Papatuka Deans
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.155945 |
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DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6277531 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/5D03C374-AF19-FFC1-FED3-FC16D2B3B84C |
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treatment provided by |
Plazi |
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scientific name |
Papatuka Deans |
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Papatuka Deans View in CoL , gen. nov.
Type species. Papatuka alamunyiga Deans , current designation.
Habitus (female): Apterous, antlike in appearance with relatively small eyes, long antennae, and long legs.
Head: Position of the mandible and small eye give head a somewhat elongate appearance, sparsely setose with short fine hairs, nitid laterally, sparsely sculptured frontally. Head hemispherical in lateral view. Face with 2 lines leading ventrally from antenna sockets to clypeus. Clypeus flat, slightly protruding medially. Antenna long, setose with short fine hairs. Flagellomeres numbering 11 with placoid sensilla. Mandible with 4 teeth. Maxillary and labial palps extremely short, with 4 and 3 segments respectively, mostly obscured behind mandibles. Ocelli relatively reduced.
Mesosoma: Appearing strongly compacted dorsally and very sparsely sculptured. Mesoscutum protruding slightly over pronotum. Epicnemial carina present as strong ridge. Metapleural furculum present with short, broadly separated projections. Notauli present as linear impressions. Tegulae and wings completely absent. Legs elongate. Fore and mid coxae widely separated. Hind and mid coxae almost touching. Tarsomeres elongate, with some erect spines slightly longer than surrounding setae. Tarsal claw elongate and thin with basal tooth as wide as terminus but shorter.
Metasoma: Petiole (metasomal tergite 1) rugose laterally, rugulose and sparsely foveolate dorsally, relatively long. Gaster (metasomal tergites 28) relatively large, ovoid, with all segments present and roughly equal in size. Metasoma tergum 9 setose posteriorly. Hypopygium expanded posteriorly and dorsally. Ovipositor short, straight, partially hidden within metasoma, exserted portion as long as hind tarsomere 3. Ovipositor sheath setose at tip, slightly shorter than ovipositor.
Etymology: The genus name is a Swahili word ( papatuka ) meaning “to be clean” and refers to the general appearance of this wasp (wingless, very little sculpturing or setae) when compared with other ensign wasps. The gender is feminine.
Papatuka alamunyiga Deans , sp. nov. ( Figs 13 View FIGURE 1 View FIGURE 2 View FIGURE 3 )
FEMALE – Diagnosis: Apterous, antlike in appearance ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 A), eyes relatively small (fig 2A), body reddish brown, mesosoma relatively compact ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 A, 2B), legs long ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 A), palps reduced and mostly obscured behind mandibles.
Head ( Figs. 1 View FIGURE 1 A, 2AB): Reddish brown, as wide as high in frontal view (mandible and small eye give head a somewhat elongate appearance), sparsely setose with short fine hairs, nitid laterally with finely punctate face and frons, hemispherical in lateral view. Density of fine punctures on face and frons increase towards midline of head ( Fig. 2 View FIGURE 2 A). Slightly raised area surrounding antennal socket. Face with 2 depressed lines leading ventrally from antenna sockets to clypeus ( Fig. 2 View FIGURE 2 A). Clypeus flat, slightly protruding medially. Gena 1.5 times longer than eye height, mostly nitid with scattered slight punctures. Postgenal area nitid with scattered short fine setae. Occipital carina present as fine ridge. Antenna reddish brown becoming orange apically, setose with short fine hairs, slightly longer than body (head to tip of metasoma). Scape as long as pedicel plus first 2 flagellomeres. Flagellomeres numbering 11 with placoid sensilla, middle flagellomeres not obviously swollen. Mandible orange with 4 reddish teeth, sparsely setose basally becoming denser near teeth. Maxillary and labial palps extremely short, with 4 and 3 segments respectively, mostly obscured behind mandibles. Eye small, 0.3 times head height, silvery grey. Ocelli small, translucent yellow. Median ocellus diameter 0.75 times lateral ocellus. Line between lateral ocelli 1.8 times line between lateral ocellus and median ocellus.
Mesosoma ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 A): Reddish brown, finely setose, appearing compact dorsally. Mesoscutum protruding slightly over pronotum. Pronotum dorsally punctate becoming rugulose posteriorly and scrobiculate ventrally. Propleuron punctate dorsally becoming rugulose ventrally. Mesopleuron sparsely foveolate ventrally with nitid medial area. Ventral half of posterior mesopleural border scrobiculate. Anterodorsal corner of mesopleuron with series of depressions forming short scrobiculate line. Epicnemial carina present as strong ridge ending above fore coxa in deep depression. Ventral mesopleuron and metapleuron rugose. Metapleural furculum present with short, broadly separated projections. Mesoscutum punctate, 1.7 times longer than wide. Notauli present as linear impressions. Scutellum 2 times wider than long, reddish anteriorly becoming brown posteriorly, protruding over metanotum. Metanotum thin, obscurely scrobiculate, except nitid medially. Metapleuron punctatefoveolate becoming rugulose posteriorly (under petiole) and broadly scrobiculate dorsally (near insertion of petiole). Propodeum swollen, rugulose. Legs reddish orange except coxae orange. Hind leg more than 3 times longer than mesosoma height. Fore and mid coxae widely separated. Hind and mid coxae almost touching. Coxae, trochanters, trochantellae, femora punctate and setose with fine hairs. Tibiae obscurely and finely rugulose with no long erect spines. Tibial spurs orange, inner spur 1.2 times longer than outer spur. Tarsomeres elongate, with some erect spines slightly longer than surrounding setae. Tarsal claw ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 B) elongate and thin with basal tooth as wide as terminal tooth but shorter.
Metasoma ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 A): Petiole rugose laterally, rugulose and sparsely foveolate dorsally, as long as hind tarsomere 2. Gaster (metasomal tergites 28) brown, relatively large, ovoid, with all segments present and roughly equal in size. Metasoma tergum 9 setose posteriorly. Hypopygium expanded posteriorly and dorsally. Ovipositor short, straight, partially hidden within metasoma, exserted portion as long as hind tarsomere 3. Ovipositor sheath yellow, setose at tip, slightly shorter than ovipositor.
Etymology. The species epithet combines the Swahili words for “flag” or “ensign” (alamu) and “wasp” (nyiga).
Material examined. HOLOTYPE: Body length (head to tip of mesosoma) = 5.0 mm., female. Data from three labels (embellishments in brackets): “van Someren Ngong [ Kenya] 2 42 [II1942]”, “V.G.L. van Someren Collection Brit. Mus. 1959468”, “ex nest of? Dasyproctus westermanni ” ( Fig. 3 View FIGURE 3 ). Deposited in The Natural History Museum, London, U.K.
Comments. One of the labels ( Fig. 3 View FIGURE 3 ) suggests a possible relationship with a nest of Dasyproctus westermanni (Dahlbom) ( Hymenoptera : Sphecidae : Crabroninae ). However, the collector qualifies this information with a question mark and provides no further details. It is unknown whether this questions the sphecid determination or the association of the ensign wasp with the sphecid nest. Dasyproctus spp. are common and diverse in central and eastern Africa; they construct nests in plant stems (usually woody shrubs or grasses), stocking them exclusively with adult flies ( Bohart and Menke 1976).
P. alamunyiga represents the first described wingless evaniid species, but at least one other exists. An undescribed species belonging to “genus D” of Huben (1995) is currently being described by M. Huben (personal communication). This other species has been collected only in the mountainous areas of Ecuador (Andes) and differs from P. alamunyiga in the number of flagellomeres (“genus D” only has eight compared to eleven in P. alamunyiga ) and hind leg morphology (tarsomeres each strongly prolonged posteriorly in “genus D” but not in P. alamunyiga ; see Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 D).
No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.