Propalachia infumata Bouček 1978

Binoy, C., Sureshan, P. M. & Copeland, Robert S., 2025, Taxonomic reappraisal of the enigmatic genus Propalachia Bouček (Hymenoptera: Torymidae) - the first confirmed association with mantid oothecae and a new species from southern India, Zootaxa 5725 (3), pp. 409-420 : 413-416

Propalachia infumata Bouček 1978

( Figs 11–19 )

Propalachia infumata Bouček 1978, p. 102 . Holotype ♀ [BMNH, Figs 15–19 ], Zimbabwe (Rhodesia): Harare (Salisbury), i.1975.

Material Examined. ♀. Kenya: Nyanza Province , Ungoye, ICIPE Field Station ( 0°36’54.0”S, 34°05’29.3”E,, 1145 m above sea level), 12–26.vi.2017, coll. R . Copeland, Malaise trap inside seasonally swampy forest [ ICIPE 17898 ] .

Diagnosis. Body dark with metallic bluish-green reflection, strongest on vertex and dorsally on thorax.Antennae and legs off-white, clava and apical 2/3 of metafemur infuscate; mesofemur occasionally with dark streak. Fore wing with broad central infumation. Head with fine reticulation on lower face, coarser on temples and gena; scrobes deep ventrally, merging dorsally with ocellar depression. Scape tapered; pedicel twice as long as broad; flagellar segments progressively transverse; length of clava subequal to combined length of five preceding segments, ventrally micropilose. Thorax with shallow notauli; mesoscutellum convex, reticulation dense but meshes wider posteriorly. Fore wing with pmv 2.23× as long as stv; smv, parastigma, and proximal mv with strong bristles. Propodeum reticulate, without any basal rugae. Denticles on metafemur variable, confined to apical third, first three denticles largest, fourth one short. Metasoma ovoid, Gt 3 longer than Gt 2.

Redescription ( based on Kenyan female, Figs 11–14 ). Body length 2.05 mm; length of fore wing 1.6 mm.

Colour. Body black with blue metallic reflection on head, and mesosoma, eye and ocellus pale white; scape pale yellow, pedicel reddish-brown, rest of flagellomeres brownish-black, clava black; tegula brownish-black; coxae pale yellow; profemur pale yellow, mesofemur pale yellow with medial brown patch, metafemur brown with basal yellow patch; all tarsi pale yellow with slight brown infumation; metasoma and ovipositor sheath brown.

Head. Head in frontal view twice as long as wide; shiny, densely and coarsely reticulate, bare, lower face and gena with short setae; scrobe deep, surface rugose-reticulate; frons strongly reticulate; eye 3.5× as long as malar space in profile ( Fig. 11 ); head in dorsal view 1.1× as wide as mesosoma ( Fig. 11 ); POL 3.0× OOL; MOD 1.4× OOL ( Fig. 12 ); scape 4.2× as long as wide; relative length of flagellomeres 1 to 10 (last) and clava = 1.0: 0.7: 0.7: 0.7: 0.8: 0.5: 0.7: 0.6: 0.7: 0.5: 3.3 ( Fig. 14 ).

Mesosoma. Mesosoma dorsally mostly coarsely rugose-reticulate with short bristle-like setae arising from each enclosure( Fig. 11 ); notauli shallow; mesoscutellum convex; scutellum with similar sculpture as medial lobe of mesoscutum, interspaces raised, apex slightly emarginated ( Fig. 14 ); propodeum coarsely reticulate; mesopleuron anteriorly coarsely rugose, femoral depression bare, smooth and shiny; metapleuron coarsely reticulate ( Fig. 11 ).

Hind leg. Metacoxa rugose with small setigerous pits; metafemur on outer disc reticulate with moderately dense pubescence, inner disc smooth, ventrally with five well-separated irregular teeth, second tooth the largest ( Figs 11, 13 ).

Fore wing. Fore wing subhyaline with distinct brown infumate patch below mv; veins brown; mv 1.31× pmv, pmv 2.0× stv; smv with 10 stout bristles ( Figs 11, 14 ).

Metasoma. Petiole concealed dorsally, visible laterally, quadrate; metasoma ( Fig. 11 ) as long as mesosoma; Gt 1 smooth, half as long as metasoma; Gt 2 concealed, smooth; Gt 3 –Gt 6 faintly reticulate dorsally, clearly visible laterally; posterior margin of G 1 concave, posterior margin of remaining terga straight; ovipositor sheath 0.7× as long as metasoma, and 1.2× as long as metatibia ( Fig. 11 ).

Biology. Unknown.

Distribution. South Africa; Zimbabwe ( Bouček 1978, 1998); Kenya (new record).

Figures

FIGURES 11–14. Propalachia infumata Bouček, Kenya ♀: 11, habitus, lateral view; 12, head and antenna, dorsal view; 13, hind leg; 14, habitus, dorsal view.

FIGURES 15–19. Propalachia infumata Bouček, holotype ♀: 15, habitus, lateral view; 16, head, frontal view; 17, hind leg, fore wing and metasoma, lateral view; 18, habitus, dorsal view; 19, type labels.