Ceraphron eulbergi, 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 : 180-182

Ceraphron eulbergi sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:BAEC1327-DCBB-4B64-812D-70EACD103FB6

Fig. 51

Diagnosis

Scape longer than F1 to F3 combined; preoccipital carina distinct; OOL:LOL 1.45; OOL 1.60 × lateral ocellus diameter; anteromedian projection of the metanoto-propodeo-metapecto-mesopectal complex curved in lateral view with blunt, lighter and bifurcated end, exceeding end of mesosoma. Male genitalia: harpe trapezoidal in ventral and dorsal view; harpe/gvc index 0.60; dorsomedial margins of harpes not touching at distodorsal margin of gvc, dorsomedial margin of harpe straight and virtually parallel to other harpe in basal third, straight and diverging distolaterally with small indentations in apical two thirds, apex of harpe slightly rounded; longest apical setae as long as harpe; genitalia weakly sclerotized with weakest sclerotization at harpe; gvc width equal to distal gvc width.

Etymology

The species is named after the DJ and graduated ecologist Dominik Eulberg. He combines the great art of nature with his musical art and emotions, and creates an acoustic image of it. His music is regularly part of the first author’s playlist.

Material examined

Holotype

KENYA • ♂; Western Province, Kakamega Forest; 00°21′7.9 N, 34°52′2.6 E; 1597 m a.s.l.; 9 Jul. 2007; F. Hita Garcia leg.; Transect 7; primary rain forest; Winkler leaf litter extraction; ZFMK; ZFMK- HYM-00036994 .

Description

Male

BODY LENGTH. 1.00 mm.

COLOUR. Head dark brown, mesosoma brown, metasoma light brown except anterior third lighter; scape and pedicel yellowish, flagellum light brown, gradually darkening from F1 to F9; legs yellowish except pro- and mesocoxa brown, proximal third of metacoxa brown; fore wing venation light brown, fore and hind wing disc slightly melanized.

ANTENNA. 11-segmented, flagellomeres cylindric; scape 3.9 × as long as pedicel, scape longer than F1 to F3 combined, F1 1.8× as long as wide, F1 1.3× as long as pedicel, F1 1.4× as long as F2, F1 shorter than F7 and F8 combined, F1 shorter than F9, F6 1.3 × as long as wide, F6 shorter than F7 and F8 combined, F6 1.2 × as high as F9; few small multiporous plates on flagellomeres, sensillae on flagellomeres sickle-shaped and shorter than width of flagellomeres.

HEAD. Head width 1.16 × head height; head width 1.86 × interorbital space; maximum eye diameter 1.47 × minimum eye diameter; head height 1.61 × maximum eye diameter. Dorsal margin of occipital carina ventral to dorsal margin of lateral ocellus in lateral view; preoccipital furrow present; preoccipital carina distinct. OOL:POL:LOL 1.00:0.59:0.69; OOL 1.60 × lateral ocellus diameter. White, thick setae on upper face indistinct; supraclypeal depression present; lateral margin of torulus raised; intertorular carina present; posterolateral processes of gena present.

MESOSOMA, METASOMA. Mesosoma not compressed laterally. Head width 0.93 × mesosoma width; Weber length 350 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 sparsely setose, setae curved backwards or straight. Mesoscutum width 1.92 × mesoscutellum width; posterior mesoscutal width 1.48 × mesoscutellum width; mesoscutellum length 1.64 × mesoscutellum width; mesoscutellum length 1.11 × posterior mesoscutal width; Weber length 1.17 × mesoscutum width; Weber length 1.37 × mesoscutellum length. Anteromedian projection of the metanoto-propodeo-metapecto-mesopectal complex curved in lateral view with blunt, lighter and bifurcated end, exceeding end of mesosoma; mesometapleural sulcus absent; posterior propodeal projection straight and light in ventrolateral view; posterior mesosomal comb present. Basal transverse carina of petiole (on syntergum) present; at least six basal longitudinal carinae on syntergum; pairs of translucent patches on metasomal syntergum and synsternum.

FORE WING. Length 2.93 × width; stigmal vein shorter than 3× pterostigma marginal length.

MALE GENITALIA. Genital length 116 µm; Weber length 3.03 × genital length; gvc width 56 µm; genital length 2.06× gvc width; gvc width three quarters of gvc length; gvc width equal to distal gvc width. Proximodorsal margin of gvc straight;distodorsal margin of gvc descending proximomedially ( Fig. 51C ); proximoventral margin of gvc slightly convex; distoventral margin of gvc descending proximomedially ( Fig. 51A ); ventral area of gvc straight; dorsal area of gvc slightly convex ( Fig. 51B ), slightly indented distomedially; proximolateral margin of gvc slightly ascending ventrally; distolateral margin of gvc descending ventrally ( Fig. 51B ). Harpe trapezoidal in ventral and dorsal view; harpe/gvc index 0.60; lateral articulation site of harpe with gvc not flush ( Fig. 51A, C ); ventral margin of harpe slightly concave, dorsal margin slightly concave ( Fig. 51B ), lateral margin convex, widest point of harpe at lateral articulation site with gvc ( Fig. 51A, C ); dorsomedial margins of harpes not touching at distodorsal margin of gvc, dorsomedial margin of harpe straight and virtually parallel to other harpe in basal third, straight and diverging distolaterally with small indentations in apical two thirds ( Fig. 51C ), apex of harpe slightly rounded ( Fig. 51A, C ). Harpe with at least one lateral seta restricted to apical quarter, longest lateral seta one third as long as harpe, lateral seta oriented distolaterally and distoventrally; harpe with at least three apical setae, longest apical setae as long as harpe, apical setae oriented distolaterally and distoventrally; harpe with at least seven median setae, longest median setae one third as long as harpe, median setae oriented distomedially, distoventrally and medioventrally. Aedeagus + gonossiculus more than half as long as harpe, apex of aedeagus + gonossiculus pointed ( Fig. 51A, C ) and dorsal to apex of harpe. Genitalia weakly sclerotized with weakest sclerotization at harpe.

Female

Unknown.

Variation

Unknown.

Biology

Host unknown, specimen collected from leaf litter.

Distribution

Afrotropical: Kenya.

Remarks

Comparison with similar species

Ceraphron eulbergi sp. nov. can be distinguished from C. longisetae sp. nov. by the different setal arrangement on the harpes ( C. eulbergi has distinctly shorter lateral setae and longer apical setae than C. longisetae ), the shorter aedeagus + gonossiculus in C. eulbergi and the different harpe/gvc index (0.60 in C. eulbergi and 0.39 in C. longisetae ).

Condition of type material

In the holotype, the left hind wing and right hind leg (except coxa) are detached. The posterior end of the metasoma is slightly deformed, thus the body length measurement is not precise.

Figures

Fig. 51. Holotype of Ceraphron eulbergi sp. nov. (ZFMK-HYM-00036994). A–C. Male genitalia in ventral (A), lateral (B) and dorsal (C) views. D. Habitus in lateral view.