Ceraphron trietschae, 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 : 295-299

Ceraphron trietschae sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:EAB89B7B-0909-42ED-865D-B3892AD2F2B2

Fig. 85

Diagnosis

Male genitalia: harpe cone-shaped in ventral and dorsal view; harpe/gvc index 0.57; dorsomedial margins of harpes almost touching at distodorsal margin of gvc, dorsomedial margin of harpe straight and parallel to other harpe in approximately basal three quarters, concave emargination in approximately apical quarter; median setae of harpe distinctly crossing; proximodorsal margin of gvc straight; Weber length 3.43–3.60× (3.43) genital length; genitalia weakly sclerotized with strongest sclerotization at emarginated apex of harpe.

Etymology

The species is named after Carolyn Trietsch, who recently made important contributions to the study of the poorly known ceraphronoid wasps.

Material examined

Holotype

KENYA • ♂; Western Province, Kakamega Forest; 00°14′52.3 N, 34°52′5.3 E; 1607 m a.s.l.; 21 Aug. 2007; F. Hita Garcia leg.; Transect 18; primary rain forest; Winkler leaf litter extraction; ZFMK; ZFMK- HYM-00036892 .

Paratypes

KENYA – Western Province • 1 ♂; Kakamega Forest; 00°21′21.1 N, 34°51′44.9 E; 1632 m a.s.l.; 1 Aug. 2007; F. Hita Garcia leg.; Transect 16; primary rain forest; Winkler leaf litter extraction; ZFMK; ZFMK-HYM-00036893 • 1 ♂; Kakamega Forest; 00°13′15.5 N, 34°53′24.7 E; 1597 m a.s.l.; 23 Aug. 2007; F. Hita Garcia leg.; Transect 22; primary rain forest; Winkler leaf litter extraction; ZFMK; ZFMK- HYM-00036894 .

Description

Male (N = 3 in morphometric measurements)

BODY LENGTH. 0.85–1.11 mm (1.11 mm).

COLOUR. Head brown, mesosoma brown, metasoma light brown; scape and pedicel yellowish, flagellum light brown; legs yellowish except pro- and mesocoxa brown; fore wing venation light brown, fore and hind wing disc slightly melanized.

ANTENNA. 11-segmented (ZFMK-HYM-00036893), flagellomeres cylindric; scape 4.3× as long as pedicel, scape longer than F1 and F2 combined, F1 2.2 × 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 (ZFMK-HYM-00036893), F6 1.8× as long as wide, F6 shorter than F7 and F8 combined, F6 1.2× as high as F9 (ZFMK- HYM-00036893); few small multiporous plates on flagellomeres, sensillae on flagellomeres sickle-shaped and shorter than width of flagellomeres.

HEAD. Head width 1.15–1.18× (1.15) head height; head width 1.73–1.88 × (1.88) interorbital space; maximum eye diameter 1.16–1.36× (1.16) minimum eye diameter; head height 1.55–1.86 × (1.86) 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 1.00:0.40– 0.50:0.40–0.56 (1.00:0.44:0.56); OOL 1.60–2.50 × (1.60) lateral ocellus diameter. White, thick setae on upper face slightly present; supraclypeal depression present; lateral margin of torulus raised; intertorular carina present; posterolateral processes of gena absent.

MESOSOMA, METASOMA. Mesosoma not compressed laterally. Head width 1.08–1.10 × (1.09) mesosoma width; Weber length 306–338 µm (322 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 slightly concave; dorsal axillar area setose, setae curved backwards; mesoscutellum setose, setae curved backwards or straight. Mesoscutum width 1.74–1.94 × (1.94) mesoscutellum width; posterior mesoscutal width 1.42–1.72× (1.72) mesoscutellum width; mesoscutellum length 1.32–1.78× (1.78) mesoscutellum width; mesoscutellum length 0.83–1.15× (1.03) posterior mesoscutal width; Weber length 1.47–1.50 × (1.47) mesoscutum width; Weber length 1.58–2.16 × (1.61) mesoscutellum length. Anteromedian projection of the metanoto-propodeo-metapecto-mesopectal complex straight in lateral view with pointed and lighter end, extending to end of mesosoma; mesometapleural sulcus indistinct; posterior propodeal projection straight in ventrolateral view; posterior mesosomal comb absent. Basal transverse carina of petiole (on syntergum) present; at least six distinct, basal longitudinal carinae on syntergum; pairs of translucent patches on metasomal syntergum and synsternum.

FORE WING. Length 2.79–3.26 × (2.96) width; stigmal vein slightly longer than 3× pterostigma marginal length.

MALE GENITALIA. Genital length 86–94 µm (94 µm); Weber length 3.43–3.60 × (3.43) genital length; gvc width 44–48 µm (48 µm); genital length 1.94–2.07 × (1.94) gvc width; gvc width less than three quarters of gvc length; gvc width 1.34 × distal gvc width. Proximodorsal margin of gvc straight. Distodorsal margin of gvc descending proximomedially ( Fig. 85C ); proximoventral margin of gvc slightly convex; distoventral margin of gvc descending proximomedially ( Fig. 85A ); ventral area of gvc straight; dorsal area of gvc convex ( Fig. 85B ); proximolateral margin of gvc slightly ascending and emarginated ventrally; distolateral margin of gvc convex ( Fig. 85B ). Harpe cone-shaped in ventral and dorsal view; harpe/gvc index 0.57; lateral articulation site of harpe with gvc virtually flush ( Fig. 85A, C ); ventral margin of harpe slightly concave, dorsal margin straight ( Fig. 85B ), lateral margin slightly convex, widest point of harpe at lateral articulation site with gvc ( Fig. 85A, C ); dorsomedial margins of harpes almost touching at distodorsal margin of gvc, dorsomedial margin of harpe straight and parallel to other harpe in approximately basal three quarters, concave emargination in approximately apical quarter ( Fig. 85C ), apex of harpe pointed, oriented slightly distomedially ( Fig. 85A, C ). Harpe with at least two lateral setae restricted to apical third, longest lateral setae less than half as long as harpe, lateral setae oriented distolaterally; harpe with at least two apical setae, longest apical setae half as long as harpe, apical setae oriented distomedially and distoventrally; harpe with at least three median setae, longest median setae more than one third as long as harpe, median setae distinctly crossing and oriented distomedially and medioventrally. Aedeagus + gonossiculus more than half as long as harpe, apex of aedeagus + gonossiculus pointed ( Fig. 85A, C ) and dorsal to apex of harpe. Genitalia weakly sclerotized with strongest sclerotization at emarginated apex of harpe.

Female

Unknown.

Variation

Unknown.

Biology

Host unknown, specimens collected from leaf litter.

Distribution

Afrotropical: Kenya.

Remarks

Comparison with similar species

Ceraphron trietschae sp. nov. and C. metapleuralis sp. nov. differ in the harpe/gvc indices (0.57 in C. trietschae and 0.48 in C. metapleuralis ), and the dorsomedial margin of the harpe which is parallel over a longer distance and without a straight and diverging distolaterally part in C. trietschae (i.e., the harpe of C. trietschae is cone-shaped and that of C. metapleuralis is trapezoidal).

Condition of type material

In the holotype, both F9, the right fore wing and the right fore leg (except coxa) are missing, and the posterior third of the metasoma is deformed, thus the body length measurement is not precise.

Taxa in open nomenclature

In the following, five additional potentially new species of Ceraphron are described but not named.

Figures

Fig. 85. Holotype of Ceraphron trietschae sp. nov. (ZFMK-HYM-00036892). A–C. Male genitalia in ventral (A), lateral (B) and dorsal (C) views. D. Habitus in lateral view.