Aphanogmus kikuyu, 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 : 135-138

Aphanogmus kikuyu sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:FE7B0168-DCE9-419E-A046-EA39B1D4C11B

Fig. 37

Diagnosis

OOL:POL 1.49 (1.49); interaxillar sulcus distinct (= scutoscutellar sulcus not adjacent to transscutal articulation); stigmal vein shorter than 2× pterostigma marginal length. Male genitalia: harpe pear-shaped in ventral and dorsal view and with emargination in lateral view; harpe/gvc index 0.42 (see remarks); ventromedial margins of harpes not touching in basal part, straight and converging distomedially and crossing distomedially in basal two thirds, straight and diverging distolaterally in apical third; harpe with at least one lateral seta adjacent to distolateral margin of gvc.

Etymology

The species is named after the Kikuyu people, an ethnic group native to Kenya.

Material examined

Holotype

KENYA • ♂; Western Province, Kakamega Forest; 00°37′24.1 N, 34°51′12 E; 1585 m a.s.l.; 8 Aug. 2007; F. Hita Garcia leg.; Transect 10; primary rain forest; Winkler leaf litter extraction; ZFMK; ZFMK- HYM-00037030 .

Paratype

KENYA • 1 ♂; Western Province, 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-00037035 .

Description

Male (N = 2 in morphometric measurements)

BODY LENGTH. 0.60–0.66 mm (0.66 mm).

COLOUR. Head brown, mesosoma brown, metasoma brown; scape yellowish-transparent and pedicel light brown-yellowish, flagellum light brown-yellowish; legs yellowish except pro- and mesocoxa light brown, proximal third of metacoxa light brown; fore wing venation light brown, fore and hind wing disc slightly melanized, fore wing at proximal part and distal part less melanized.

ANTENNA. 11-segmented, flagellomeres trapezoidal; scape 3.5× as long as pedicel, scape longer than F1 and F2 combined, F1 2.9× as long as wide, F1 1.7× as long as pedicel, F1 1.3× as long as F2, F1 shorter than F7 and F8 combined, F1 shorter than F9, F6 1.9 × 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 1.18–1.27× (1.18) head height; head width 1.74–1.77 × (1.77) interorbital space; maximum eye diameter 1.12–1.13× (1.12) minimum eye diameter; head height 1.53–1.74 × (1.74) maximum eye diameter. Dorsal margin of occipital carina ventral to dorsal margin of lateral ocellus in lateral view; preoccipital furrow present; preoccipital carina present. OOL:POL:LOL 1.00:0.67:0.47– 0.50 (1.00:0.67:0.47); OOL 2.00–2.14 × (2.14) 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 1.11–1.14 × (1.11) mesosoma width; Weber length 206–263 µm (263 µm). Mesoscutum densely setose, setae curved backwards; median mesoscutal sulcus absent; interaxillar sulcus distinct (= scutoscutellar sulcus not adjacent to transscutal articulation), scutoscutellar sulcus straight; dorsal axillar area sparsely setose, setae curved backwards or straight; mesoscutellum sparsely setose, setae curved backwards or straight. Mesoscutum width 1.87–2.20× (2.20) mesoscutellum width; posterior mesoscutal width 1.27–1.67 × (1.67) mesoscutellum width; mesoscutellum length 1.67–2.00× (2.00) mesoscutellum width; mesoscutellum length 1.20– 1.32 × (1.20) posterior mesoscutal width; Weber length 1.18–1.27× (1.27) mesoscutum width; Weber length 1.32–1.40× (1.40) 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) present; at least seven, distinct, basal longitudinal carinae on syntergum; pairs of translucent patches on metasomal syntergum and synsternum.

FORE WING. Length 3.10–3.14 × (3.14) width; stigmal vein shorter than 2 × pterostigma marginal length.

MALE GENITALIA. Genital length 94–144 µm (144 µm); Weber length 1.83–2.20× (1.83) genital length; gvc width 59–81 µm (81 µm); genital length 1.58–1.77× (1.77) gvc width; gvc width three quarters of gvc length; gvc width 1.26 × distal gvc width. Proximodorsal margin of gvc slightly convex; distodorsal margin of gvc indistinct ( Fig. 37C ); proximoventral margin of gvc straight; distoventral margin of gvc indistinct ( Fig. 37A ); ventral area of gvc slightly concave; dorsal area of gvc convex ( Fig. 37B ); proximolateral margin of gvc ascending ventrally; distolateral margin of gvc descending dorsally ( Fig. 37B ). Harpe pear-shaped in ventral and dorsal view and with emargination in lateral view; harpe/ gvc index 0.42 (see remarks); lateral articulation site of harpe with gvc indistinct ( Fig. 37A, C ); ventral margin of harpe straight, dorsal margin convex in basal and middle third and with emargination in between and straight in apical third ( Fig. 37B ), lateral margin indistinct in basal third and convex in middle third and concave in apical third, widest point of harpe indistinct ( Fig. 37A, C ); ventromedial margins of harpes not touching in basal part, straight and converging distomedially and crossing distomedially in basal two thirds, straight and diverging distolaterally in apical third ( Fig. 37C ), apex of harpe pointed, oriented distolaterally ( Fig. 37A, C ). Harpe with at least one lateral seta adjacent to distolateral margin of gvc, longest lateral seta less than one quarter as long as harpe, lateral seta oriented distolaterally and distomedially; harpe with at least two apical setae, longest apical setae less than one quarter as long as harpe, apical setae oriented distodorsally, distolaterally and distoventrally. Aedeagus + gonossiculus indistinct. Genitalia moderately sclerotized with strongest sclerotization at aedeagus + gonossiculus.

Female

Unknown.

Variation

The harpe of the male genitalia in ZFMK-HYM-00037035 has visible median setae at the medially converging part below the apex. The orientation of the median setae is indistinct.

Biology

Host unknown, specimens collected from leaf litter.

Distribution

Afrotropical: Kenya.

Remarks

Comparison with similar species

Aphanogmus kikuyu sp. nov. can be distinguished from all other treated species by a combination of the presence of the basal transverse carina of the petiole (on syntergum), the absence of the median mesoscutal sulcus, the relatively high OOL:POL ratio 1.49, the absence of the anteromedian projection of the metanoto-propodeo-metapecto-mesopectal complex, and the pear-shaped harpe of the male genitalia in ventral and dorsal view.

Condition of type material

In the holotype, the left fore wing and the left middle leg (except coxa) are missing. The distal margins of the gvc and the basal part of the harpes are indistinct in the very small and comparatively transparent male genitalia, i.e., some descriptions of characters are missing. The posterior third of the metasoma is detached, thus the body length measurement is not precise.

Figures

Fig. 37. Holotype of Aphanogmus kikuyu sp. nov. (ZFMK-HYM-00037030). A–C. Male genitalia in ventral (A), lateral (B) and dorsal (C) views. D. Habitus in lateral view.