Kryptosega mweramwera Villemant, 2012

Villemant, Claire, Yoshida, Takuma & Muller, Franck, 2012, A new species of Kryptosega Kimsey, 1986 (Insecta, Hymenoptera, Chrysididae, Amiseginae) from Vanuatu, Zoosystema 34 (2), pp. 261-266 : 263-264

Kryptosega mweramwera Villemant n. sp.

TYPE MATERIAL. — Vanuatu. SANTO 2006, île de Santo, Penaoru, 900 m, 14°58’0.17”S, 166°39’21.69”E, 6-18. XI.2006, piège Malaise, montane forest, C. Villemant MG 09A1, ♂ holotype ( MNHN EY6350).

Paratypes: same data as holotype, MG 09A1 and MG 09B1, 6 ♂♂ ( MNHN EY6345-EY6349, EY6351).

ETYMOLOGY. — The specific epithet in apposition refers to traditional Vanuatu’s goblins that are evoked by the mask sculpturing recognisable on the propodeum of the species. The anterior transverse carinae of propodeum are widened laterally, and flanked posteriorly by perpendicular striations that give appearance of “eyes”, while posterior transverse carina evokes a “mouth” (Figs 1C; 2). According to local beliefs on the west coast of Santo, mweramwera are small creatures with a child-like appearance that live in clearings and move in groups. People can attract them by calling them with a secret language. Mweramwera steal things, confuse people in the forest, but also perform a variety of odd jobs, such as finishing the mat a woman fails to complete it or bringing back lost items ( Tzerikiantz 2006).

DIAGNOSIS. — Black coloured species with bronze tints, yellow scape, and orange flagellum and clypeus; propodeum with three transverse carinae; anterior two of propodeal carinae touch each other medially forming depressed X-shape.

DESCRIPTION

Male (Fig. 1A)

Body length 4.1 mm (3.8, 3.2-4.2). Forewing length 4.2 mm (4.1, 3.8-4.5).

Head. Slightly wider than high in frontal view, constricted behind eyes.Ocellar triangle obtuse anteriorly; distance from inner margin of eye to midocellus 2.3× midocellus diameter; distance between lateral ocelli and from lateral ocellus to eye margin respectively 4 and 0.6× great diameter of lateral ocellus. Frons with punctures 0.2× puncture diameter apart; scapal basin with weak oblique striation; subantennal distance 0.3× diameter of mid-ocellus; clypeus about 3× wider than high, apically rounded; malar space 2× mandibular basis. Antenna as long as body, first flagellar segment about 4× as long as broad.

Mesosoma. Pronotum, mesoscutum and scutellum punctate-reticulate. Propleuron almost smooth ventrally. Pronotum 0.8× long as mesoscutum; posterior third of notauli impressed their anterior part faint;parapsidae indistinct.Mesopleuron with scrobal sulcus obsolescent, punctures centrally 0.2×puncture diameter apart. Metapleuron almost impunctate anteriorly. Metanotum triangular, ending in a point and reticulate, medially 1.2× as long as scutellum. Propodeum rounded posteriorly in dorsal view, with three transverse carinae; anterior two carinae touch each other medially forming depressed X-shape; longitudinally striate between these carinae (Figs 1C; 2); posterior face vertical and separated from dorsal face by posterior transverse carina. Front wing with posterior ⅔ of vein Rs and apical abscissa of A1, veins RS+M, Cu, Cu1 and m-cu indicated as dark streak, radial cell slightly infuscate along the stigmal margin as well as radial cell below stigma.

Metasoma. Shining. First tergite smooth, with very sparse short hairs in its posterior margin. Second tergite 0.7 as long as broad anteriorly, regularly and shallowly punctate, with fine regular appressed hairs. The following tergites more finely and densely punctuate with a postmedian row of setae.

Colour. Head and thorax black with bronze tints dorsally, scape and pedicel yellow, flagellum orange brown; clypeus orange; mandible yellow with dark brown apex; coxae, trochanters, and femora basally whitish, the rest of the legs yellowish; hind tarsus infuscate; metasoma dark brown to black, anterior half of first tergite paler.

Barcode

Three complete barcode sequences have been obtained, from the holotype ( MNHN EY6350 : Bold no. CHRSA002-12 ) and two paratypes ( MNHN EY6345 : Bold no. CHRSA001-12 ; MNHN EY6347 : Bold no. CHRSA003-12 ) .

The barcode of the holotype is as follows: A ATA AT T TAT T T TAT T T TAG C TG TAT GATCAGGAATAATTGGTTTATCAATAAG TATATTAATTCGAAGAGAATTAAGAACAC C C A A AT C A ATAT TA A ATA AT G A C T TA AT T TATA ATG C TAT TAT TAC TAG T CATGCATTTCTAATAATTTTTTTTATAG TAATACCTTTTATAATTGGAGGATTCG GAAATTGACTAGTTCCATTAATAATTG G A G C T C C C G ATATA G C T TAT C C A C GAATAAATAATATAAGATTCTGATTACTTC CTCCTTCATTAATTTTATTATTAATAAGAT CAATAATTAATGATGGAGTAGGAACTG GTTGAACAGTTTACCCTCCACTATCAT TATCAAATTATCATACTGGATCTTCATT AGACTTTTCAATTTTTTCTCTCCAT ATAGCAGGAATCTCATCAATTATAGGAG C A AT C A AT T T TAT T T C A A C TAT TA A TA ATATAT T TA ATA A A A A A ATA A A A AT AGAAAATTTATCATTATTTACTTGATC AATTTTTATTACTGCAATTTTATTAATTT TATC AT TA C C A G TAT TA G G A G G A G C TTTAACAATACTACTAACTGACCGAA ATATTAATACATCTTTTTATGATCCTG CTGGAGGAGGAGATCCAATTCTTTATC AACACTTATTT.