Ceraphron mwekaensis, 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 : 252-255

Ceraphron mwekaensis sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:043F5CE7-1D66-4B6A-9D4D-07C5AF9F23E5

Fig. 72

Diagnosis

Scape shorter than F1 and F2 combined, F1 longer than F9; head height 1.84–1.94 × (1.94) maximum eye diameter; head width 1.06 × (1.06) mesosoma width; mesometapleural sulcus absent, mesometapleuron with longitudinal striations and longitudinal sulcus from middle of mesometapleuron to metacoxa. Male genitalia: harpe sickle-shaped with apicoventral projection in ventral and dorsal view; harpe/gvc index 0.50; dorsomedial margins of harpes not touching at distodorsal margin of gvc, dorsomedial margin of harpe concave from base to apex; apicoventral projection lighter and slightly crossing; dorsal margin straight and curved in basal quarter with serrations in apical three quarters; Weber length 2.89–2.93× (2.93) genital length.

Etymology

The species is named after the Mweka Camp close to the type locality, and the Mweka village in Tanzania at the southern foot of Mount Kilimanjaro.

Material examined

Holotype

TANZANIA • ♂; Kilimanjaro Region, Mount Kilimanjaro; 3°9′41.8 S, 37°21′47.4 E; 2970 m a.s.l.; 11 Oct. 2012; KiLi project leg.; “high 1”; FPO3, Podocarpus forest; Coloured pan trap; ZFMK; ZFMK- HYM-00037078 .

Paratype

TANZANIA • 1 ♂; Kilimanjaro Region, Mount Kilimanjaro; 3°11′36.9 S, 37°26′31.6 E; 2720 m a.s.l.; 17 Oct. 2012; KiLi project leg.; “tree 1”; FPO4, Podocarpus forest; Coloured pan trap; ZFMK; ZFMK- HYM-00037079 .

Description

Male (N = 2 in morphometric measurements)

BODY LENGTH. 1.43 mm (1.43 mm).

COLOUR. Head dark brown, mesosoma dark brown, metasoma brown; scape and pedicel light brown, flagellum brown; legs light brown except joints and tarsi yellowish; fore wing venation brown, fore and hind wing disc slightly melanized.

ANTENNA. 11-segmented, flagellomeres cylindric; scape 4.2 × as long as pedicel, scape shorter than F1 and F2 combined, F1 2.9× as long as wide, F1 2.7× as long as pedicel, F1 1.3× as long as F2, F1 shorter than F7 and F8 combined, F1 longer than F9, F6 1.9 × as long as wide, F6 shorter than F7 and F8 combined, F6 1.2× as high as F9; numerous small multiporous plates on flagellomeres, sensillae on flagellomeres sickle-shaped and shorter than width of flagellomeres.

HEAD. Head width 1.11–1.12 × (1.11) head height; head width 1.77–1.83 × (1.77) interorbital space; maximum eye diameter 1.23–1.28× (1.23) minimum eye diameter; head height 1.84–1.94 × (1.94) maximum eye diameter. Dorsal margin of occipital carina ventral to dorsal margin of lateral ocellus in lateral view; preoccipital furrow present; preoccipital carina absent. OOL:POL:LOL 1.00:0.72– 0.74:0.56–0.59 (1.00:0.74:0.59); OOL 2.25–2.50× (2.25) 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 compressed laterally. Head width 1.06 × (1.06) mesosoma width; Weber length 488–494 µm (494 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 straight; dorsal axillar area setose, setae curved backwards; mesoscutellum setose, setae curved backwards or straight. Mesoscutum width 2.00–2.15 × (2.00) mesoscutellum width; posterior mesoscutal width 1.50–1.60 × (1.50) mesoscutellum width; mesoscutellum length 1.87–1.78× (1.87) mesoscutellum width; mesoscutellum length 1.11–1.24 × (1.24) posterior mesoscutal width; Weber length 1.32–1.34 × (1.32) mesoscutum width; Weber length 1.41–1.63× (1.41) mesoscutellum length. Anteromedian projection of the metanoto-propodeo-metapecto-mesopectal complex distinctly short and oriented posterodorsally in lateral view with broad end; mesometapleural sulcus absent, mesometapleuron with longitudinal striations and longitudinal sulcus from middle of mesometapleuron to metacoxa; posterior propodeal projection distinctly short in ventrolateral view; posterior mesosomal comb present. Basal transverse carina of petiole (on syntergum) present; at least six, basal longitudinal carinae on syntergum; translucent patches on metasoma absent.

FORE WING. Length 2.81–2.86 × (2.81) width; stigmal vein shorter than 3 × pterostigma marginal length.

MALE GENITALIA. Genital length 169 µm (169 µm); Weber length 2.89–2.93× (2.93) genital length; gvc width 81–88 µm (88 µm); genital length 1.93–2.08× (1.93) gvc width; gvc width more than three quarters of gvc length; gvc width 1.06 × distal gvc width. Proximodorsal margin of gvc straight; distodorsal margin of gvc descending proximomedially ( Fig. 72C ); proximoventral margin of gvc convex; distoventral margin of gvc descending proximomedially ( Fig. 72A ); ventral area of gvc convex; dorsal area of gvc slightly convex ( Fig. 72B ), indented distomedially; proximolateral margin of gvc descending ventrally; distolateral margin of gvc descending dorsally ( Fig. 72B ). Harpe sickle-shaped with apicoventral projection in ventral and dorsal view; harpe/gvc index 0.50; lateral articulation site of harpe with gvc not flush ( Fig. 72A, C ); ventral margin of harpe straight in basal half and convex in apical half, dorsal margin straight and curved in basal quarter with serrations in apical three quarters ( Fig. 72B ), lateral margin convex, widest point of harpe at lateral articulation site with gvc ( Fig. 72A, C ); dorsomedial margins of harpes not touching at distodorsal margin of gvc, dorsomedial margin of harpe concave from base to apex ( Fig. 72C ), apex of harpe pointed and oriented distomedially, apicoventral projection lighter and slightly crossing ( Fig. 72A, C ). Harpe with at least four lateral setae restricted to apical quarter, longest lateral setae more than half as long as harpe, lateral setae oriented distomedially and distoventrally; apicoventral projection of harpe with at least two apical setae, longest apical setae less than half as long as harpe, apical setae distinctly crossing and oriented distomedially and distoventrally; harpe with at least five median setae restricted to apical three quarters on serrations, longest median setae less than one third as long as harpe, median setae oriented distodorsally, distomedially and distoventrally. Aedeagus + gonossiculus more than two thirds as long as harpe, apex of aedeagus + gonossiculus rounded ( Fig. 72A, C ) and dorsal to apex of harpe. Genitalia moderately sclerotized with strongest sclerotization at harpe and weakest sclerotization at aedeagus + gonossiculus.

Female

Unknown.

Variation

The flagellum of ZFMK-HYM-00037079 is brown and gradually darkens from F1 to F9.

Biology

Host unknown, specimens collected with coloured pan trap.

Distribution

Afrotropical: Tanzania.

Remarks

Comparison with similar species

Ceraphron mwekaensis sp. nov. can be distinguished from all other treated species by the combination of longitudinal striations on the mesometapleuron, a longitudinal sulcus from middle of the mesometapleuron to the metacoxa, the absence of a preoccipital carina, and an apicoventral projection on the harpe. The longitudinal sulcus is rather similar to that of C. pleurosulcus sp. nov. but it is shorter in C. mwekaensis , i.e., restricted to the metapleuron, and does not extend to the procoxa.

Condition of type material

In the holotype, the left middle leg and the wings are detached. The posterior part of the metasoma is slightly deformed, thus the body length measurement is not precise.

Figures

Fig. 72. Holotype of Ceraphron mwekaensis sp. nov. (ZFMK-HYM-00037078). A–C. Male genitalia in ventral (A), lateral (B) and dorsal (C) views. D. Habitus in lateral view; insets: fore wings (top), mesosoma in lateral view (bottom).