Ceraphron isukha, 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 : 197-200

Ceraphron isukha sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:7CA93EE7-6EDD-493A-BDD1-BC2066E388DE

Fig. 56

Diagnosis

Scape and pedicel yellowish, flagellum light brown; mesometapleural sulcus present; anteromedian projection of the metanoto-propodeo-metapecto-mesopectal complex straight in lateral view with pointed, lighter and bifurcated end. Male genitalia: harpe cone-shaped in ventral and dorsal view; harpe/ gvc index 0.52; dorsomedial margins of harpes slightly converging and touching at distodorsal margin of gvc, dorsomedial margin of harpe straight and slightly diverging distolaterally from base to apex; harpe with at least seven median setae restricted to apical half; harpe with at least eight distinct, basal longitudinal carinae on syntergum; fore wing length 3.22× width.

Etymology

The species is named after the Isukha community, which lives primarily in the Kakamega District.

Material examined

Holotype

KENYA • ♂; Western Province, Kakamega Forest; 00°13′59.1 N, 34°51′43.7 E; 1614 m a.s.l.; 5 Aug. 2007; F. Hita Garcia leg.; Transect 24; primary rain forest; Winkler leaf litter extraction; ZFMK; ZFMK- HYM-00036915 .

Description

Male

BODY LENGTH. 0.97 mm.

COLOUR. Head brown, mesosoma brown, metasoma brown; scape and pedicel yellowish, flagellum light brown, gradually darkening from F1 to F9; legs yellowish except proximal half of pro- and mesocoxa brown, proximal quarter of metacoxa brown; fore wing venation light brown, fore and hind wing disc slightly melanized, fore wing at proximal part less melanized.

ANTENNA. 11-segmented, flagellomeres cylindric; scape 4.0× as long as pedicel, scape longer than F1 and F2 combined, F1 2.1× as long as wide, F1 1.5× 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 1.3 × as high as F9; few small multiporous plates on flagellomeres, sensillae on flagellomeres sickle-shaped and shorter than width of flagellomeres.

HEAD. Head width 1.10 × head height; head width 1.92 × interorbital space; maximum eye diameter 1.48 × minimum eye diameter; head height 1.83 × 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 1.00:0.50:0.63; OOL 2.00 × lateral ocellus diameter. White, thick setae on upper face indistinct; supraclypeal depression present; lateral margin of torulus raised; intertorular carina present; posterolateral processes of gena absent.

MESOSOMA, METASOMA. Mesosoma not compressed laterally. Head width 1.02 × mesosoma width; Weber length 331 µm. Mesoscutum densely setose, setae curved backwards; median mesoscutal sulcus present; median mesoscutal sulcus adjacent to transscutal articulation; interaxillar sulcus absent (= scutoscutellar sulcus adjacent to transscutal articulation), scutoscutellar sulcus concave; dorsal axillar area setose, setae curved backwards; mesoscutellum setose, setae curved backwards or straight. Mesoscutum width 1.77 × mesoscutellum width; posterior mesoscutal width 1.41 × mesoscutellum width; mesoscutellum length 1.55× mesoscutellum width; mesoscutellum length 1.10 × posterior mesoscutal width; Weber length 1.36 × mesoscutum width; Weber length 1.59 × mesoscutellum length. Anteromedian projection of the metanoto-propodeo-metapecto-mesopectal complex straight in lateral view with pointed, lighter and bifurcated end; mesometapleural sulcus present; posterior propodeal projection straight and light in ventrolateral view; posterior mesosomal comb absent. Basal transverse carina of petiole (on syntergum) present; at least eight distinct, basal longitudinal carinae on syntergum; translucent patches on metasoma absent.

FORE WING. Length 3.22 × width; stigmal vein longer than 3× pterostigma marginal length.

MALE GENITALIA. Genital length 150 µm; Weber length 2.21 × genital length; gvc width 64 µm; genital length 2.34× gvc width; gvc width less than two thirds of gvc length; gvc width 1.16 × distal gvc width. Proximodorsal margin of gvc convex; distodorsal margin of gvc descending proximomedially ( Fig. 56C ); proximoventral margin of gvc concave; distoventral margin of gvc descending proximomedially ( Fig. 56A ); ventral area of gvc slightly convex; dorsal area of gvc convex ( Fig. 56B ); proximolateral margin of gvc ascending ventrally; distolateral margin of gvc convex, more strongly descending ventrally ( Fig. 56B ). Harpe cone-shaped in ventral and dorsal view; harpe/gvc index 0.52; lateral articulation site of harpe with gvc not flush ( Fig. 56A, C ); ventral margin of harpe slightly concave, dorsal margin straight ( Fig. 56B ), lateral margin slightly convex, widest point of harpe at apical third ( Fig. 56A, C ); dorsomedial margins of harpes slightly converging and touching at distodorsal margin of gvc, dorsomedial margin of harpe straight and diverging distolaterally from base to apex ( Fig. 56C ), apex of harpe rounded ( Fig. 56A, C ). Harpe with at least two lateral setae restricted to apical half, longest lateral setae less than half as long as harpe, lateral setae oriented distolaterally and distoventrally; harpe with at least two apical setae, longest apical setae half as long as harpe, apical setae oriented distomedially and distoventrally; harpe with at least seven median setae restricted to apical half, longest median setae more than one third as long as harpe, median setae oriented distomedially and distoventrally. Aedeagus + gonossiculus more than half as long as harpe, apex of aedeagus + gonossiculus acute ( Fig. 56A, C ) and as ventral as apex of harpe. Genitalia moderately sclerotized with strongest sclerotization at all margins of harpe.

Female

Unknown.

Variation

Unknown.

Biology

Host unknown, specimen collected from leaf litter.

Distribution

Afrotropical: Kenya.

Remarks

Comparison with similar species

See remarks under C. sp. 1 and C. sp. 5.

Condition of type material

In the holotype, the end of the metasoma is slightly deformed, thus the body length measurement is not precise.

Figures

Fig. 56. Holotype of Ceraphron isukha sp. nov. (ZFMK-HYM-00036915). A–C. Male genitalia in ventral (A), lateral (B) and dorsal (C) views. D. Habitus in lateral view.