Metopius (Metopius) rufofrontalis, Riedel, 2016

Riedel, Matthias, 2016, Contribution to the genus Metopius PANZER (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae, Metopiinae) from Africa South of Sahara, Linzer biologische Beiträge 48 (2), pp. 1635-1675 : 1660

Metopius (Metopius) rufofrontalis nov.sp.

H o l o t y p u s (♀) Kenya, Ngon Hills, 8 km S Kiserian 127´S 3638´E, 17.IV.2006, leg. E. Jendek (Linz).

P a r a t y p e s:(♀) Entebbe , Uganda, 30.v.1912, No 4061 C. G. Gowdey (London); (♀) Rhodesia: Salisbury , Chishawasha iv.1978 A. Watsam (London), (♀) Rhodesia, Salisbury iv.1980 A. Watsham (London); (♀) Uganda, Kiyanga , 1.v.1927 H. Hargeaves (London) .

D e s c r i p t i o n of ♀:

Small, body length 9-11 mm. Flagellum with 46-49 segments. Mandible with one tooth. Second maxillary palpomere semi-globose, about 1.5x as long as wide. Inner margins of eyes strongly narrowed ventrally. Facial shield with scattered puncture, lateral carinae narrowed below, length 1.15x as width, pointed below ( fig. 23 ). Interantennal lamella high, with a wide but shallow subdistal impression, without or without short distal tooth. Frons finely and transversally striate and granulate. Temple strongly narrowed behind eye, 0.5x as long as eyes, superficially punctate. Distance of lateral ocellus to eye 1.6- 1.7x its diameter.

Mesosoma with long whitish hairs. Side of pronotum coarsely punctate, ± strongly striate anteriorly. Epicnemial carina obsolete above sternaulus. Scutellum short (1.2x wider than long), coarsely punctate. Central area of propodeum length 1.5x width, with strong lateral carinae but confluent with the apical area, with central longitudinal ridge. Costula indistinct. Hind femur length 2.5x height. Hind metatarsus 0.44-0.47x as long as the hind tibia. Outer apical spur of hind tibia about 0.5-0.55x as long as the hind metatarsus. Front and middle claws with short basal teeth. Areolet about 2 x wider than long, stalked, second recurrent vein in the middle and with one bulla.

Metasoma slightly club-shaped, fifth and sixth tergites swollen. First tergite with strong dorsal carinae reaching almost to apex, lateral field in the hind part almost smooth, median field with coarse dense puncture. Spiracle with hook-shaped extension ventrally, apical lamella indistinct. Second tergite 1.1x as long as wide. Second and third tergites with bluntly extended posterolateral edges, fourth tergite with rounded posterolateral edge ( fig. 12 ).

Color: Black. Reddish are palps, mandible, clypeus, face ( fig. 23 ), upper frontal, vertical and often outer orbits, gena, and sixth and seventh tergites. Legs except hind coxa red, or coxae, trochanters, and hind femur infuscate centrally, and hind tibia and tarsus dark brown. Cream-yellow are subtegular ridge, apical 0.3-0.5 of scutellum, postscutellum and apical bands on second to fifth tergites ( fig. 12 ). Pterostigma brownish. Wings slightly darkened apically.

6 unknown.

D i s t r i b u t i o n: Kenya, Uganda, Zimbabwe.

Figures

Figs. 19-24: Face and facial shield of ♀♀: (19) Metopius femoralis HT; (20) M. gambiense HT; (21) M. palpoides HT; (22) M. nigrithorax HT; (23) M. rufofrontalis PT; (24) M. rufigaster ssp. rufigaster HT.

Figs. 9-12: Metasoma of ♀♀: (9) Metopius. palpoides nov.sp. HT; (10) M. rufigaster ssp. rufigaster nov.sp. HT; (11) M. rufigaster ssp. zambiense nov.ssp. HT; (12) M. rufofrontalis nov.sp.HT.