Aphanogmus fraterculus, 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 : 79-82

Aphanogmus fraterculus sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:6A5379F9-B151-42FB-BD70-C4A00DD58D89

Fig. 21

Diagnosis

Head light brown-amber, mesosoma light brown-amber; maximum eye diameter 1.07–1.19 × (1.07) minimum eye diameter; posterior mesosomal comb distinct. Male genitalia: harpe finger-shaped in ventral and dorsal view; harpe/gvc index 0.68; dorsomedial margins of harpes converging and almost touching at distodorsal margin of gvc, dorsomedial margin of harpe convex and slightly diverging distolaterally in basal two thirds with small indentation, concave and converging distomedially in apical third; median setae distinctly crossing at basal two thirds; Weber length 2.19–2.83 × (2.83) genital length.

Etymology

The species name is derived from the Latin word ‘ fraterculus ’ which means ‘little brother’, with reference to the similar but larger species A. pilosicoxa sp. nov.

Material examined

Holotype

KENYA • ♂; Western Province, Kakamega Forest; 00°14′6.1 N, 34°52′9.2 E; 1605 m a.s.l.; 28 Aug. 2007; F. Hita Garcia leg.; Transect 23; primary rain forest; Winkler leaf litter extraction; ZFMK; ZFMK- HYM-00037025 .

Paratypes

KENYA – Western Province • 3 ♂♂; Kakamega Forest; 00°27′0.9 N, 34°50′52.9 E; 1649 m a.s.l.; 3 Jul. 2007; F. Hita Garcia leg.; Transect 8; primary rain forest; Winkler leaf litter extraction; ZFMK; ZFMK- HYM-00034454to ZFMK-HYM-00034456 • 1♂; Kakamega Forest; 00°21′21.1 N, 34°51′44.9E; 1632 m a.s.l.; 8 Aug. 2007; F. Hita Garcia leg.; Transect 16; primary rain forest; Winkler leaf litter extraction; ZFMK; ZFMK-HYM-00034457 • 1 ♂; Kakamega Forest; 00°14′20.5 N, 34°51′52.8 E; 1634 m a.s.l.; 4 Aug. 2007; F. Hita Garcia leg.; Transect 17; primary rain forest; Winkler leaf litter extraction; ZFMK; ZFMK-HYM-00034458 • 1 ♂; Kakamega Forest; 00°12′42.6 N, 34°55′52.3 E; 1615 m a.s.l.; 16 Aug. 2007; F. Hita Garcia leg.; Transect 20; primary rain forest; Winkler leaf litter extraction; ZFMK; ZFMK- HYM-00037026 • 1 ♂; same collection data as for holotype; ZFMK-HYM-00034459 .

Description

Male (N = 4 in morphometric measurements)

BODY LENGTH. 0.51–0.74 mm (0.52 mm).

COLOUR. Head light brown-amber, mesosoma light brown-amber, metasoma light brown; scape, pedicel and flagellum light brown; legs light brown; fore wing venation light brown, distal end of marginal vein and pterostigma marginal vein distinctly darker, fore and hind wing disc slightly melanized, fore wing at proximal part and at proximal half of stigmal vein less melanized.

ANTENNA. 11-segmented, flagellomeres trapezoidal; scape 3.4× as long as pedicel, scape longer than F1 and F2 combined, F1 2.3× as long as wide, F1 1.6× as long as pedicel, F1 1.3× as long as F2, F1 shorter than F7 and F8 combined, F1 shorter than F9, F6 1.5 × 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 1.24–1.29× (1.27) head height; head width 1.72–1.85 × (1.74) interorbital space; maximum eye diameter 1.07–1.19× (1.07) minimum eye diameter; head height 1.61–1.67 × (1.63) maximum eye diameter. Dorsal margin of occipital carina ventral to dorsal margin of lateral ocellus in lateral view; preoccipital furrow present; preoccipital carina absent. OOL:POL:LOL 1.00:0.83– 1.00:0.68–0.91 (1.00:0.83:0.83); OOL 1.69–2.00 × (2.00) lateral ocellus diameter. White, thick setae on upper face absent; supraclypeal depression present; lateral margin of torulus raised; intertorular carina present; posterolateral processes of gena absent.

MESOSOMA, METASOMA. Mesosoma compressed laterally. Head width 1.18–1.23 × (1.18) mesosoma width; Weber length 188–219 µm (213 µm). Mesoscutum densely setose, setae curved backwards; median mesoscutal sulcus present; median mesoscutal sulcus adjacent to transscutal articulation; interaxillar sulcus present (= scutoscutellar sulcus not adjacent to transscutal articulation), scutoscutellar sulcus straight; dorsal axillar area setose, setae curved backwards; mesoscutellum sparsely setose, setae curved backwards or straight. Mesoscutum width 1.94–2.15× (2.00) mesoscutellum width; posterior mesoscutal width 1.46–1.62× (1.46) mesoscutellum width; mesoscutellum length 1.56–1.69× (1.69) mesoscutellum width; mesoscutellum length 1.04–1.16 × (1.16) posterior mesoscutal width; Weber length 1.13–1.31 × (1.31) mesoscutum width; Weber length 1.40–1.58 × (1.55) mesoscutellum length. Anteromedian projection of the metanoto-propodeo-metapecto-mesopectal complex straight in lateral view with blunt end; mesometapleural sulcus absent; posterior propodeal projection distinctly short in ventrolateral view; posterior mesosomal comb distinct. Basal transverse carina of petiole (on syntergum) present; four distinct, basal longitudinal carinae on syntergum; translucent patches on metasoma absent.

FORE WING. Length 2.94–3.05 × (3.01) width; stigmal vein shorter than 2 × pterostigma marginal length.

MALE GENITALIA. Genital length 69–100 µm (75 µm); Weber length 2.19–2.83× (2.83) genital length; gvc width 38–44 µm (38 µm); genital length 1.85–2.29 × (2.00) gvc width; gvc width more than three quarters of gvc length; gvc width 1.10× distal gvc width. Proximodorsal margin of gvc slightly concave; distodorsal margin of gvc descending proximomedially ( Fig. 21C ); proximoventral margin of gvc slightly concave; distoventral margin of gvc descending proximomedially ( Fig. 21A ); ventral area of gvc convex; dorsal area of gvc straight ( Fig. 21B ); proximolateral margin of gvc slightly ascending ventrally; distolateral margin of gvc slightly convex ( Fig. 21B ). Harpe finger-shaped in ventral and dorsal view; harpe/gvc index 0.68; lateral articulation site of harpe with gvc not flush ( Fig. 21A, C ); ventral margin of harpe concave, dorsal margin slightly convex in basal half and straight in apical half ( Fig. 21B ), lateral margin sligthly convex in basal half and straight in apical half, widest point of harpe at lateral articulation site with gvc ( Fig. 21A, C ); dorsomedial margins of harpes converging and almost touching at distodorsal margin of gvc, dorsomedial margin of harpe convex and slightly diverging distolaterally in basal two thirds with small indentation, concave and converging distomedially in apical third ( Fig. 21C ), apex of harpe rounded, oriented distomedially ( Fig. 21A, C ). Harpe with at least one ventral seta restricted to apical quarter, longest ventral seta more than one third as long as harpe, ventral seta oriented distolaterally and distoventrally; harpe with at least four apical setae, longest apical setae more than one quarter as long as harpe, apical setae oriented distomedially and distoventrally; harpe with at least five median setae restricted to basal two thirds and apical quarter, longest median setae more than one third as long as harpe, median setae distinctly crossing at basal two thirds and oriented distomedially and medioventrally. Aedeagus + gonossiculus one quarter as long as harpe, apex of aedeagus + gonossiculus divided ( Fig. 21A, C ) and dorsal to apex of harpe. Genitalia weakly sclerotized with strongest sclerotization at aedeagus + gonossiculus.

Female

Unknown.

Variation

The apical half of the harpe is more strongly sclerotized and the gvc is longer in ZFMK-HYM-00037026. The anteromedian projection of the metanoto-propodeo-metapecto-mesopectal complex is longer and extending to the end of the mesosoma in ZFMK-HYM-00034459 and ZFMK-HYM-00037026.

Biology

Host unknown, specimens collected from leaf litter.

Distribution

Afrotropical: Kenya.

Remarks

Comparison with similar species

Aphanogmus fraterculus sp. nov. can be distinguished from all other treated species by the harpes of the male genitalia with crossing median setae in the basal two thirds.

For more comparisons with similar species, see remarks under A. pilosicoxa sp. nov.

Condition of type material

In the holotype, the right middle leg is missing (except coxa). The posterior part of the metasoma is missing, thus the body length measurement is not precise.

Figures

Fig. 21. Holotype of Aphanogmus fraterculus sp. nov. (ZFMK-HYM-00037025). A–C. Male genitalia in ventral (A), lateral (B) and dorsal (C) views. D. Habitus in lateral view.