Ceraphron pleurosulcus, 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 : 268-271

Ceraphron pleurosulcus sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:BC64C47A-8D33-43C8-8EEF-7EB249869DAA

Fig. 77

Diagnosis

Scape, pedicel and flagellum brown; mesometapleural sulcus absent, longitudinal sulcus on mesometapleuron from procoxa to metacoxa; mesoscutum width 2.15–2.23 × (2.23) mesoscutellum width; mesoscutellum length 1.75–1.77 × (1.77) mesoscutellum width; posterior mesoscutal width 1.65–1.68× (1.68) mesoscutellum width; fore wing length 3.13–3.14× (3.13) width. Male genitalia: harpe cone-shaped in ventral and dorsal view; harpe/gvc index 0.86; dorsomedial margins of harpes not touching at distodorsal margin of gvc, dorsomedial margin of harpe slightly concave and virtually parallel to other harpe from base to apex, apex of harpe pointed, oriented distomedially; apical and median setae of harpe distinctly crossing; gvc width more than three quarters of gvc length; gvc width equal to distal gvc width; genitalia moderately sclerotized with strongest sclerotization at apical third of harpe and weakest sclerotization at aedeagus + gonossiculus.

Etymology

The species name is a composition of the anatomical terms ‘pleuron’ and ‘sulcus’, with reference to the long longitudinal sulcus on the mesometapleuron.

Material examined

Holotype

KENYA • ♂; Western Province, Kakamega Forest; 00°13′59.1 N, 34°51′43.7 E; 1614 m a.s.l.; 5 Aug. 2007; F. Hita Garcia leg.; Transect 24; primary rain forest; Winkler leaf litter extraction; ZFMK; ZFMK- HYM-00036919 .

Paratype

KENYA • 1 ♂; Western Province, Kakamega Forest; 00°14′22.9 N, 34°51′21 E; 1594 m a.s.l.; 17 Jul. 2007; F. Hita Garcia leg.; Transect 12; primary rain forest; Winkler leaf litter extraction; ZFMK; ZFMK- HYM-00036918 .

Description

Male (N = 2 in morphometric measurements)

BODY LENGTH. 0.93–1.03 mm (0.93 mm).

COLOUR. Head dark brown, mesosoma dark brown, metasoma brown; scape, pedicel and flagellum brown; legs yellowish except proximal half of 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 and F2 combined, F1 2.3× as long as wide, F1 1.6× as long as pedicel, F1 1.3× as long as F2, F1 shorter than F7 and F8 combined, F1 shorter than F9, F6 1.6 × 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 × (1.12) head height; head width 1.92–1.93 × (1.93) interorbital space; maximum eye diameter 1.35 × (1.35) minimum eye diameter; head height 1.67–1.81× (1.81) 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 1.00:0.45–0.52:0.55– 0.57 (1.00:0.52:0.57); OOL 2.10–2.47× (2.10) lateral ocellus diameter. White, thick setae on upper face absent; supraclypeal depression present; lateral margin of torulus slightly raised; intertorular carina present; posterolateral processes of gena absent.

MESOSOMA, METASOMA. Mesosoma not compressed laterally. Head width 1.00–1.04× (1.04) mesosoma width; Weber length 356–400 µm (400 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 2.15–2.23× (2.23) mesoscutellum width; posterior mesoscutal width 1.65–1.68× (1.68) mesoscutellum width; mesoscutellum length 1.75–1.77× (1.77) mesoscutellum width; mesoscutellum length 1.05–1.06 × (1.05) posterior mesoscutal width; Weber length 1.31–1.33 × (1.31) mesoscutum width; Weber length 1.63–1.64 × (1.64) mesoscutellum length. Anteromedian projection of the metanoto-propodeo-metapecto-mesopectal complex curved in lateral view with blunt end, extending to end of mesosoma; mesometapleural sulcus absent, longitudinal sulcus on mesometapleuron from procoxa to metacoxa; posterior propodeal projection straight and light in ventrolateral view; posterior mesosomal comb absent. Basal transverse carina of petiole (on syntergum) present; at least eight distinct, basal longitudinal carinae on syntergum; pair of translucent patches on metasomal syntergum.

FORE WING. Length 3.13–3.14× (3.13) width; stigmal vein shorter than 3× pterostigma marginal length.

MALE GENITALIA. Genital length 113–128 µm (128 µm); Weber length 3.12–3.17× (3.12) genital length; gvc width 44–56 µm (56 µm); genital length 2.28–2.57 × (2.28) gvc width; gvc width more than three quarters of gvc length; gvc width equal to distal gvc width. Proximodorsal margin of gvc straight; distodorsal margin of gvc slightly descending proximomedially ( Fig. 77C ); proximoventral margin of gvc slightly convex; distoventral margin of gvc descending proximomedially ( Fig. 77A ); ventral area of gvc slightly convex; dorsal area of gvc convex ( Fig. 77B ); proximolateral margin of gvc slightly ascending and emarginated ventrally; distolateral margin of gvc descending ventrally ( Fig. 77B ). Harpe cone-shaped in ventral and dorsal view; harpe/gvc index 0.86; lateral articulation site of harpe with gvc not flush ( Fig. 77A, C ); ventral margin of harpe concave, dorsal margin slightly convex ( Fig. 77B ), lateral margin convex, widest point of harpe at lateral articulation site with gvc ( Fig. 77A, C ); dorsomedial margins of harpes not touching at distodorsal margin of gvc, dorsomedial margin of harpe slightly concave and virtually parallel to other harpe from base to apex ( Fig. 77C ), apex of harpe pointed, oriented distomedially ( Fig. 77A, C ). Harpe with at least two lateral setae restricted to apical third, longest lateral setae more than one third as long as harpe, lateral setae oriented distolaterally; 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 four median setae, longest median setae less than one third as long as harpe, median setae distinctly crossing and oriented distomedially and distoventrally. Aedeagus + gonossiculus more than half as long as harpe, apex of aedeagus + gonossiculus rounded ( Fig. 77A, C ) and dorsal to apex of harpe. Genitalia moderately sclerotized with strongest sclerotization at apical third of harpe and weakest sclerotization at aedeagus + gonossiculus.

Female

Unknown.

Variation

Unknown.

Biology

Host unknown, specimens collected from leaf litter.

Distribution

Afrotropical: Kenya.

Remarks

Comparison with similar species

Ceraphron pleurosulcus sp. nov. can be distinguished from all other treated species by the longitudinal sulcus on the mesometapleuron from the procoxa to the metacoxa. However, the male genitalia of C. pleurosulcus is similar to those of C. buyangu sp. nov., differing in the harpe/gvc index (0.86 in C. pleurosulcus , 0.93 in C. buyangu ), the stronger sclerotization in C. pleurosulcus (although the sclerotization pattern is very similar), the arrangement of the lateral setae, and the dorsomedial margin of the harpe being slightly concave in C. pleurosulcus which makes the apex of the harpe more pointed and narrow and straight in C. buyangu .

Condition of type material

In the holotype, the left F9 and the left metatibia and tarsus are missing. The posterior third of the metasoma is detached, thus the body length measurement is not precise.

Figures

Fig. 77. Holotype of Ceraphron pleurosulcus sp. nov. (ZFMK-HYM-00036919). A–C. Male genitalia in ventral (A), lateral (B) and dorsal (C) views. D. Habitus in lateral view.