Aphanogmus ashitakai, 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 : 23-25

Aphanogmus ashitakai sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:2FF180CA-7B2C-4DD8-844C-1AF291258844

Fig. 3

Diagnosis

Scape slightly shorter than F1 and F2 combined. Male genitalia: harpe finger-shaped apicoventrally in lateral view; harpe/gvc index 0.45; ventromedial margins of harpes not touching at distoventral margin of gvc, ventromedial margin of harpe straight in basal two thirds and converging distomedially, straight and diverging distolaterally in apical third; ventral margin of harpe straight, dorsal margin indistinct in basal part, straight in apical two thirds, lateral margin slightly convex in basal third, concave in apical two thirds.

Etymology

The species is named after Ashitaka, the protagonist of the Japanese animated fantasy film Princess Mononoke. It is one of the first author’s favourite films in which the conflict between man and nature is shown and nature is depicted in a particularly enchanting way.

Material examined

Holotype

KENYA • ♂; Western Province, Kakamega Forest; 00°19′36 N, 34°52′14.6 E; 1570 m a.s.l.; 21 Jun. 2007; F. Hita Garcia leg.; Transect 6; primary rain forest; Winkler leaf litter extraction; ZFMK; ZFMK- HYM-00037039 .

Description

Male

BODY LENGTH. 0.61 mm.

COLOUR. Head brown, mesosoma brown, metasoma light brown; scape, pedicel and flagellum light brown; legs light brown except joints and tarsi lighter; fore wing venation light brown, fore and hind wing disc hyaline and slightly melanized.

ANTENNA. 11-segmented, flagellomeres trapezoidal; scape 3.2 × as long as pedicel, scape slightly shorter than F1 and F2 combined, F1 3.2 × as long as wide, F1 1.9× as long as pedicel, F1 1.4 × 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 1.2 × as high as F9; few distinctly small multiporous plates on flagellomeres, sensillae on flagellomeres erect and longer than width of flagellomeres.

HEAD. Head width 1.21 × head height; head width 1.70 × interorbital space; maximum eye diameter 1.23 × minimum eye diameter; head height 1.75 × 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 1.00:1.17:0.75; OOL 2.00 × lateral ocellus diameter. White, thick setae on upper face absent; supraclypeal depression present; lateral margin of torulus slightly raised; intertorular carina present; posterolateral processes of gena absent.

MESOSOMA, METASOMA. Mesosoma compressed laterally. Head width 1.17 × mesosoma width; Weber length 231 µm. Mesoscutum densely setose, setae curved backwards; median mesoscutal sulcus absent; interaxillar sulcus superficial, scutoscutellar sulcus not adjacent to transscutal articulation, scutoscutellar sulcus straight; dorsal axillar area setose, setae curved backwards; mesoscutellum distinctly projecting and setose, setae curved backwards or straight. Mesoscutum width 2.00× mesoscutellum width; posterior mesoscutal width 1.50 × mesoscutellum width; mesoscutellum length 1.79 × mesoscutellum width; mesoscutellum length 1.19 × posterior mesoscutal width; Weber length 1.32 × mesoscutum width; Weber length 1.48 × mesoscutellum length. Anteromedian projection of the metanoto-propodeo-metapecto-mesopectal complex absent; mesometapleural sulcus absent; posterior propodeal projection absent; posterior mesosomal comb absent. Basal transverse carina of petiole (on syntergum) absent; longitudinal carinae on syntergum absent; translucent patches on metasoma absent.

FORE WING. Length 2.76 × width; stigmal vein slightly longer than pterostigma marginal length.

MALE GENITALIA. Genital length 119 µm; Weber length 1.95 × genital length; gvc width 63 µm; genital length 1.90× gvc width; gvc width three quarters of gvc length; gvc width 1.12 × distal gvc width. Proximodorsal margin of gvc convex; distodorsal margin of gvc indistinct ( Fig. 3C ); proximoventral margin of gvc concave; distoventral margin of gvc convex and descending proximomedially ( Fig. 3A ); ventral area of gvc slightly convex; dorsal area of gvc convex ( Fig. 3B ); proximolateral margin of gvc ascending ventrally; distolateral margin of gvc indistinct ( Fig. 3B ). Harpe finger-shaped apicoventrally in lateral view; harpe/gvc index 0.45; lateral articulation site of harpe with gvc virtually flush ( Fig. 3A, C ); ventral margin of harpe straight, dorsal margin indistinct in basal part, straight in apical two thirds ( Fig. 3B ), lateral margin slightly convex in basal third, concave in apical two thirds, widest point of harpe at lateral articulation site with gvc ( Fig. 3A, C ); ventromedial margins of harpes not touching at distoventral margin of gvc, ventromedial margin of harpe straight in basal two thirds and converging distomedially, straight and diverging distolaterally in apical third ( Fig. 3C ), apex of harpe rounded, oriented distolaterally ( Fig. 3A, C ). Harpe with at least one lateral seta restricted to basal half, longest lateral seta one third as long as harpe, lateral seta oriented distolaterally; harpe with at least one ventral seta restricted to apical half, longest ventral seta less than one third as long as harpe, ventral seta oriented distolaterally and distoventrally; harpe with at least two apical setae, longest apical setae less than one quarter as long as harpe, apical setae oriented distodorsally, distolaterally and distoventrally. Aedeagus + gonossiculus less than two thirds as long as harpe, apex of aedeagus + gonossiculus indistinct ( Fig. 3A, C ) and dorsal to apex of harpe.Aedeagus + gonossiculus with at least two digital teeth, oriented ventrally. Genitalia moderately sclerotized with strongest sclerotization at aedeagus + gonossiculus.

Female

Unknown.

Variation

Unknown.

Biology

Host unknown, specimen collected from leaf litter.

Distribution

Afrotropical: Kenya.

Remarks

Comparison with similar species

Aphanogmus ashitakai sp. nov., and A. nehbergi sp. nov. share a projecting mesoscutellum. However, A. ashitakai has all coxae concolourous while the metacoxa of A. nehbergi is lighter than the pro- and mesocoxa and a present but not distinct – as in A. nehbergi – preoccipital carina. In addition, the male genitalia of both species are very different.

Condition of type material

In the holotype, the right hind wing is missing. The metasoma is slightly deformed, thus the body length measurement is not precise.

Figures

Fig. 3. Holotype of Aphanogmus ashitakai sp. nov. (ZFMK-HYM-00037039). A–C. Male genitalia in ventral (A), lateral (B) and dorsal (C) views. D. Habitus in lateral view; inset: detail of fore wing venation.