Pristomerus albescens ( Morley, 1917 )

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 : 33-35

Pristomerus albescens ( Morley, 1917)

Fig. 3

Pristomeridia albescens Morley, 1917: 224 .

Diagnosis (range of variation from Rousse et al. 2013)

Small; head transverse, pale yellow with frons, vertex, occiput and sometimes face orange, mesosoma pale yellow with large testaceous to black markings, notaulus and scutellum strongly lighter than remainder of mesonotum; metasoma orange with tergites 1–3 and a variable part of following dark brown to black; face densely and shallowly punctate; inner margins of eyes slightly converging ventrally; clypeus narrow and long, unusually convex, coriaceous; malar line short; antenna with 29–32 flagellomeres; upper head coriaceous; mesosoma moderately elongate, moderately to densely punctate, but upper pronotum and ventral half of speculum smoother; area superomedia with lateral margin sometimes evanescent beyond anterior transverse carina; female femoral tooth small, sometimes reduced to a small point but always distinct; ovipositor moderately short, apically straight. B 6.0–6.7; A 2.8–3.5; F 3.1–3.5; CT 1.5; ML 0.4; POL 1.0; OOL 1.1; Fl n-1 1.3; ASM 1.9; OT 1.3; FFT 1. Male with ocelli, hind femur and femoral tooth enlarged. POL 0.7; OOL 0.3.

Differential diagnosis

Small and mostly yellowish species with large black dorsal markings; differentiated from all other Afrotropical species by the combination of the straight ovipositor tip, the narrow clypeus and the converging inner margins of eyes.

Material examined

Lectotype

SOUTH AFRICA: ♂, “Mfongosi Zulu L. WE Jones April 1916 SAM–HYM–P001199” ( SAMC).

Paralectotypes

SOUTH AFRICA: 1 ♂, 1 ♀, same label data SAM–HYM–P001199 and P 001223 ( SAMC).

Other material

SOUTH AFRICA: 1 ♀, “ Kwazulu-Natal, Richards Bay, site 4, 28°40′ S 32°14′ E, 14.xi. 1991, M. Vogt, 5-8 year old Acacia karoo thicket, SAM–HYM–P046456” ( SAMC).

TANZANIA: 2 ♀♀, “Tanzania, Mkomazi Game Reserve, Ibaya Camp, 3.58 S 37.48 E 25.xii. 1995 – 29.i. 1996, S. van Noort, Malaise trap, Acacia / Commiphora / Combretum bushland, SAM–HYM– P 015867” ( SAMC); 1 ♀, same data, except: “ 29 Jan–11 Mar 1996, SAM–HYM–P015624” ( SAMC); 1 ♀, same data, except: “ 14 April–3 May 1996, SAM–HYM–P015573” ( SAMC); 1 ♀, same data, except: “Ibaya Hill, 03 58.40 S 37 47.13 E, 15– 30 April 1996, S. van Noort, Malaise trap, wet montane forest margin bordering Setaria / Panicum grass, SAM–HYM–P015173” ( SAMC); 1 ♀, same locality, “Kikolo plot, 04°08.72’ S 38°01.37’ E, 16 April– 2 May 1996, S. van Noort, Commiphora woodland, Malaise trap, SAM–HYM–P016193” ( SAMC).

Distribution

South Africa, Madagascar, Tanzania ( Rousse et al. 2013).

Figures

Fig. 3. Pristomerus albescens (Morley, 1917). 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).