Aphanogmus njia, 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 : 54-57

Aphanogmus njia sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:5BB63D93-45EE-4A7E-8A5F-D77E593FFD97

Fig. 13

Diagnosis

Preoccipital carina distinct; preoccipital furrow present, with interocellar pit. Male genitalia: harpe broad and round in lateral view; harpe/gvc index 0.50; ventromedial margins of harpes not touching at distoventral margin of gvc, ventromedial margin of harpe convex and touching in basal third, concave in middle third, straight and diverging distolaterally in apical third; harpe with at least one ventral seta restricted to apical two thirds.

Etymology

The species is named after the Swahili word ‘ njia ’ which means ‘path’ or ‘aisle’, with reference to the large forest aisle of the Kakamega Forest which is the type locality.

Material examined

Holotype

KENYA • ♂; Western Province, Kakamega Forest; 00°18′13.4 N, 34°48′16 E; 1554 m a.s.l.; 20 Jun. 2007; F. Hita Garcia leg.; Transect 5; primary rain forest; Winkler leaf litter extraction; ZFMK; ZFMK- HYM-00037017 .

Description

Male

BODY LENGTH. 0.74 mm.

COLOUR. Head brown, mesosoma brown, metasoma light brown except anterior half yellowish; scape yellowish and pedicel light brown, flagellum light brown, gradually darkening from F1 to F9; legs light brown-yellowish except joints, tarsi and metacoxa light yellow and transparent; fore wing venation light brown, fore and hind wing disc slightly melanized, fore wing at proximal part less melanized.

ANTENNA. 11-segmented, flagellomeres trapezoidal; scape 3.8× as long as pedicel, scape longer than F1 and F2 combined, F1 2.9× as long as wide, F1 1.7× as long as pedicel, F1 1.1× as long as F2, F1 shorter than F7 and F8 combined, F1 shorter than F9, F6 2.2 × as long as wide, F6 shorter than F7 and F8 combined, F6 1.1 × as high as F9; few distinctly small multiporous plates on flagellomeres, sensillae on flagellomeres erect and longer than width of flagellomeres.

HEAD. Head width 1.11 × head height; head width 1.81 × interorbital space; maximum eye diameter 1.22 × minimum eye diameter; head height 1.59 × maximum eye diameter. Dorsal margin of occipital carina ventral to dorsal margin of lateral ocellus in lateral view; preoccipital furrow present, with interocellar pit; preoccipital carina distinct. OOL:POL:LOL 1.00:0.81:0.59; OOL 1.80 × 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 1.30 × mesosoma width; Weber length 256 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 setose, setae curved backwards or straight. Mesoscutum width 1.93× mesoscutellum width; posterior mesoscutal width 1.47 × mesoscutellum width; mesoscutellum length 1.80 × mesoscutellum width; mesoscutellum length 1.23 × posterior mesoscutal width; Weber length 1.41 × mesoscutum width; Weber length 1.52 × 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 3.09 × width; stigmal vein slightly longer thanpterostigma marginal length.

MALE GENITALIA. Genital length 113 µm; Weber length 2.28 × genital length; gvc width 50 µm; genital length 2.25× gvc width; gvc width more than two thirds of gvc length; gvc width 1.10 × distal gvc width. Proximodorsal margin of gvc strongly convex; distodorsal margin of gvc descending proximomedially ( Fig.13C );proximoventral margin of gvc straight; distoventral margin of gvc descending proximomedially ( Fig. 13A ); ventral area of gvc straight; dorsal area of gvc convex ( Fig. 13B ); proximolateral margin of gvc strongly ascending ventrally; distolateral margin of gvc convex ( Fig. 13B ). Harpe broad and round in lateral view; harpe/gvc index 0.50; lateral articulation site of harpe with gvc virtually flush ( Fig. 13A, C ); ventral margin of harpe straight, dorsal margin straight ( Fig. 13B ), lateral margin straight in basal two thirds, concave in apical one third, widest point of harpe at lateral articulation site with gvc ( Fig. 13A, C ); ventromedial margins of harpes not touching at distoventral margin of gvc, ventromedial margin of harpe convex and touching in basal third, concave in middle third, straight and diverging distolaterally in apical third ( Fig. 13C ), apex of harpe pointed, oriented distolaterally ( Fig. 13A, C ). Harpe with at least one ventral seta restricted to apical two thirds, longest ventral seta less than half as long as harpe, ventral seta oriented distolaterally and distoventrally; harpe with at least one apical seta, longest apical seta less than one quarter as long as harpe, apical seta oriented distolaterally and distoventrally. Aedeagus + gonossiculus indistinct. Genitalia weakly 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

See remarks under A. kakamegaensis sp. nov.

Condition of type material

The male genitalia were lost during processing of the species. Yet, with the specimen still present and the detailed images and description of the male genitalia at hand, allowing a very robust diagnosis, we decided to describe this species as new.

Figures

Fig. 13. Holotype of Aphanogmus njia sp. nov. (ZFMK-HYM-00037017). A–C. Male genitalia in ventral (A), lateral (B) and dorsal (C) views. D. Habitus in lateral view.