Ceraphron insolitus, 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 : 191-194

Ceraphron insolitus sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:939ED017-FC99-442B-A2E1-59D0E030FA1D

Fig. 54

Diagnosis

Metacoxa light yellow and transparent; 10 segmented antennae; flagellomeres cylindric and trapezoidal; scape as long as F1 to F4 combined; F6 1.1× as wide as F 8 in lateral view; Weber length 1.49 × mesoscutum width. Male genitalia: harpe trapezoidal in ventral and dorsal view; harpe/gvc index 0.56; dorsomedial margins of harpes almost touching at distodorsal margin of gvc, dorsomedial margin of harpe straight and virtually parallel to other harpe in approximately basal third, slightly concave and diverging distolaterally in approximately apical two thirds; ventral margin of harpe straight with small indentations in apical half; lateral setae oriented distodorsally and distolaterally; genitalia moderately sclerotized with weakest sclerotization at harpe.

Etymology

The species name is derived form the Latin word ‘ insolitus ’ which means ‘unusual’, with reference to the atypical appearance of the antennae.

Material examined

Holotype

KENYA • ♂; Western Province, Kakamega Forest; 00°21′7.9 N, 34°52′2.6 E; 1597 m a.s.l.; 9 Jul. 2007; F. Hita Garcia leg.; Transect 7; primary rain forest; Winkler leaf litter extraction; ZFMK; ZFMK- HYM-00036926 .

Description

Male

BODY LENGTH. 1.03 mm.

COLOUR. Head brown, mesosoma brown, metasoma light brown; scape yellowish, pedicel light brown, flagellum light brown, gradually darkening from F1 to F8; legs yellowish except metacoxa light yellow and transparent; fore wing venation light brown, fore and hind wing disc slightly melanized.

ANTENNA. 10 segmented, flagellomeres cylindric and trapezoidal; scape 3.4× as long as pedicel, scape as long as F1 to F4 combined, F1 1.8 × as long as wide, F1 1.1× as long as pedicel, F1 1.5 × as long as F2, F1 shorter than F7 and F8 combined, F1 shorter than F8, F6 1.3× as long as wide, F6 shorter than F7 and F8 combined, F6 1.1 × as wide as F 8 in lateral view; few small multiporous plates on flagellomeres, sensillae on flagellomeres sickle-shaped and shorter than width of flagellomeres.

HEAD. Head width 1.10 × head height; head width 1.82 × interorbital space; maximum eye diameter 1.26 × minimum eye diameter; head height 1.86 × 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 1.00:0.42:0.40; OOL 2.50 × lateral ocellus diameter. White, thick setae on upper face indistinct; supraclypeal depression present; lateral margin of torulus raised; intertorular carina present; posterolateral processes of gena absent.

MESOSOMA, METASOMA. Mesosoma not compressed laterally. Head width 1.00 × mesosoma width; Weber length 334 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 straight; dorsal axillar area setose, setae curved backwards; mesoscutellum sparsely setose, setae curved backwards or straight. Mesoscutum width 1.71 × mesoscutellum width; posterior mesoscutal width 1.43 × mesoscutellum width; mesoscutellum length 1.57 × mesoscutellum width; mesoscutellum length 1.10 × posterior mesoscutal width; Weber length 1.49 × mesoscutum width; Weber length 1.62 × mesoscutellum length. Anteromedian projection of the metanoto-propodeo-metapecto-mesopectal complex slightly curved in lateral view with lighter end; mesometapleural sulcus absent; posterior propodeal projection straight and light in ventrolateral view; posterior mesosomal comb absent. Basal transverse carina of petiole (on syntergum) present; at least five basal longitudinal carinae on syntergum; translucent patches on metasoma absent.

FORE WING. Length 2.99 × width; stigmal vein shorter than 3× pterostigma marginal length.

MALE GENITALIA. Genital length 131 µm; Weber length 2.55 × genital length; gvc width 50 µm; genital length 2.63× gvc width; gvc width less than two thirds of gvc length; gvc width 1.15 × distal gvc width. Proximodorsal margin of gvc convex; distodorsal margin of gvc descending proximomedially ( Fig. 54C ); proximoventral margin of gvc slightly convex; distoventral margin of gvc descending proximomedially ( Fig. 54A ); ventral area of gvc straight; dorsal area of gvc slightly convex ( Fig. 54B ); proximolateral margin of gvc ascending and slightly emarginated ventrally; distolateral margin of gvc descending ventrally ( Fig. 54B ). Harpe trapezoidal in ventral and dorsal view; harpe/gvc index 0.56; lateral articulation site of harpe with gvc virtually flush ( Fig. 54A, C ); ventral margin of harpe straight with small indentations in apical half, dorsal margin straight ( Fig. 54B ), lateral margin slightly convex, widest point of harpe at apical quarter ( Fig. 54A, C ); dorsomedial margins of harpes almost touching at distodorsal margin of gvc, dorsomedial margin of harpe straight and virtually parallel to other harpe in approximately basal third, slightly concave and diverging distolaterally in approximately apical two thirds ( Fig. 54C ), apex of harpe pointed ( Fig. 54A, C ). Harpe with at least two lateral setae restricted to apical third, longest lateral setae less than one third as long as harpe, lateral setae oriented distodorsally and distolaterally; harpe with at least three apical setae, longest apical setae half as long as harpe, apical setae oriented distomedially and distoventrally; harpe with at least seven median setae restricted to apical half, longest median setae third of harpe length, median setae oriented distomedially and distoventrally. Aedeagus + gonossiculus less than one third as long as harpe, apex of aedeagus + gonossiculus pointed ( Fig. 54A, C ) and ventral to apex of harpe. Genitalia moderately sclerotized with weakest sclerotization at harpe.

Female

Unknown.

Variation

Unknown.

Biology

Host unknown, specimen collected from leaf litter.

Distribution

Afrotropical: Kenya.

Remarks

Comparison with similar species

The male holotype of C. insolitus sp. nov. has cylindric and trapezoidal flagellomeres, a very long scape, and a 10-segmented antenna, characters otherwise found mainly in female ceraphronids. However, based on the genitalia it is clearly a male specimen. Abnormal antennal segments, as shown in the holotype of Conostigmus difformis (Boheman, 1832) and a female specimen of Ceraphron longistriatus Dessart, 1973 are based on fusions or partial fusions of segments ( Dessart 1993). However, the male of the Nearctic Ceraphron macroneurus (Ashmead, 1887) has also a true 10-segmented antenna. Ceraphron insolitus can be distinguished from C. macroneurus , in addition to the differences in distribution, by the length of the antennal segments, i.e., the scape of C. macroneurus is shorter than F1 to F4 combined but longer than F1 to F3 combined (scape as long as F1 to F4 combined in C. insolitus ), and by the anteromedian projection of the metanoto-propodeo-metapecto-mesopectal complex which is absent in C. macroneurus and present in C. insolitus (for list of characters of C. macroneurus , see Dessart (1975a: 253). Ceraphron macroneurus had been transferred to its own genus Neoceraphron Ashmead, 1893 based on the 10-segmented antenna, but was transferred back into the genus Ceraphron by Dessart (1979b). Dessart (1979b) argued that a 10-segmented antenna in the male alone is not sufficient for diagnosing a separate genus, and accordingly we also place C. insolitus in Ceraphron . Future systematic studies using molecular sequence data might help solving this issue.

Condition of type material

Holotype is immaculate.

Figures

Fig. 54. Holotype of Ceraphron insolitus sp. nov. (ZFMK-HYM-00036926). A–C. Male genitalia in ventral (A), lateral (B) and dorsal (C) views. D. Habitus in lateral view.