more than one quarter as long as harpe, median setae distinctly crossing and oriented distomedially, distoventrally and medioventrally. Aedeagus + gonossiculus three quarters as long as harpe, apex of aedeagus + gonossiculus rounded ( Fig. 43A, C ) and as ventral as apex of harpe. Genitalia weakly sclerotized with strongest sclerotization at apical third of harpe and weakest sclerotization at aedeagus + gonossiculus.

Female

Unknown.

Variation

ZFMK-HYM-00036932 is comparatively small and light.

Biology

Host unknown, specimens collected from leaf litter.

Distribution

Afrotropical: Kenya.

Remarks

Comparison with similar species

See remarks under C. pleurosulcus sp. nov. and C. breviscapus sp. nov.

Condition of type material

In the holotype, the end of the metasoma is slightly deformed, thus the body length measurement is not precise.

Figures

Fig. 43. Holotype of Ceraphron buyangu sp. nov. (ZFMK-HYM-00036929). A–C. Male genitalia in ventral (A), lateral (B) and dorsal (C) views. D. Habitus in lateral view.