Pristomerus kuku, 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 : 60-62

Pristomerus kuku sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:96D377D7-D0FE-45AC-A263-A8027D1983A9

Fig. 17

Diagnosis

Moderately large; mostly black with fore and mid legs and metasoma from tergite 3 yellowish-orange; trochanters and femora apically white-dotted; pterostigma anteriorly white; face coarsely and densely punctate, sculpture sparser and smoother on remainder of head; malar line moderately long; frons with a strong median protuberance; antenna with 35 flagellomeres; mesosoma densely and coarsely sculptured, punctate to rugose-punctate, including pronotum and almost entire speculum; female femoral tooth nearly absent; ovipositor short, weakly sinuous apically. Male with ocelli slightly enlarged, femoral tooth strong, tergites 3 and following medially black; otherwise similar to female.

Differential diagnosis

Large black species, differentiated from all other Afrotropical Pristomerus by the absence of a femoral tooth in females, the short ovipositor and the strong protuberance on the frons. It is related to P. yangere sp. nov., which lacks the frontal protuberance and has a distinctly longer ovipositor.

Type material

Holotype

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: ♀, “ Central African Republic, Préfecture Sangha-Mbaéré, Parc National de Dzanga-Ndoki, Mabéa Bai , 21.4 Km 53°NE Bayanga, 3°02.01’N 16°24.57’E, 510m, 6–7.v.2001, S van Noort, Malaise trap, CAR01–M01, Lowland Rainforest, marsh clearing, SAM– HYM–P047401” ( SAMC).

Paratype

UGANDA: ♂, “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–P047402” ( SAMC).

Description

Female (holotype)

B 9.3; A 6.1; F 6.2; CT 1.7; ML 0.6; POL 0.8; OOL 0.9; Fl n-1 1.2; ASM 1.7; OT 1.2; FFT 0–1.

COLOUR. Mostly black with metasoma orange from tergite 3 and pale yellow parts on head: a thin margin along frontal orbit, malar space, mandible and palpi; legs testaceous-brown but hind femur black and

all trochanters and femora apically white-dotted; wings slightly infuscate, venation brown, pterostigma anteriorly white.

HEAD. Face mid-longitudinally bulging, coarsely punctate, punctures somewhat confluent into transverse rugosities; clypeus transverse, more sparsely punctate, distinctly convex in profile view, its ventral margin strongly convex; malar line moderately long; frons finely and densely punctate with a strong median protuberance: laterally compressed, about triangular, its tip rounded, about as high as basally wide; vertex and temple coriaceous; occipital carina joining hypostomal carina distinctly above mandible base; antenna with 35 flagellomeres, penultimate one slightly elongate.

MESOSOMA. Mesosoma elongate; entire pronotum, mesopleuron and metapleuron densely and deeply punctate, with a deep oblique striate furrow below speculum, speculum almost entirely punctate; mesonotum similarly punctate with punctures on apex of mesoscutum confluent into coarse transverse rugosities; notaulus strongly impressed; posterior vertical face of scutellum longitudinally striate; propodeum coarsely rugose punctate, carination thick, area superomedia not carinate laterally beyond anterior transverse carina. Legs. Femoral tooth nearly absent, reduced to a weak subapical protuberance followed by minute denticles.

METASOMA. Tergite 2 and apical half of tergite 1 longitudinally aciculate, following tergites coriaceous; thyridium subelliptic and wide with main axis longitudinal; ovipositor relatively short, slightly downcurved, apically slightly swollen and weakly sinuous.

Male (paratype)

B 9.1;A 6.0; F 5.5; POL 0.5; OOL 0.6. Ocelli slightly enlarged; frontal protuberance present but distinctly smaller than basally wide; area superomedia fully carinate and slightly more elongate; femur swollen, femoral tooth and following denticles strong; tergite 3 and following medially black; otherwise similar to female.

Distribution

Central African Republic, Uganda.

Figures

Fig. 17. Pristomerus kuku 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).