Symplecis aperta Varga, 2023

Varga, Oleksandr, 2023, One sample-three new species: an example of species richness of the genus Symplecis Förster, 1869 (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae: Orthocentrinae) in Burundi, Zootaxa 5311 (2), pp. 289-296 : 290-292

Symplecis aperta Varga , sp. n. ( Fig. 2 )

Material examined. Holotype: ♀, BURUNDI: Kibira National Park , 2.93315° S, 29.50583° E, 2177 m, mixed forest, Malaise trap, bamboo near small meadow, 29.i–12.ii.2010, leg. R. Copeland (deposited in: MRAC).

Diagnosis. Symplecis aperta sp. n. is characterized by the combination of the following characters: clypeus dark brown, almost touching eye ( Fig. 2B ); mesosoma black; mesoscutum pubescent ( Fig. 2C ); propodeum with wide area superomedia delimited by carinae, costulae present ( Fig. 2D ); fore wing with vein 3rs-m absent; hind wing with nervellus intercepted close to the middle ( Fig. 2E ); hind coxa from outer side granulate; first metasomal tergite 2.9× as long as apical width; second tergite longitudinally striae ( Fig. 2D ); ovipositor as long as fifth tarsomere of hind tarsus.

Symplecis aperta sp. n. differs from all known Afrotropical species in having fore wing with with vein 3rs-m absent in combination with developed area superomedia and costulae.

Description. Female. Holotype ( Fig. 2 ). Body length approximately 4.5 mm. Fore wing 3.9 mm.

Head ( Fig. 2B ) smooth and sparsely pubescent. Antenna with 20 flagellomeres, first flagellomere 6.5× as long as wide. Face about 0.8× as long as wide, sparsely punctate; eyes strongly convergent to clypeus, glabrous. Malar space short, 0.3× the basal width of mandible; subocular sulcus distinct. Clypeus 0.7× as long as wide, granulate. Mandible bidentate, not twisted. Temples short and strongly narrowed behind eyes (dorsal view). Frons and vertex smooth; length of the ocellar-ocular distance 1.1× maximum diameter of lateral ocellus; occipital carina complete.

Mesosoma ( Figs 2C–D ) smooth and densely pubescent. Propleuron sparsely punctate. Pronotum smooth; epomia present, reaching mesoscutum. Mesoscutum sparsely, but uniformly pubescent; notauli present, but weak. Scutellum smooth, with carinae present only on basal 0.1; scuto-scutellar groove wide. Mesopleuron smooth; epicnemial carina present; sternaulus deep and long. Metapleuron punctate; pleural and submetapleural carinae present. Propodeum smooth, carinated; area superomedia wide, costulae present; area basalis indistinct; apophyses absent.

Legs relatively slender; hind femur 6.7× as long as wide, hind coxa smooth from inner side and granulate from outer side; third tarsomere of hind tarsus 1.3× as long as fifth tarsomere; tarsal claws simple.

Wings ( Fig. 2E ). Fore wing with vein 2 rs-m short, about 0.4× the distance between 2 rs-m and 2 m-cu; vein 3rsm absent; vein 1cu-a opposite to M & Rs; hind wing with nervellus weakly intercepted in the middle, vertical; distal abscissa of Cu absent.

Metasoma ( Fig. 2D ) longitudinally striae and sparsely pubescent. First tergite 2.9× as long as apical width, granulate basally, longitudinally striae apically; carinae indistinct. Second tergite 1.2× as long as apical width, longitudinally striae. Third tergite weakly granulate on basal 0.5; the remaining tergites smooth. Ovipositor short, about 0.1× as long as hind tibia and about as long as fifth tarsomere of hind tarsus.

Colour. Body generally black. Head black except scape and pedicel, and mandible (except apices) yellowish; face centrally and clypeus dark brown. Mesosoma black except upper hind corner of pronotum and tegula yellow; subtegular ridge orange. Legs generally yellowish-brown; fore and mid legs yellow; hind legs brownish except coxae apically and trochanters partly yellow. Metasoma with tergites 1–2 black; second tergite apically, third tergite basally and apically yellow; the remaining tergites brown. Pterostigma and veins brown.

Male. Unknown.

Etymology. The new species is named after the opened areolet of fore wing.

Distribution. Currently known only from Burundi.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Symplecis aperta Varga, sp. n., holotype female. A—lateral view of habitus; B—frontal view of face; C—dorsal view of mesoscutum; D—dorsal view of propodeum and metasomal tergites 1–2; E—wings.