Ceraphron semira, 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 : 281-285

Ceraphron semira sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:DA0BC924-3AAD-4589-B697-D40551D0FF96

Fig. 81

Diagnosis

Scape and pedicel light brown except proximal half of scape lighter; scape 4.6 × as long as pedicel; OOL 3.16–3.71 × (3.16) lateral ocellus diameter; anteromedian projection of the metanoto-propodeo-metapecto-mesopectal complex exceeding end of mesosoma. Male genitalia: harpe finger-shaped in ventral and dorsal view; harpe/gvc index 1.05; dorsomedial margins of harpes not touching at distodorsal margin of gvc, dorsomedial margin of harpe straight and slightly diverging distolaterally in basal third, straight and virtually parallel to other harpe in apical two thirds; harpe with at least four lateral setae restricted to apical two thirds; gvc width three quarters of gvc length; gvc width 1.05 × distal gvc width; genital length 2.61–2.84 × (2.61) gvc width.

Etymology

The species is named after the Semira River which is close to the type locality.

Material examined

Holotype

TANZANIA • ♂; Kilimanjaro Region, Mount Kilimanjaro; 3°10′3.1 S, 37°14′10.5 E; 1920 m a.s.l.; 26 Sep. 2012; KiLi project leg.; “tree 1”; FLM1, forest lower mont.; Coloured pan trap; ZFMK; ZFMK- HYM-00037081 .

Paratype

TANZANIA • 1 ♂; Kilimanjaro Region, Mount Kilimanjaro; 3°8′41.5 S, 37°14′35.2 E; 2120 m a.s.l.; 7 Nov. 2012; KiLi project leg.; “low ex ”; FOC1 , Ocotea forest ; Coloured pan trap; ZFMK; ZFMK- HYM-00037082 .

Description

Male (N = 2 in morphometric measurements)

BODY LENGTH. 1.25–1.50 mm (1.05 mm).

COLOUR. Head dark brown, mesosoma dark brown, metasoma brown; scape and pedicel light brown except proximal half of scape lighter, flagellum brown; legs yellowish except proximal half of pro- and mesocoxa brown, proximal third 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 4.6× as long as pedicel, scape longer than F1 and F2 combined, F1 2.7× as long as wide, F1 2.0× as long as pedicel, F1 1.2× as long as F2, F1 shorter than F7 and F8 combined, F1 shorter than F9, F6 2.0 × as long as wide, F6 shorter than F7 and F8 combined, F6 1.3× as high as F9; numerous small multiporous plates on flagellomeres, sensillae on flagellomeres sickle-shaped and shorter than width of flagellomeres.

HEAD. Head width 1.14–1.22 × (1.22) head height; head width 1.76–1.86× (1.86) interorbital space; maximum eye diameter 1.19–1.33 × (1.19) minimum eye diameter; head height 1.77–1.82 × (1.72) 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 1.00:0.53– 0.62:0.40–0.44 (1.00:0.53:0.40); OOL 3.16–3.71× (3.16) lateral ocellus diameter. White, thick setae on upper face present; supraclypeal depression present; lateral margin of torulus raised; intertorular carina present; posterolateral processes of gena absent.

MESOSOMA, METASOMA. Mesosoma not compressed laterally. Head width 0.93–0.97 × (0.93) mesosoma width; Weber length 375–500 µm (500 µm). Mesoscutum densely setose, setae curved backwards; median mesoscutal sulcus present; median mesoscutal sulcus adjacent to transscutal articulation; interaxillar sulcus present (= scutoscutellar sulcus not adjacent to transscutal articulation), scutoscutellar sulcus concave; dorsal axillar area setose, setae curved backwards; mesoscutellum setose, setae curved backwards or straight. Mesoscutum width 1.82–1.88 × (1.83) mesoscutellum width; posterior mesoscutal width 1.97–2.00× (1.97) mesoscutellum width; mesoscutellum length 1.56–1.67 × (1.56) mesoscutellum width; mesoscutellum length 1.06–1.10 × (1.06) posterior mesoscutal width; Weber length 1.11–1.19 × (1.19) mesoscutum width; Weber length 1.33–1.51× (1.51) mesoscutellum length. Anteromedian projection of the metanoto-propodeo-metapecto-mesopectal complex curved in lateral view with blunt end, exceeding end of mesosoma; mesometapleural sulcus absent; posterior propodeal projection straight and light in ventrolateral view; posterior mesosomal comb present. Basal transverse carina of petiole (on syntergum) present; at least six distinct, basal longitudinal carinae on syntergum; pairs of translucent patches on metasomal syntergum and synsternum.

FORE WING. Length 2.66–2.77× (2.77) width; stigmal vein longer than 3× pterostigma marginal length.

MALE GENITALIA. Genital length 169–188 µm (188 µm); Weber length 2.22–2.67× (2.67) genital length; gvc width 59–72 µm (72 µm); genital length 2.61–2.84 × (2.61) gvc width; gvc width three quarters of gvc length; gvc width 1.05 × distal gvc width. Proximodorsal margin of gvc straight; distodorsal margin of gvc slightly descending proximomedially ( Fig. 81C ); proximoventral margin of gvc convex; distoventral margin of gvc descending proximomedially ( Fig. 81A ); ventral area of gvc straight; dorsal area of gvc straight ( Fig. 81B ), indented distomedially; proximolateral margin of gvc strongly descending and emarginated ventrally; distolateral margin of gvc convex ( Fig. 81B ). Harpe finger-shaped in ventral and dorsal view; harpe/gvc index 1.05; lateral articulation site of harpe with gvc flush ( Fig. 81A, C ); ventral margin of harpe straight, dorsal margin straight ( Fig. 81B ), lateral margin convex, widest point of harpe at apical third ( Fig. 81A, C ); dorsomedial margins of harpes not touching at distodorsal margin of gvc, dorsomedial margin of harpe straight and slightly diverging distolaterally in basal third, straight and virtually parallel to other harpe in apical two thirds ( Fig. 81C ), apex of harpe slightly rounded ( Fig. 81A, C ). Harpe with at least four lateral setae restricted to apical two thirds, longest lateral setae less than half as long as harpe, lateral setae oriented distodorsally, distolaterally and distoventrally; harpe with at least three apical setae, longest apical setae two thirds as long as harpe, apical setae oriented distolaterally, distomedially and distoventrally; harpe with at least seven median setae restricted to apical third, longest median setae less than one quarter as long as harpe, median setae oriented distomedially and distoventrally. Aedeagus + gonossiculus more than one third as long as harpe, apex of aedeagus + gonossiculus rounded ( Fig. 81A, C ) and dorsal to apex of harpe. Genitalia weakly sclerotized with strongest sclerotization at apical third of harpe.

Female

Unknown.

Variation

Unknown.

Biology

Host unknown, specimens collected with coloured pan trap.

Distribution

Afrotropical: Tanzania.

Remarks

Comparison with similar species

The male genitalia of C. semira sp. nov., C. malava sp. nov. and C. eaerendili sp. nov. are very similar, but the species can be distinguished by non-genitalia characters. The head and the mesosoma are dark brown in C. semira and light brown or brown in C. malava and C. eaerendili . The flagellum is brown in C. semira and light brown or light brown-yellowish in C. malava and C. eaerendili . The scape is distinctly longer in comparison to the pedicel in C. semira , and the anteromedian projection of the metanoto-propodeo-metapecto-mesopectal complex is exceeding the end of the mesosoma in C. semira , whereas it is extending only to the end of the mesosoma in C. malava and C. eaerendili .

Condition of type material

In the holotype, the right F9 is deformed and the left hind wing is missing. The posterior half of the metasoma is deformed, thus the body length measurement is not precise.

Figures

Fig. 81. Holotype of Ceraphron semira sp. nov. (ZFMK-HYM-00037081). A–C. Male genitalia in ventral (A), lateral (B) and dorsal (C) views. D. Habitus in lateral view.