Pristomerus mboum, Rousse & Noort, 2015

Rousse, Pascal & Noort, Simon van, 2015, Revision of the Afrotropical species of Pristomerus (Ichneumonidae: Cremastinae), with descriptions of 31 new species, European Journal of Taxonomy 124, pp. 1-129 : 69-71

Pristomerus mboum sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:F0F10028-D908-4AF6-8300-C54074B182B2

Fig. 21

Diagnosis

Small; yellow to yellowish-orange with dorsal black markings on head and metasoma; femora and trochanters apically white-dotted; anterior edge of pterostigma whitish; face densely punctate; clypeus smooth, moderately transverse; malar line very short; remainder of head coriaceous; mesosoma densely punctate to punctate-granulate, with speculum ventrally, most of pronotum and scutellum quite smooth; area superomedia long and narrow, hardly carinate laterally; femoral tooth small; ovipositor moderately short, apically strongly sinuous. Male unknown.

Differential diagnosis

Small, mostly yellowish-orange; differentiated from all other Afrotropical Pristomerus by the combination of the quite smooth scutellum, the short malar line, the small female femoral tooth and the rather enlarged ocelli. The apical white dot on the femora and the black occiput are also reliable identification cues, making P. mboum sp. nov. morphologically close to P. masai sp. nov. and related species.

Type material

Holotype

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: ♀, “ Central African Republic, Préfecture Sangha-Mbaéré, Parc National de Dzanga–Ndoku, Mabéa Bai , 21.4 km 53°NE Bayanga, 3°02.01’N 16°24.57’E, 510m, 6–7.v.2001, S van Noort, sweep, CAR01–S94, lowland rainforest, marsh clearing SAM–HYM– P047406” ( SAMC).

Other material? (see comments)

UGANDA: 1 ♂, “Uganda, Kibale National Park, Kanyawara, Makerere University Biological Field Station, 1465 m, 0°35.442’N 30°21.741’E, 10.viii.2008, S. van Noort, UG 08–KF12–S03, Sweep, primary mid-altitude rainforest, near stream, SAM–HYM–P049448” ( SAMC).

Description

Female (holotype)

B 4.4; A n/a; F 3.3; CT 1.7; ML 0.3; POL 0.5; OOL 0.8; Fl n-1 n/a; ASM 2.4; OT 1.5; FFT 1.

COLOUR. Yellow to yellowish-orange overall, with face fading to dark brown medially and numerous black markings: frons, inter-ocellar area, occiput, tergite 2 medially and a basal spot on following tergites; femora and trochanters apically white-dotted; wings slightly infuscate apically, venation pale brown, anterior edge of pterostigma whitish.

HEAD. Face moderately densely and deeply punctate; inner margins of eyes subparallel; clypeus moderately transverse, almost smooth; frons, vertex and temple coriaceous; malar line very short; ocelli enlarged; occipital carina joining hypostomal carina distinctly above mandible base; both antennae broken.

MESOSOMA. Moderately elongate; pronotum smooth, shallowly strigose anteriorly; mesopleuron and metapleuron densely punctate, with an oblique striate furrow below speculum, ventral half of speculum smooth; mesoscutum densely punctate-granulate, punctures confluent apically; notaulus moderate; scutellum quite smooth; propodeum densely punctate-granulate, medially transversely strigose, area superomedia long and narrow, weakly delimited laterally beyond anterior transverse carina. Legs. Femoral tooth small, followed by minute denticles.

METASOMA. Apical half of tergite 1, tergite 2 and base of tergite 3 longitudinally aciculate; following tergites coriaceous; thyridium elliptic, its main axis longitudinal; ovipositor moderately short, its apical third sinuous.

Male

Not known with certainty (see comments).

Distribution

Central African Republic, Uganda (?).

Comments

The probable male from Uganda shares the colour pattern and the quite smooth scutellum and pronotum. It was, however, not included as a paratype because its head is missing and it therefore could not be unambiguously determined.

Figures

Fig. 21. Pristomerus mboum sp. nov. Holotype, ♀. A. Habitus, lateral view. B. Head, mesosoma, dorsal view. C. Head, anterior view. D. Propodeum, dorsal view. E. Mesosoma, lateral view. F. Hind tibia, lateral view (inset: data labels).