Dinapsis taita van Noort & Shaw, 2022

van Noort, Simon, Shaw, Scott Richard & Copeland, Robert S., 2022, Revision of the endemic African genus Dinapsis (Dinapsini, Megalyridae, Hymenoptera) with description of seven new species, ZooKeys 1112, pp. 27-122 : 27

Dinapsis taita van Noort & Shaw sp. nov.

Figs 24 , 25 , 26

Material examined.

Holotype. Kenya • ♀; Taita Hills, Ngangao Forest ; 3.36100°S, 38.34186°E; 1848 m a.s.l.; Malaise trap; indigenous forest; 3-17 Oct. 2012; R. Copeland leg.; ICIPE 49131; NMKE . Paratype. Burundi • 1 ♀; Ruvubu N. P.; Malaise trap; 7-25 May 2010; R. S. Copeland leg.; ICIPE 49132; IBOL ID 08672-MEGSPBURH9; ICIPE .

Diagnosis.

Morphologically similar to D. tricolor , however, D. taita may be distinguished by its mesoscutum being more weakly foveate and having light orange-brown colour patches on the mesoscutal lobes (Fig. 24D ). Head coarsely punctate, with sparse setae; mesoscutal plate and antero-lateral mesoscutal knobs orange-brown; scutoscutellar sulcus demarcated by narrow furrow; wing with brown bands, apical light infuscation reaching anterior wing margin; legs yellowish brown, coxae white ventro-laterally; hind tibia with long, pale setae. This species is also morphologically similar to D. gamka , both species having a polished mesoscutum with distinctly raised anterior knobs, but only the very peaks of the knobs may be faintly orange-brown in D. gamka , whereas the mesoscutal plate and larger areas of the dorsal surface encompassing the raised knobs are distinctly and widely orange-brown in D. taita .

Distribution.

(Fig. 44 ) Burundi, Kenya.

Comments.

Dinapsis taita is known from single sites in Kenya and Burundi, the latter representing a new country record for the genus. In Kenya, the species was collected in the large, wet Ngangao forest in the Taita Hills at an elevation of 1848 m. To our knowledge this is the highest elevation of any Dinapsis species.

Etymology.

This species is named after the Taita Hills encompassing the holotype locality. Noun in apposition.

Barcode sequence for paratype specimen from Burundi.

(sequence code in BOLD:KINS1609-11) BIN URI: BOLD:AAZ9109.

Nucleotide sequence.

TTCTTTGTATTTTATTTTTGCTATTTGATCTGGTTTAATTGGATCTTCATTAAGTATAATTATTCGAATAGAATTAAGAGTTCCGGGTTCTTTTATTGGTAATGATCAAATTTATAATTCTATTGTTACAGCTCATGCATTTATTATAATTTTTTTTATAGTTATACCTTTTATAATAGGTGGATTTGGAAATTGACTTCTTCCTTTAATATTAGGGGCTCCTGATATATCTTATCCTCGTTTGAATAATTTAAGATTTTGATTATTAATCCCTTCTTTAATATTTTTGTTAATAAGATTTTATGTTGGCAGAGGAACAGGAACTGGATGAACAGTTTATCCTCCTTTATCGTCTAATACATTTCATTCTAGAATAAGAGTAGATTTATCTATTTTTAGTCTTCATATTGCTGGTATTTCATCAATTTTAGGATCTGTAAATTTTATTTCTACAATATTAAATTTACAGCATGTTTATTTAAAATTAAATAGACTTAGTTTATTTATTTGATCTGTTTTTTTGACAGCTATTTTACTTTTATTATCTTTACCTGTATTAGCAGGTGCAATTACAATATTATTGACTGATCGTAATTTAAATACAACTTTTTTTGATCCCTCGGGGGGGGGGGANCCAATTTTATATCAACNTCTTTTT.

Description.

Holotype female. Body length 4.6 mm excluding ovipositor.

Colour. Head mostly black except for genae, face, clypeus and mandibles which are orange-brown. Mesosoma with black ground plan diffused with orange areas on mesoscutal knobs and mesoscutal plate, and ventral mesopleuron. Mesopleuron laterally, and pronotum diffuse orange-brown. Propodeum black. Metasoma dark brown. Head with a covering of white setae on occiput, smaller brown setae on face and frons. Scape, pedicel and F1 yellowish brown, F2-F4 dark brown, F5 basally light brown grading to whitish yellow, F6 and F7 whitish yellow and F8-F12 light brown. Coxae ventrally and trochanters white; coxae laterally and dorsally grading to orange-brown, Rest of legs yellowish brown. Ovipositor orange-brown. Eyes and ocelli silvery. Wing membrane clear except for two broad light brown pigmented bands across forewing with the apical band not extending as infuscation towards apical margin.

Head oval, 1.38 × wider than high; vertex, frons, and face coarsely punctate, interstices absent; ocelli small, OOL twice ocellar diameter; only lateral ocelli bounded by a partial semi-circular depression on the side facing outer edge of the triangle; ocellar triangle an isosceles (POL:LOL - 6:7); eye large and hardly protuberant, not parallel in anterior view, strongly diverging dorsally and ventrally; eye densely and evenly covered with minute white ocular setae; eye margined posteriorly by foveate groove; postocular orbital carina weakly present; antenna with 12 flagellomeres having flagellar length/width ratios as follows: F1 = 4.6, F2-F3 = 4.0, F4 = 3.0 F5-F11 = 2.5 F12 = 1.5; apical flagellomeres slightly wider than basal flagellomeres; temple adjacent to ocular orbital carina coarsely punctate, temple width 0.7 × eye width in lateral view; malar length equivalent to mandible width basally; occiput coarsely punctate; occipital carina wide laterally, narrower dorsally and crenulate.

Mesosoma. Pronotum polished, laterally excavated with a row of large oblong foveae situated posteriorly on the margin with the mesopleuron, no foveae along dorsolateral margin, dorsally with transverse excavation. Mesoscutal anterior plate polished, with a medial suture grading medially into a row of approximately five punctures, and a lateral carina bounded laterally by weak foveae; mesoscutum as wide as long, mesoscutal lobes polished, with scattered shallow punctures and sparse, short setae, antero-lateral areas orange, smoothly rounded except for shallow punctures; sparse shallow foveae scattered posterolaterally; medial mesoscutal furrow deep, narrow and straight edged; transscutal articulation a smooth, narrow furrow, anterior edge straight, posterior edge straight; scutoscutellar sulci medially comprising a continuous shallow groove with very weakly defined septa, laterally grading into three large separate foveae; anteriorly meeting before reaching transscutal articulation; scutellar disc medially polished, with scattered erect, white setae laterally and posteriorly; mesopleuron anteriorly shallowly foveate with short white setae, in anterior 1/2 medially polished, with large median mid-pit. Metanotum with raised, setose medial area flanked laterally by depression with 3-5 foveae. Propodeum medially polished with strongly reduced transverse carinae between the submedian longitudinal carinae defining the three central tracks; lateral longitudinal tracks with defined transverse carinae. All five tracks anteriorly with two or three deep foveae.

Legs. All legs with white setae, each seated in a dark basal socket, contrasting with surrounding pale integument creating spotted appearance. Apex of fore tibia with comb of stout spines; hind coxa polished, with sparse, small, white setae; hind femur stout, polished, 2.4 × longer than wide, outer surface of hind femur sparsely covered with short, erect, white setae; inner surface of hind femur polished with very short setae; surface of hind tibia polished, with long erect white setae dorsally and ventrally, shorter setae laterally; dorsal setae lacking spatulate tips; inner ventral margin of hind tibia with a dense longitudinal patch of shorter white setae; hind basitarsus long, 1.3 × length of remaining four tarsomeres combined; basitarsus ventrally with dense preening brush consisting of numerous short, white setae, inclined posteriorly; basitarsus dorsally with normal long, white setae, lacking spatulate tips; T2 and T3 twice as long as wide, T4 ca. as long as wide, T5 4.5 × as long as wide; all tarsomeres with normal hair-like setae, but also with scattered elongate, stronger setae projecting from dorsal surface; tarsal claw simple, strongly curved.

Wings. Forewing length 3.3 mm, 3 × longer than wide; wing basally with cells C, R and 1A with longer, more sparsely spaced setae; remaining wing surface evenly covered with small, scattered setae; wing clear, with two light brown pigmented vertical bands. Basal wing band narrowest medially, covering ventral medial portion of cell C, basal 1/2 of cell 1M, anterior ends of cells R and 1Cu, extending ventrally to wing margin, covering all of cell 2CU and 3A, both of which are only weakly demarcated by ephemeral veins; apical wing band wider, starting at base of pterostigma, and anterior end of 1R1, extending apically to cover entire marginal cell 2R1, posteriorly to cover entire cell 1+2RS, ventrally wider and more diffuse, with infuscate pigmentation extending across cells 2+3M and 3CU, and reaching lower wing margin; light infuscation covering medial section of apical wing area; forewing venation with vein Rs apically curving abruptly towards anterior wing margin to form short, truncate marginal cell 2R1; apical segment of vein M long, extending beyond apex of marginal cell, vein M with small white bulla situated at mid length of vein. Hind wing with apical stub of vein Rs 2/3 of shortest width between the propodeal submedian longitudinal carinae.

Metasoma in dorsal view 2 × as long as wide, with seven dorsally visible terga, all polished; exposed portion of ovipositor, in lateral view 2.1 × longer than metasomal length; dorsal valve with approximately 14 serrations, ventral valve smooth; ovipositor sheaths setose, strongly curled (an artefact of preservation).

Figures

Figure 24. Dinapsis taita van Noort & Shaw, sp. nov. holotype female ICIPE 49131 (NMKE) A habitus, lateral view B habitus, dorsal view C head, mesosoma, lateral view D head, mesosoma, dorsal view E head, mesosoma, ventral view F habitus, ventral view. Scale bars: 500 µm (A-C, E, F); 200 µm (D).

Figure 25. Dinapsis taita van Noort & Shaw, sp. nov. holotype female ICIPE 49131 (NMKE) A head, dorsal view B head, dorsoposterior view C head, anterior view D mesoscutellum, propodeum, dorsal view E terminal ovipositor valves, lateral view F forewing, dorsal view G forewing, dorsal view (wing is strongly curved, necessitating two images to depict cell shape. Scale bars: 200 µm (A-D); 100 µm (E); 500 µm (F, G).

Figure 26. Dinapsis taita van Noort & Shaw, sp. nov. holotype female ICIPE 49131 (NMKE) A metasoma, lateral view B metasoma, dorsal view C metasoma, ventral view D hind leg antiaxial view E habitus, lateral view F data labels. Scale bars: 200 µm (A-C); 500 µm (D); 1000 µm (E).

Figure 44. Distribution map of Dinapsis species occurring on the African mainland (specimen point data plotted on a topographical relief map).