Aleiodes (Hemigyroneuron) elgon Butcher and Quicke, 2011

Areekul-Butcher, Buntika & Quicke, Donald L. J., 2011, Revision of Aleiodes (Hemigyroneuron) parasitic wasps (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Rogadinae) with reappraisal of subgeneric limits, descriptions of new species and phylogenetic analysis, Journal of Natural History 45 (21 - 24), pp. 1403-1476 : 1429-1431

Aleiodes (Hemigyroneuron) elgon Butcher and Quicke sp. nov.

( Figure 12 )

Material examined

Holotype. Female , “ KENYA, Mt. Elgon N. P., near Chepnyalil cave, dry evergreen montane forest, 2500m; singled and swept from the vegetation, 28.i.1992, No. 509. O. Merkl & G. Várkonyi ” ( HNHM).

Morphology

Length of body 10.0 mm, and of fore wing 9.0 mm.

Head. (Antennae incomplete); head transverse, 1.58 times wider than maximally long in dorsal view; width of head 2.9 times shortest distance between eyes; face with fine transverse striation laterally and with mid-longitudinal striation medially; height of eye 1.85 times shortest distance between eyes; frons weakly depressed, smooth and shiny with weak transverse crenuli along medial line and with weak pit in front of anterior ocellus; posterior ocellar line: transverse diameter of posterior ocellus: shortest distance between posterior ocellus and eye = 1.4: 3.8: 1.0; occiput with striaterugulose sculpture superimposed on finely aciculate background; occipital carina complete and forming anteriorly directed point medially.

Mesosoma . Mesoscutum finely aciculate-coriaceous, densely short-setose and with conspicuous punctures at bases of setae; posteriorly with some transverse rugosity between notauli; notauli weakly impressed but margined on inner side by fine ridge and with distinct line of crenulae; mesopleuron densely setose and smooth and shiny between setae, very weakly broadly depressed; prepectal carina complete; scutellar sulcus with four carinae between the outer ones; scutellum entirely with fine longitudinal striation laterally, otherwise finely aciculate and with broad punctures at bases of setae; median area of metanotum finely coriaceous; propodeum foveate-rugulose with complete mid-longitudinal carina.

Fore wing. Subbasal cell densely setose on basal 0.75, weakly narrowed before largely glabrous distal part which contains a setose sclerome connected by band of setae to basal setose area but not to vein cu-a; vein 1-CU1 0.28 times length of 2-CU1; vein cu-a straight, nearly transverse, strongly expanded posteriorly; length of veins r: 3-SR: SR1 = 1.0: 3.0: 4.5; vein 2-SR strongly bent medially; vein 2-M 4.0 times length of r-m; vein m-cu 2.1 times length of 2-SR+M, forming angle of 105 ◦ with 3-CU1.

Hind wing. Vein M+CU 1.2 times length of vein 1-M; vein 2-SC+R weakly longitudinal; basal, subbasal, and discal+subdiscal cells densely setose.

Claws. With pecten of approximately five teeth reaching to middle of basal lobe.

Metasoma. Tergites 1, 2 and basal 0.6 of tergite 3 finely longitudinally striate with irregular punctures between the striae, posterior of tergite 3 punctate; 2nd tergite 1.2 times wider than medially long, 1.35 times longer than 3rd.

Colouration

Black except distal three maxillary palp segments, tegulae, posterior margin of scutellum, metanotum and propodeum except postero-laterally brown-yellow. Wings yellow with apex solidly dark grey-brown.

Etymology

Named after Mt Elgon, Kenya, the collection locality of the only known specimen.

Figures

Figure 12. Aleiodes (Hemigyroneuron) elgon sp. nov., CellD® light micrographs. (A) Dorsal habitus; (B) head, dorsal aspect; (C) wings; (D) head, frontal aspect; (E) details of fore wing subbasal and subdiscal cells; (F) metasomal tergites 1–3.