Aphanogmus rafikii, 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 : 114-117

Aphanogmus rafikii sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:C45EF48B-35ED-49CA-BA3E-7F1923516D6B

Fig. 31

Diagnosis

F1 slightly shorter than F9; sensillae on flagellomeres erect and sickle-shaped and shorter than width of flagellomeres; maximum eye diameter 1.08–1.09 × (1.08) minimum eye diameter; mesoscutum width 2.26–2.28× (2.28) mesoscutellum width; posterior mesoscutal width 1.63–1.78 × (1.78) mesoscutellum width; mesometapleural sulcus present (but indistinct) in dorsal third of mesometapleuron, mesometapleuron with distinct longitudinal striations. Male genitalia: harpe slightly bilobed; ventral lobe finger-shaped and dorsolateral lobe short in lateral view; harpe/gvc index 0.51; dorsolateral lobe/ ventral lobe index 0.08; dorsolateral length of harpe/harpe index 0.55; dorsomedial margins of harpes converging and touching at distodorsal margin of gvc, dorsomedial margin of harpe concave in basal two thirds, straight and diverging distolaterally in apical third; Weber length 2.55–3.05× (2.55) genital length.

Etymology

The species is named after the Rafiki Foundation, which is close to the type locality, and the wise and eccentric character Rafiki from The Lion King movie. ‘ Rafiki ’ is Swahili and means ‘friend’.

Material examined

Holotype

TANZANIA • ♂; Kilimanjaro Region, Mount Kilimanjaro; 3°18′36.9 S, 37°14′39.6 E; 1009 m a.s.l.; 27 Jun. 2011; KiLi project leg.; “low 1”; MAIS 1, maize field; Coloured pan trap; ZFMK; ZFMK- HYM-00037067 .

Paratype

TANZANIA • 1 ♂; same collection data as for holotype; ZFMK-HYM-00037068 .

Description

Male (N = 2 in morphometric measurements)

BODY LENGTH. 0.91–1.15 mm (0.91 mm).

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

ANTENNA. 11-segmented, flagellomeres trapezoidal; scape 3.5× 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 1.6× as long as F2, F1 shorter than F7 and F8 combined, F1 slightly shorter than F9, F6 1.3 × as long as wide, F6 shorter than F7 and F8 combined, F6 1.2× as high as F9; numerous distinctly small multiporous plates on flagellomeres, sensillae on flagellomeres erect and sickle-shaped and shorter than width of flagellomeres.

HEAD. Head width 1.19–1.21× (1.19) head height; head width 1.86–1.88 × (1.88) interorbital space; maximum eye diameter 1.08–1.09× (1.08) minimum eye diameter; head height 1.69–1.79 × (1.69) maximum eye diameter. Dorsal margin of occipital carina ventral to dorsal margin of lateral ocellus in lateral view; preoccipital furrow present; preoccipital carina distinct. OOL:POL:LOL 1.00:1.43– 1.54:1.00–1.23 (1.00:1.43:1.00); OOL 1.30–1.75 × (1.74) 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 1.18–1.25× (1.25) mesosoma width; Weber length 350–363 µm (350 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 2.26–2.28× (2.28) mesoscutellum width; posterior mesoscutal width 1.63–1.78 × (1.78) mesoscutellum width; mesoscutellum length 1.84–2.00 × (2.00) mesoscutellum width; mesoscutellum length 1.13 × (1.13) posterior mesoscutal width; Weber length 1.35–1.37× (1.37) mesoscutum width; Weber length 1.56–1.66 × (1.56) mesoscutellum length. Anteromedian projection of the metanoto-propodeo-metapecto-mesopectal complex distinctly short, transparent, posterodorsally oriented in lateral view with pointed end; mesometapleural sulcus present (but indistinct) in dorsal third of mesometapleuron, mesometapleuron with distinct longitudinal striations; posterior propodeal projection distinctly short in ventrolateral view; posterior mesosomal comb absent. Basal transverse carina of petiole (on syntergum) present; short basal longitudinal carinae on syntergum; translucent patches on metasoma absent.

FORE WING. Length 2.72–2.84 × (2.84) width; stigmal vein longer than 2× pterostigma marginal length.

MALE GENITALIA. Genital length 119–138 µm (138 µm); Weber length 2.55–3.05× (2.55) genital length; gvc width 38–50 µm (50 µm); genital length 2.75–3.17× (2.75) gvc width; gvc width more than half of gvc length; gvc width 1.19 × distal gvc width. Proximodorsal margin of gvc slightly convex; distodorsal margin of gvc slightly descending proximomedially ( Fig. 31C ); proximoventral margin of gvc concave; distoventral margin of gvc slightly descending proximomedially ( Fig. 31A ); ventral area of gvc slightly convex; dorsal area of gvc slightly convex ( Fig. 31B ); proximolateral margin of gvc concave and slightly ascending ventrally; distolateral margin of gvc slightly descending dorsally ( Fig. 31B ). Harpes slightly bilobed; ventral lobe finger-shaped and dorsolateral lobe short in lateral view; harpe/gvc index 0.51; dorsolateral lobe/ventral lobe index 0.08; dorsolateral length of harpe/harpe index 0.55; lateral articulation site of harpe with gvc not flush ( Fig. 31A, C ); ventral margin of harpe straight, dorsal margin convex in basal half and straight in apical half ( Fig. 31B ), lateral margin slightly convex, widest point of harpe at basal third ( Fig. 31A, C ); dorsomedial margins of harpes converging and touching at distodorsal margin of gvc, dorsomedial margin of harpe concave in basal two thirds, straight and diverging distolaterally in apical third ( Fig. 31C ), apices of ventral and dorsolateral lobe pointed, oriented distolaterally ( Fig. 31A, C ). Harpe with at least one apical seta on dorsolateral lobe, longest apical seta on dorsolateral lobe half as long as harpe, apical seta on dorsolateral lobe oriented distolaterally; harpe with at least three apical setae on ventral lobe, longest apical setae on ventral lobe less than one quarter as long as harpe, apical setae on ventral lobe oriented distodorsally, distolaterally and distoventrally; indistinct number of median setae on ventral, longest median setae less than one quarter as long as harpe, median setae oriented medioventrally and with indistinct orientation. Aedeagus + gonossiculus half as long as harpe, apex of aedeagus + gonossiculus rounded ( Fig. 31A, C ) and as ventral as apex of ventral lobe of harpe. Genitalia moderately sclerotized with strongest sclerotization at aedeagus + gonossiculus and harpe.

Female

Unknown.

Variation

Unknown.

Biology

Host unknown, specimens collected with coloured pan trap.

Distribution

Afrotropical: Tanzania.

Remarks

Comparison with similar species

Aphanogmus rafikii sp. nov. and A. kisiwa sp. nov. differ in colouration, but their male genitalia are very similar (i.e., similar proportions of the gvc, and similar shape of the dorsomedial margin of the dorsolateral lobe). However, A. rafikii has a higher harpe/gvc index (0.51 and 0.38 in A. kisiwa ), a thinner and more elongated ventral lobe in ventral and dorsal view, and a slightly longer dorsolateral lobe. Also, the Afrotropical species Aphanogmus incredibilis Dessart, 1978 shares some distinct characters with A. rafikii , for example, the POL is relatively long, the preoccipital carina is distinct, the fringe of the wing is distinctly short, the wings are hyaline, the integument is relatively strongly structured/reticulated, and the antennal segments are very similarly proportioned. However, the colouration patterns of the antennae and the legs are very different between A. rafikii and A. incredibilis , and the anteromedian projection of the metanoto-propodeo-metapecto-mesopectal complex is considerably smaller in A. rafikii ( Dessart 1978) .

Aphanogmus rafikii sp. nov. matches some of the diagnostic characters of the Aphanogmus hakonensis species complex ( Polaszek & Dessart 1996): dark body colouration (except for the legs), longitudinally striated mesometapleuron without a sulcus, and laterally and posteriorly carinate mesoscutellum. It does not have a lighter scape, pedicel and F1–F5 ( Polaszek & Dessart 1996). With these differences in diagnostic colour characters and the low number of two specimens, we refrain from formally assigning A. rafikii to the Aphanogmus hakonensis species complex.

For more comparisons with similar species, see remarks under A. taji sp. nov. and A. maua sp. nov.

Condition of type material

In the holotype, the right four distal protarsal segments are missing. The posterior part of the metasoma is deformed, thus the body length measurement is not precise.

Figures

Fig. 31. Holotype of Aphanogmus rafikii sp. nov. (ZFMK-HYM-00037067). A–C. Male genitalia in ventral (A), lateral (B) and dorsal (C) views. D. Habitus in lateral view.