Aphanogmus vestrii, Salden & Peters, 2023

Salden, Tobias & Peters, Ralph S., 2023, Afrotropical Ceraphronoidea (Insecta: Hymenoptera) put back on the map with the description of 88 new species, European Journal of Taxonomy 884 (1), pp. 1-386 : 57-60

Aphanogmus vestrii sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:F407EB39-92F2-42B4-AC1F-41EC83089723

Fig. 14

Diagnosis

Body length 0.51 mm; mesoscutellum length 1.47 × mesoscutellum width. Male genitalia: harpe triangular apicoventrally in ventral, lateral and dorsal view, and gap between harpes conspicuously arrow-like; harpe/gvc index 0.47; ventromedial margins of harpes touching at distoventral margin of gvc, ventromedial margin of harpe straight and diverging distolaterally with pointed emargination in between basal and apical half; ventral margin of harpe concave, dorsal margin indistinct in basal part, straight and oriented distoventrally in apical two thirds with indentation below apical two thirds, lateral margin straight in basal quarter, concave and slightly oriented distomedially in apical three quarters.

Etymology

The species is named after the dwarf Vestri of the Norse mythology, who braces the firmament in the west. It refers to the sampling location in the western part of Kakamega Forest and the dwarf size of the holotype.

Material examined

Holotype

KENYA • ♂; Western Province, Kakamega Forest; 00°14′52.3 N, 34°52′5.3 E; 1607 m a.s.l.; 14 Aug. 2007; F. Hita Garcia leg.; Transect 18; primary rain forest; Winkler leaf litter extraction; ZFMK; ZFMK- HYM-00037032 .

Description

Male

BODY LENGTH. 0.51 mm.

COLOUR. Head brown, mesosoma brown, metasoma light brown; scape light brown except proximal third lighter and pedicel light brown, flagellum light brown, gradually darkening from F1 to F9; legs light brown except joints and tarsi lighter; fore wing venation light brown, fore and hind wing disc hyaline and weakly melanized.

ANTENNA. 11-segmented, flagellomeres trapezoidal; scape 3.2× as long as pedicel, scape longer than F1 and F2 combined, F1 1.9× as long as wide, F1 1.3× as long as pedicel, F1 1.3× as long as F2, F1 shorter than F7 and F8 combined, F1 shorter than F9, F6 1.4 × as long as wide, F6 shorter than F7 and F8 combined, F6 1.2 × as high as F9; few distinctly small multiporous plates on flagellomeres, sensillae on flagellomeres erect and longer than width of flagellomeres.

HEAD. Head width 1.18 × head height; head width 1.65 × interorbital space; maximum eye diameter 1.33 × minimum eye diameter; head height 1.75 × maximum eye diameter. Dorsal margin of occipital carina ventral to dorsal margin of lateral ocellus in lateral view; preoccipital furrow indistinct; preoccipital carina present. OOL:POL:LOL 1.00:1.40:0.80; OOL 2.00 × lateral ocellus diameter. White, thick setae on upper face absent; supraclypeal depression present; lateral margin of torulus slightly raised; intertorular carina present; posterolateral processes of gena absent.

MESOSOMA, METASOMA. Mesosoma compressed laterally. Head width 1.14 × mesosoma width; Weber length 175 µm. Mesoscutum densely setose, setae curved backwards; median mesoscutal sulcus absent; interaxillar sulcus superficial, scutoscutellar sulcus not adjacent to transscutal articulation, scutoscutellar sulcus concave; dorsal axillar area setose, setae curved backwards; mesoscutellum slightly projecting and setose, setae curved backwards or straight. Mesoscutum width 1.80× mesoscutellum width; posterior mesoscutal width 1.40 × mesoscutellum width; mesoscutellum length 1.47 × mesoscutellum width; mesoscutellum length 1.05 × posterior mesoscutal width; Weber length 1.04 × mesoscutum width; Weber length 1.27 × mesoscutellum length. Anteromedian projection of the metanoto-propodeo-metapecto-mesopectal complex absent; mesometapleural sulcus absent; posterior propodeal projection absent; posterior mesosomal comb absent. Basal transverse carina of petiole (on syntergum) absent; longitudinal carinae on syntergum absent; translucent patches on metasoma absent.

FORE WING. Length 2.67 × width; stigmal vein as long as pterostigma marginal length.

MALE GENITALIA. Genital length 75 µm; Weber length 2.33 × genital length; gvc width 47 µm; genital length 1.60× gvc width; gvc width more than three quarters of gvc length; gvc width 1.04 × distal gvc width. Proximodorsal margin of gvc strongly convex; distodorsal margin of gvc indistinct ( Fig. 14C ); proximoventral margin of gvc slightly convex; distoventral margin of gvc slightly descending proximomedially ( Fig. 14A ); ventral area of gvc straight; dorsal area of gvc convex ( Fig. 14B ); proximolateral margin of gvc concave, more descending dorsally; distolateral margin of gvc indistinct ( Fig. 14B ). Harpe triangular apicoventrally in ventral, lateral and dorsal view, and gap between harpes conspicuously arrow-like; harpe/gvc index 0.47; lateral articulation site of harpe with gvc virtually flush ( Fig. 14A, C ); ventral margin of harpe concave, dorsal margin indistinct in basal part, straight and oriented distoventrally in apical two thirds with indentation below apical two thirds ( Fig. 14B ), lateral margin straight in basal quarter, concave and slightly oriented distomedially in apical three quarters, widest point of harpe at lateral articulation site with gvc ( Fig. 14A, C ); ventromedial margins of harpes touching at distoventral margin of gvc, ventromedial margin of harpe straight and diverging distolaterally with pointed emargination in between basal and apical half ( Fig. 14C ), apex of harpe pointed ( Fig. 14A, C ). Harpe with at least one lateral seta restricted to basal quarter, longest lateral seta half as long as harpe, lateral seta oriented distolaterally; harpe with at least one ventral seta restricted to apical third, longest ventral seta more than one third as long as harpe, ventral seta oriented distolaterally and distoventrally; harpe with at least three apical setae, longest apical setae one third as long as harpe, apical setae oriented distolaterally, distomedially and distoventrally; harpe with at least four median setae restricted to apical half, longest median setae less than one quarter as long as harpe, median setae oriented distodorsally, distomedially and medioventrally. Aedeagus + gonossiculus one quarter as long as harpe, apex of aedeagus + gonossiculus indistinct ( Fig. 14A, C ) and dorsal to apex of harpe. Genitalia weakly sclerotized with strongest sclerotization at aedeagus + gonossiculus.

Female

Unknown.

Variation

Unknown.

Biology

Host unknown, specimen collected from leaf litter.

Distribution

Afrotropical: Kenya.

Remarks

Comparison with similar species

Considering the holotypes, Aphanogmus vestrii sp. nov. is the smallest treated ceraphronid species and together with A. limbocellatus the smallest Afrotropical ceraphronoid wasp ( Dessart 1980). The male genitalia of A. vestrii are unique in having triangular harpes in apicoventral part, and the gap between harpes being conspicuously arrow-like ( Fig. 18A–B ).

Condition of type material

In the holotype, the right flagellum is missing. The posterior part of the metasoma is detached, thus the body length measurement is not precise.

Figures

Fig. 14. Holotype of Aphanogmus vestrii sp. nov. (ZFMK-HYM-00037032). A–C. Male genitalia in ventral (A), lateral (B) and dorsal (C) views. D. Habitus in lateral view.

Fig. 18. Specimen of Aphanogmus sp. 3 (ZFMK-HYM-00037056). A–C. Male genitalia in ventral (A), lateral (B) and dorsal (C) views. D. Habitus in lateral view.