Xiphentedon palabora, Gumovsky, 2023

Gumovsky, Alex, 2023, Revision of Xiphentedon Risbec, 1957 and Colpixys Waterston, 1916 (Hymenoptera, Eulophidae), with descriptions of new species from the Afrotropics, European Journal of Taxonomy 905, pp. 1-83 : 61-63

Xiphentedon palabora sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:2B095248-CE6B-4201-B911-038BE7FEC9CE

Fig. 30

Diagnosis

As for the group and also: entire antenna dark; head dorsally nearly 3.0× as wide as long; interantennal space without a process, gena bulging ( Fig. 30F–G ); pedicel plus flagellum about 2.0× as long as scape, which is wider basally, but narrowing apicad ( Fig. 30F–G ); fore tibia with two pale stripes, mid tibia dark on about proximal ⅔ and hind tibia on about half ( Fig. 30A, C ); axillular projection with at least three teeth ( Fig. 30D ); median propodeal strip Y-shaped, coriaceous, with fine carinulae, other areas smooth; metasomal petiole robust but transverse, 1.6 × as broad as long ( Fig. 30E ); gaster nearly 2.0× as long as wide, syntergum slightly longer than broad ( Fig. 30C ); CC asetose; WIP with broad red field along apical margin, followed by narrow blue, green and violet stripes ( Fig. 30B ).

Etymology

The species name corresponds to the name of the locality, Palabora or Phalaborwa (meaning ‘better than the south’, and considered to allude to the district being more favorable to settlement than southerly areas), where the Ba-Phalaborwa tribe commenced mining and smelting of iron and copper around AD 400, followed in the mid-1950s by the industrial era of extraction of copper ore, vermiculite and other minerals. The specific epithet is a noun that does not change with changing generic gender.

Type material examined

Holotype

REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA • ♀; Limpopo Province, Mopani District, Phalaborwa municipality, Palabora Copper Mining Company’s Cleveland Game Reserve ; 24°01′48.4″ S, 31°11′39.5″ E; 12 Dec. 2014; A. Gumovsky and I.M. Weiersbye leg.; fogging a Trichilia emetica (umathunzini: isi-Zulu, Natal mahogany tree) with 0.02% pyrethrum for 15 minutes; DNA extract F8; SAMC.

Description

Female

Length 2.0 mm. Body dark bronze green, face and first gastral tergum brighter; trochanters pale, femora dark metallic except for paler extreme tips, fore tibiae with traceable pale stripes, mid tibia about ⅔ dark on proximal part, hind tibia dark on about ½, fore tarsi and pretarsi of mid and hind legs dark brown, first three tarsomeres of mid and hind legs pale; antenna dark metallic; wings hyaline, venation pale brown; metasoma dark blue, OMA dark, traced mainly by sculpture.

Head in dorsal view nearly 3.0× as wide as long. Ocelli small, MDO: OOL: OCL in ratio 42: 40: 30, POL 3.3× OOL. Occipital margin traced as a fine, not sharp carina.

Head in frontal view about 1.3× as wide as high. Smooth area above frontal sutures reaching at most half distance between cross point of frontal sutures and level of their junction with eye orbits. Eye height slightly exceeds interocular distance. Eye densely pubescent along its posterior margin, eye height almost 3.5× malar space. Surface between traceable scrobal depressions weakly raised. Width of oral fossa 2.3× malar space. Antenna inserted slightly above level of ventral eye margin.

Scape slightly less than 5.0× as long as wide, 0.7× eye height; pedicel plus flagellum about 2.0 × as long as scape and 0.7 × head width; pedicel 2.0 × as long as wide, about 1.2 × F1. The latter and F2 1.6–1.7 ×, F3 1.2 ×, clava two-segmented, about 2.0 × as long as wide, with short terminal spine.

Mesosoma nearly 1.6× as long as wide. Pronotal collar not carinate; mesoscutum 1.5 × as broad as long, notaular depressions shallow; mesoscutellum slightly longer than broad, about 1.4 × as long as mesoscutum. Axillula with a projection with at least three teeth.

Propodeum with Y-shaped median strip, coriaceous, with fine carinulae, submedian areas smooth. Spiracular elevation of propodeum weakly convex, with short tubercle posteriad of spiracle. Lateral propodeal sulcus complete, coriaceous. Supracoxal flange of moderate width. Spur of hind tibia slightly shorter than width of tibia.

Fore wing 2.0× as long as wide. CC asetose, about 5.5 × as long as wide, SC with two setae on dorsal margin; MV slightly longer than CC, PMV as long as STV. Speculum open below. Apical marginal fringe slightly longer than width of PR at its widest part.

Metasomal petiole short, robust, slightly wider than long, 0.7 × as long as propodeum. Metasoma 1.9 × as long as wide, syntergum elongate, about 1.3 × as long as wide, about 1/10 of length of entire metasoma.

Male

Unknown.

Biology

Unknown.

Distribution

RSA.

Remarks

This species is recognizable within the danielssoni group by a dark antennal scape and a short transverse petiole.

Figures

Fig. 30. Xiphentedon palabora sp. nov., ♀, holotype (RSA; SAMC). A–C. Habitus, in lateral (A), dorsolateral (B) and dorsal (C) views. D. Part of mesosoma, the axillula is arrowed. E. Mesosoma and anterior part of metasoma. F. Head in frontal view. G. Head and anterior part of mesosoma in fronto-lateral view.