Ceraphron cingulum, 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 : 161-164

Ceraphron cingulum sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:A20F2821-7206-4198-89D2-A2F4CEBA0EA9

Fig. 45

Diagnosis

Mesosoma light brown-yellowish, metasoma light brown-yellowish; flagellomeres cylindric and moniliform (F2–F4); scape as long as F1 to F3 combined; F1 0.9× as long as pedicel; head width 1.71– 1.90 × (1.77) interorbital space; head height 1.57–1.83 × (1.83) maximum eye diameter. Male genitalia: harpe cone-shaped in ventral and dorsal view; harpe/gvc index 0.79; dorsomedial margins of harpes almost touching at distodorsal margin of gvc, dorsomedial margin of harpe concave from base to apex; ventral margin of harpe straight and emarginated at apical third; genital length 1.87–2.06 × (2.00) gvc width.

Etymology

The species name is derived from the Latin word ‘ cingulum ’ which means ‘belt’, with reference to the sampling locations in the Kakamega Forest of Kenya, the easternmost remnant of the Guineo-Congolian rainforest belt and the rainforest of Gabon, close to the west coast of Central Africa.

Material examined

Holotype

KENYA • ♂; Western Province, Kakamega Forest; 00°14′20.5 N, 34°51′52.8 E; 1634 m a.s.l.; 10 Aug. 2007; F. Hita Garcia leg.; Transect 17; primary rain forest; Winkler leaf litter extraction; ZFMK; ZFMK- HYM-00036998 .

Paratypes

KENYA • 1 ♂; same collection data as for holotype; ZFMK-HYM-00036999 .

GABON • 1 ♂; Ogooué-Ivindo, Ivindo NP, Makokou ; 00°30′44 N, 12°46′12 E; 518 m a.s.l.; 13–16 Sep. 2012; R.S. Peters leg.; forest near station; Pitfall trap; ZFMK; ZFMK-HYM-00037091 .

Description

Male (N = 3 in morphometric measurements)

BODY LENGTH. 0.63–0.85 mm (0.85 mm).

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

ANTENNA. 11-segmented, flagellomeres cylindric and moniliform (F2–F4); scape 2.7× as long as pedicel, scape as long as F1 to F3 combined, F1 1.5 × as long as wide, F1 0.9× as long as pedicel, F1 1.2× as long as F2, F1 shorter than F7 and F8 combined, F1 shorter than F9, F6 1.2× as long as wide, F6 shorter than F7 and F8 combined, F6 as high as F9; few small multiporous plates on flagellomeres, sensillae on flagellomeres sickle-shaped and slightly shorter than width of flagellomeres.

HEAD. Head width 1.13–1.15× (1.15) head height; head width 1.71–1.90 × (1.77) interorbital space; maximum eye diameter 1.20–1.54× (1.20) minimum eye diameter; head height 1.57–1.83 × (1.83) 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 1.00:0.50– 0.67:0.53–0.67 (1.00:0.67:0.67); OOL 2.46–2.67× (2.50) lateral ocellus diameter. White, thick setae on upper face absent; supraclypeal depression present; lateral margin of torulus raised; intertorular carina present; posterolateral processes of gena absent.

MESOSOMA, METASOMA. Mesosoma not compressed laterally. Head width 1.03–1.09× (1.06) mesosoma width; Weber length 225–250 µm (250 µm). Mesoscutum densely setose, setae curved backwards; median mesoscutal sulcus present; median mesoscutal sulcus adjacent to transscutal articulation; interaxillar sulcus absent (= scutoscutellar sulcus adjacent to transscutal articulation), scutoscutellar sulcus straight; dorsal axillar area setose, setae curved backwards; mesoscutellum setose, setae curved backwards. Mesoscutum width 1.82–1.88× (1.83) mesoscutellum width; posterior mesoscutal width 1.35–1.49 × (1.49) mesoscutellum width; mesoscutellum length 1.47–1.64× (1.54) mesoscutellum width; mesoscutellum length 1.04–1.13 × (1.04) posterior mesoscutal width; Weber length 1.16–1.29× (1.25) mesoscutum width; Weber length 1.44–1.48× (1.48) mesoscutellum length. Anteromedian projection of the metanoto-propodeo-metapecto-mesopectal complex straight in lateral view with blunt and lighter end, exceeding end of mesosoma; mesometapleural sulcus absent; posterior propodeal projection straight and light in ventrolateral view; posterior mesosomal comb absent. Basal transverse carina of petiole (on syntergum) present; at least five, basal longitudinal carinae on syntergum; translucent patches on metasoma absent.

FORE WING. Length 2.86–3.16 × (3.09) width; stigmal vein longer than 3× pterostigma marginal length.

MALE GENITALIA. Genital length 84–90 µm (88 µm); Weber length 2.67–2.86 × (2.86) genital length; gvc width 44–45 µm (44 µm); genital length 1.87–2.06 × (2.00) gvc width; gvc width slightly less than gvc length; gvc width 1.05 × distal gvc width. Proximodorsal margin of gvc straight; distodorsal margin of gvc descending proximomedially ( Fig. 45C ); proximoventral margin of gvc convex; distoventral margin of gvc slightly descending proximomedially ( Fig. 45A ); ventral area of gvc convex; dorsal area of gvc straight ( Fig. 45B ); proximolateral margin of gvc descending ventrally; distolateral margin of gvc convex ( Fig. 45B ). Harpe cone-shaped in ventral and dorsal view; harpe/gvc index 0.79; lateral articulation site of harpe with gvc not flush ( Fig. 45A, C ); ventral margin of harpe straight and emarginated at apical third, dorsal margin convex in basal third and concave in apical two thirds, emarginated at apical quarter ( Fig. 45B ), lateral margin slightly convex and emarginated at apical third, widest point of harpe at lateral articulation site with gvc ( Fig. 45A, C ); dorsomedial margins of harpes almost touching at distodorsal margin of gvc, dorsomedial margin of harpe concave from base to apex ( Fig. 45C ), apex of harpe pointed ( Fig. 45A, C ). At least two lateral setae restricted to apical third, longest lateral setae less than half as long as harpe, lateral setae oriented distolaterally and distoventrally; harpe with at least two apical setae, longest apical setae more than one third as long as harpe, apical setae oriented distolaterally, distomedially and distoventrally; harpe with at least four median setae, longest median setae more than one third as long as harpe, median setae oriented distomedially and distoventrally. Aedeagus + gonossiculus more than half as long as harpe, apex of aedeagus + gonossiculus pointed ( Fig. 45A, C ) and dorsal to apex of harpe. Genitalia weakly sclerotized, almost transparent.

Female

Unknown.

Variation

Unknown.

Biology

Host unknown, specimens collected from leaf litter ( Kenya) or with pitfall trap ( Gabon).

Distribution

Afrotropical: Gabon and Kenya.

Remarks

Comparison with similar species

The combination of the light body colouration and the weakly sclerotized, almost transparent genitalia is shared between Ceraphron cingulum sp. nov., Cyoceraphron invisibilis sp. nov., and Cyoceraphron njano sp. nov., which makes them similar at first sight. However, C. cingulum does not belong to Cyoceraphron , and species can be easily distinguished from each other by numerous body and male genitalia characters

For more comparisons with similar species, see remarks under C. longumerunus sp. nov.

Condition of type material

In the holotype, the right middle leg is missing (except coxa). The metasoma is deformed, thus the body length measurement is not precise. The paratype ZFMK-HYM-00037091 was used in an unsuccessful DNA barcoding attempt, i.e., had been put in lysis buffer for non-destructive DNA extraction, and looks more transparent.

Figures

Fig. 45. Holotype of Ceraphron cingulum sp. nov. (ZFMK-HYM-00036998). A–C. Male genitalia in ventral (A), lateral (B) and dorsal (C) views. D. Habitus in lateral view.