Ceraphron ekero, 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 : 174-177

Ceraphron ekero sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:A22C5855-E7FD-4B9C-B061-9A2CED5B8B70

Fig. 49

Diagnosis

Scape slightly longer than F1 and F2 combined; anteromedian projection of the metanoto-propodeo-metapecto-mesopectal complex short with pointed and slightly bifurcated end. Male genitalia: harpe cone-shaped in ventral and dorsal view; harpe/gvc index 0.42; dorsomedial margins of harpes slightly converging and almost touching at distodorsal margin of gvc, dorsomedial margin of harpe slightly convex and diverging distolaterally from base to apex; genitalia moderately sclerotized with strongest sclerotization at all margins of harpe.

Etymology

The species is named after the Ekero area, near the town Mumias, which is the type locality.

Material examined

Holotype

KENYA • ♂; Western Province, Kakamega Forest; 00°19′25.9 N, 34°30′39.6 E; 1343 m a.s.l.; 15 Aug. 2008; F. Hita Garcia leg.; Transect 32; primary rain forest; Winkler leaf litter extraction; ZFMK; ZFMK- HYM-00036909 .

Paratype

KENYA • 1 ♂; same collection data as for holotype; ZFMK-HYM-00036910 .

Description

Male (N = 2 in morphometric measurements)

BODY LENGTH. 0.78–0.90 mm.

COLOUR. Head brown, mesosoma brown, metasoma light brown; scape, pedicel and flagellum light brown; legs yellowish except proximal half of coxae light brown; fore wing venation light brown, fore and hind wing disc slightly melanized (ZFMK-HYM-00036910).

ANTENNA. 11-segmented, flagellomeres cylindric; scape 2.9× as long as pedicel, scape slightly longer than F1 and F2 combined, F1 2.8 × as long as wide, F1 1.4× as long as pedicel, F1 1.2 × as long as F2, F1 shorter than F7 and F8 combined, F1 shorter than F9 (ZFMK-HYM-00036910), F6 1.8× as long as wide, F6 shorter than F7 and F8 combined, F6 1.1× as high as F9 (ZFMK-HYM-00036910); few small multiporous plates on flagellomeres, sensillae on flagellomeres sickle-shaped and shorter than width of flagellomeres.

HEAD. Head width 1.19–1.25 × (1.25) head height; head width 1.74–1.83 × (1.74) interorbital space; maximum eye diameter 1.31–1.33× (1.33) minimum eye diameter; head height 1.60–1.71 × (1.60) 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 1.00:0.59– 0.63:0.50–0.63 (1.00:0.59:0.63); OOL 2.67 × (2.67) lateral ocellus diameter. White, thick setae on upper face indistinct; supraclypeal depression present; lateral margin of torulus slightly raised; intertorular carina present; posterolateral processes of gena absent.

MESOSOMA, METASOMA. Mesosoma not compressed laterally. Head width 1.08–1.13 × (1.08) mesosoma width; Weber length 269–306 µm (269 µm). Mesoscutum densely setose, setae curved backwards; median mesoscutal sulcus present; median mesoscutal sulcus adjacent to transscutal articulation; interaxillar sulcus absent (= scutoscutellar sulcus adjacent to transscutal articulation), scutoscutellar sulcus slightly concave; dorsal axillar area setose, setae curved backwards; mesoscutellum setose, setae curved backwards. Mesoscutum width 1.82–1.84 × (1.82) mesoscutellum width; posterior mesoscutal width 1.35–1.37× (1.35) mesoscutellum width; mesoscutellum length 1.53–1.59 × (1.59) mesoscutellum width; mesoscutellum length 1.12–1.17 × (1.17) posterior mesoscutal width; Weber length 1.39–1.40 × (1.39) mesoscutum width; Weber length 1.59–1.69× (1.59) mesoscutellum length. Anteromedian projection of the metanoto-propodeo-metapecto-mesopectal complex short and straight in lateral view with pointed and slightly bifurcated end; mesometapleural sulcus indistinct; posterior propodeal projection straight in ventrolateral view; posterior mesosomal comb indistinct. Basal transverse carina of petiole (on syntergum) present; at least five, basal longitudinal carinae on syntergum; translucent patches on metasoma absent.

FORE WING. Length 3.20 × width; stigmal vein 3 × as long as pterostigma marginal length. (ZFMK- HYM-00036910)

MALE GENITALIA. Genital length 100–103 µm (100 µm); Weber length 2.69–2.97 × (2.69) genital length; gvc width 50–56 µm (50 µm); genital length 1.83–2.00 × (2.00) gvc width; gvc width more than three quarters of gvc length; gvc width 1.16× distal gvc width. Proximodorsal margin of gvc slightly concave; distodorsal margin of gvc slightly descending proximomedially ( Fig. 49C ); proximoventral margin of gvc slightly convex; distoventral margin of gvc descending proximomedially ( Fig. 49A ); ventral area of gvc convex; dorsal area of gvc convex ( Fig. 49B ); proximolateral margin of gvc slightly emarginated ventrally; distolateral margin of gvc descending ventrally ( Fig. 49B ). Harpe cone-shaped in ventral and dorsal view; harpe/gvc index 0.42; lateral articulation site of harpe with gvc not flush ( Fig. 49A, C ); ventral margin of harpe concave, dorsal margin slightly convex ( Fig. 49B ), lateral margin convex, widest point of harpe at lateral articulation site with gvc ( Fig. 49A, C ); dorsomedial margins of harpes slightly converging and almost touching at distodorsal margin of gvc, dorsomedial margin of harpe slightly convex and diverging distolaterally from base to apex ( Fig. 49C ), apex of harpe slightly pointed, oriented distolaterally ( Fig. 49A, C ). Harpe with at least two lateral setae restricted to apical third, longest lateral setae half as long as harpe, lateral setae oriented distolaterally and distoventrally; harpe with at least two apical setae, longest apical setae two thirds as long as harpe, apical setae oriented distomedially and distoventrally; harpe with at least four median setae, longest median setae more than one third as long as harpe, median setae oriented distomedially, distoventrally and medioventrally. Aedeagus + gonossiculus more than two thirds as long as harpe, apex of aedeagus + gonossiculus acute ( Fig. 49A, C ) and ventral to apex of harpe. Genitalia moderately sclerotized with strongest sclerotization at distal margin of gvc and all margins of harpe.

Female

Unknown.

Variation

ZFMK-HYM-00036910 has at least seven basal longitudinal carinae on the syntergum.

Biology

Host unknown, specimens collected from leaf litter.

Distribution

Afrotropical: Kenya.

Remarks

Comparison with similar species

Ceraphron ekero sp. nov. and C. sp. 5 are similar but they can be distinguished by the flagellomeres of C. ekero being longer and thinner than those of C. sp. 5. In addition, C. ekero has a smaller head height to maximum eye diameter ratio (1.60–1.71) than C. sp. 5 (1.86), and C. ekero has a higher gvc width to gvc length ratio (> 0.75) than C. sp. 5 (<0.66). Also, the dorsomedial margin of harpe is slightly convex in C. ekero and straight in C. sp. 5.

For more comparisons with similar species, see remarks under C. maathaiae sp. nov.

Condition of type material

In the holotype, both F9, both fore wings, and the left hind wing are missing.

Figures

Fig. 49. Holotype of Ceraphron ekero sp. nov. (ZFMK-HYM-00036909). A–C. Male genitalia in ventral (A), lateral (B) and dorsal (C) views. D. Habitus in lateral view.