Amblyaspis tschirnhausi, Buhl, 2014

Buhl, Peter Neerup, 2014, New species and new records of Platygastrinae and Sceliotrachelinae from Togo (Hymenoptera: Platygastridae), African Invertebrates 55 (1), pp. 68-68 : 69-71

Amblyaspis tschirnhausi sp. n.

Figs 3, 4

Etymology: Named after the collector, M. von Tschirnhaus.

Diagnosis:A small species with head distinctly wider than mesosoma, OOL= 1.3 LOL, distinct hyperoccipital carina, female A8–A9 each fully 1.1× as wide as long, A10 1.6× as long as wide, no notauli and nearly all setae on mesoscutum concentrated in four rows; T3–T4 each with four setae; basal antennal segments and legs including coxae brightly coloured.

Description:

Female.

Body length 0.8–1.0 mm. Head black to medium brown, mesosoma blackish brown to medium brown, metasoma medium to light brown; A1–A4 (sometimes only A1–A2) and mandibles yellowish brown, legs including coxae pale yellowish brown; A5–A10 medium to dark brown. Head ( Figs 3, 4 ) from above about twice as wide as long, slightly more than 1.1× as wide as mesosoma; occiput finely and very slightly transversely reticulate; hyperoccipital carina fine but distinct, more or less complete; vertex and frons with faint reticulation which is partly somewhat transverse. OOL=1.3 LOL. Head in frontal view very slightly more than 1.1× as wide as high. Antenna with A1 about as long as height of head, 1.4× as long as distance between inner orbits. Mesosoma ( Figs 3, 4 ) 1.4× as long as wide, hardly noticeably higher than wide. Sides of pronotum weakly reticulate-coriaceous, smooth along narrow hind margin. Mesoscutum weakly and uniformly reticulate, with setae almost only in a single line along imaginary notaulic courses and a single line laterally; notauli absent; hind margin medially with a distinct, transverse prolongation covering base of scutellum, at each side with about six setae above the small scuto-scutellar grooves. Mesopleuron smooth. Scutellum densely covered by white setae typical for the genus. Metapleuron smooth, with sparse white pilosity, denser along lower and hind margins. Propodeal carinae parallel, very slightly separated. Fore wing about as long as entire body, 2.6× as long as wide, weakly infuscated, with dense and moderately strong microtrichia; marginal cilia 0.14× width of wing. Hind wing 8.6× as long as wide; marginal cilia 0.6× width of wing. Metasoma 0.9–1.0× as long as head and mesosoma combined, very slightly narrower than mesosoma. T1 with two short and rather weak longitudinal carinae, anteriorly smooth and swollen, posteriorly with a wide and smooth hind margin, along sides with rather dense and long white setae. T2 with two small basal foveae about 0.15 as long as tergite, between foveae with a longitudinal carina not longer than foveae, otherwise smooth. T3–T6 with dull reticulate-coriaceous microsculpture, each with four setae in shallow punctures, T5 sometimes with six setae.

Male.

Body length 0.9–1.2 mm. Antenna much as in A. iringensis Buhl, 2010 , with A4 hardly widened and preapical antennal segments each about 1.5× as long as wide.

Comparison: Similar to A. iringensis Buhl, 2010 , but that species has head slightly less transverse, hardly wider than mesosoma, with OOL 1.7× as long as LOL, slightly more slender than female antennae, setae on mesoscutum scattered, and A. iringensis is distinctly darker than A. tschirnhausi . Furthermore, A. iringensis has six setae on T3–T4, four on T5.

Holotype: ♀ TOGO: Région des Plateaux, Otandjobo near Zogbégan (SE of Badou), at river Otandjoboli (07°34'42"N 00°41'37"E), 21.iv. 2008, 500 m, at river, swept, cocoa plantation, M. von Tschirnhaus.

Paratypes: 5♀ 5♂ same data as holotype ; 1♂ Région des Plateaux, Foret d’Asrama, road N 6.8 km ENE Tsagba, 24 km W Tohoun , forest station (07°00'09"N 01°23'57"E), 8.iv. 2008, 130 m, forest path with secondary rainforest ; 1♀ 1♂ Région des Plateaux, Plateau de Danyi, road from Atigba to Danyi–Apéyémé , at a tributary creek of river Danyi (07°11'04"N 00°41'31"E), 14.iv. 2008, 710 m, creek bank and below shrubs and bamboo, plantation, swept ; 1♀ Région des Plateaux, Amou Oblo, at base of Montagne des Fétiches (07°23'44"N 00°51'14"E), 15.iv.2008, 295– 330 m, mountain slope with remains of secondary forest, cocoa plantation, swept ; 1♀ Région des Plateaux, Cascade de Kpimé W of Huimé (07°00'29"N 00°38'45"E), 16.iv. 2008, 300 m, path to waterfall, road side, swept ; 8♂ Région des Plateaux, NE of Badou, at creek Okpabè (07°35'19"N 00°07'17"E), 20.iv. 2008, 370 m, creek bank in remains of secondary rainforest, swept ; 5♀ 10♂ Région des Plateaux, Zogbégan, village part Zogbégan­Carriére (SE of Badou), at creek Elèbè , V-shaped valley near cocoa plantation downstream of village (07°34'50"N 00°40'03"E), 20–25.iv. 2008, 650m, remains of secondary rainforest, swept ; 1♀ 1♂ Région des Plateaux, Soto, at river Owui (07°36'10"N 00°42'21"E), 21.iv. 2008, 470 m, remains of secondary rainforest at river ; 8♀ 20♂ Région des Plateaux, Abriwa­Nko, about 5 km N of Badou, at creek Ègnulu–Agbadja (07°37'18"N 00°36'13"E), 24.iv. 2008, 310 m, swept in cocoa and avocado plantation ; 2♂ Région des Plateaux, Ouwé NW of Gbadi Nkougna (SE of Badou), at creek Ouwé (07°29'32"N 00°41'56"E), 25.iv. 2008, 590 m, remains of secondary rainforest, swept. All M. von Tschirnhaus .

Figures

Figs 3, 4. Amblyaspis tschirnhausi sp. n.: (3) head and mesosoma in dorsal view, scale bar = 10 μm; (4) head and mesosoma in lateral view, scale bar = 100 μm.