Axea yurugu Valerio & Yoder

Yoder, Matthew J., Valerio, Alejandro A., Masner, Lubomír & Johnson, Norman F., 2009, Identity and synonymy of Dicroscelio Kieffer and description of Axea, a new genus from tropical Africa and Asia (Hymenoptera: Platygastroidea: Platygastridae), Zootaxa 2003, pp. 1-45 : 39-41

Axea yurugu Valerio & Yoder , n.sp.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:86 D93516 -A071-4F52-978F-8E3FB4C9F765 urn:lsid:biosci.ohio-state.edu:osuc_concepts:223465 Figures 113–118; Morphbank67

General (Fig. 113, 114): Female body length: 1.8–2.5 mm (n=14). Male body length: 1.9 mm (n=4). Head: Color of female head: yellow to amber or orange yellow. Mandible color: mostly yellow to amber or orange yellow. Body color of male: yellow laterally and ventrally, darkening to light brown to brown dorsally. Lateral ocellus position: touching compound eye. Pilosity of medial frons between anterior ocellus and apex of torular triangle: absent, a small patch without setae clearly visible. Sculpture of medial glabrous area of frons: present, with horizontal to slightly arcuate striae or, if patch minute, then irregularly rugulose (Fig. 117). Mesosoma (Fig. 115, 116): Color of female mesosoma: yellow to amber or orange yellow. Dorsal surface of lateral pronotal area adjacent to mesoscutal suprahumeral sulcus: with uniform microsculpture only. Setae on netrion: absent. Notaulus: indicated by a row of pits, or indicated by an uninterrupted channel, with slight irregular sculpture along bottom. Metascutellum: projecting, broadly bilobed, or projecting, more or less truncate, but with a narrow medial notch. Mesopleural depression sculpture: irregularly foveate, majority of fovea not transverse, fovea interspersed with nitid areas, in some individuals some fovea reduced to punctures. Pilosity bounding anterior margin of posterior mesepimeral area: present along full length of margin, completely absent, or partially present dorsally. Legs: Coxae color: yellow (as in remainder of leg). Color of legs beyond coxae: uniformly yellow, without infuscations. Wings: Length of fore wing: not or just reaching posterior margin of metasoma, or surpassing posterior margin of metasoma. Hind wing submarginal vein: absent to spectral everywhere but basal stub that is nebulous to tubular. Metasoma: Color of female metasoma: dark brown to nearly black, yellow to amber or orange yellow, or light brown. Longitudinal sculpture of T1: carinate, parallel to subparallel, interspersed with fine rugulose sculpture. Female T1 horn: absent, sculpture more or less uniform throughout T1. Anterior strip of T2: punctulate. Female T6 width to length ratio: wider than long (striplike). Female T6 carinate basal extension of lateral spine: short, not extending past 1/2 length of T6. T6/S6 apical curvature: absent, sclerites more or less linear in lateral view, or present, tips flexed outwards in lateral view. T6 posterolateral margin: with sharp spine (Fig. 118). S6 shape at tip: broadly rounded to very slightly angular, without obvious lobe.

Diagnosis. Distinguished from most species by the orange head. Axea yurugu may be separated from A. yasigi by the uninterrupted course of the notaulus.

http://atbi.biosci.ohio-state.edu/HymOnline/map-large.html?id=223464 http://www.morphbank.net/?id=226878

Etymology. The specific epithet is a reference to the mythological being of the Dogon people of Mali, Sudan, and Upper Volta.

Link to Distribution Map.68

Comments. As delimited here, A. yurugu is relatively variable in color. Smaller individuals can be bright yellow, with little to no infuscation, while larger individuals may have the dorsal metasoma light brown throughout.

FIGURES 113–118. 69 Axea yurugu , paratype female (OSUC 211761). 113, dorsal habitus; 114, lateral habitus; 115, head and mesosoma, dorsal view; 116, head and mesosoma, lateral view; 117, head, anterior view; 118, apex of metasoma, dorsal view. Scale bars in millimeters.

http://atbi.biosci.ohio-state.edu/HymOnline/map-large.html?id=223465 http://www.morphbank.net/?id=226917

Material Examined. Holotype female: SOUTH AFRICA: Eastern Cape Prov., Grootrivierberge Range, 33°11.46'S 24°09.51'E, 700 m, SA-15, 37 km NW Willowmore, 19–24.XI.1999, Malaise trap, M. Irwin, et al., OSUC 211798 (deposited in CNCI). Paratypes: 27 females, 13 males. BENIN: 1 female, OSUC 211795 ( CNCI). IVORY COAST: 1 female, OSUC 211765 ( CNCI). KENYA: 26 females, OSUC 167049, OSUC 167078, OSUC 211715, OSUC 211717, OSUC 211719, OSUC 211727–211729, OSUC 211743, OSUC 211751, OSUC 211758, OSUC 211761, OSUC 211780, OSUC 211789, OSUC 211790, OSUC 211793, OSUC 211794, OSUC 214368–214370, OSUC 214391, OSUC 214392, OSUC 214394, OSUC 214395, OSUC 214398, OSUC 214400 ( CNCI). MALAWI: 1 female, OSUC 167068 ( CNCI). SOMALIA: 2 females, OSUC 167038, OSUC 211723 ( CNCI). SOUTH AFRICA: 6 females, OSUC 167039, OSUC 167046, OSUC 211716, OSUC 211771 ( CNCI); OSUC 211769 ( OSUC). ZIMBABWE: 4 females, OSUC 167031, OSUC 211788, OSUC 211791, OSUC 211797 ( CNCI).