Megastigmus smithi Roques & Copeland

Roques, Alain, Copeland, Robert S., Soldati, Laurent, Denux, Olivier & Auger-Rozenberg, Marie-Anne, 2016, Megastigmus seed chalcids (Hymenoptera, Torymidae) radiated much more on Angiosperms than previously considered. I- Description of 8 new species from Kenya, with a key to the females of Eastern and Southern Africa, ZooKeys 585, pp. 51-124 : 70-72

Taxon classification Animalia Hymenoptera Torymidae

Megastigmus smithi Roques & Copeland sp. n.

Type material.

Holotype ♀, Kenya, Coast Province, Sagalla Mountain, 3.47864°S, 38.57463°E, 1090m, 22 Sep 2014, ex. Lannea cf. schimperi fruits, CHIESA coll. N°343, R. Copeland leg. (NMKE).

Paratypes 2♀♀, same collection data as holotype (1♀ ICIPE; 1♀ARC).

Description.

Holotype ♀. Medium-sized species, body length (without ovipositor) 4.6 mm; length of ovipositor sheaths 0.8 mm. Body colour orange-yellow and brown (Figures 30, 31, 32). Head with face yellow except a blackish infuscation extending from base of eye along malar line, a large brown spot covering most of head dorsum and extending to the top of the scrobe on the face and to the temple on the back; parascrobal area and gena yellow. Pilosity on lower face pale; upper face and dorsum of head with conspicuous black hairs (Figure 33). Antenna brownish except scape entirely yellow and pedicel yellow underneath. Pronotum yellow with a brown, irregular median band extending from anterior to posterior suture (Figure 32); mid-lobe of mesoscutum yellow with a large triangular brownish band in the middle, narrowing from anterior to posterior suture; lateral lobe of mesoscutum with a large orange rectangular spot at apex; axilla with a large longitudinal orange band on its lateral half (Figure 32). Scutellum with a large brownish band, covering about half of the surface until frenum; frenal area quite completely brownish, with a narrow yellow band on borders; pleura and ventrum yellow except a large dark orange spot along mesopleural line. Pilosity on thorax entirely black; 3 pairs of black hairs on scutellum. Legs entirely pale yellow except claws brown.

Forewing stigma brown without infuscation; basal cell indistinct, lacking setae, no setae on basal setal line and costal setal line (Figure 35). Propodeum with a large, oval longitudinal black band in its middle (Figure 30, 32); callus and metapleuron yellow with the suture dark orange. Propodeum hairs entirely pale; Gaster brown, T3 orange with a black spot at insertion, following tergites with a dark brown band covering the middle part (Figure 30), lateral parts orange with a whitish rectangular spot on the side. Pilosity on gaster black. Ovipositor sheaths black, very short, only 0.4 × as long as gaster, 0.2 × as long as body (Figure 31).

Head transverse (Figure 33), width: height ratio: 1.5; POL: OOL: 1.4. Scape 1.2 × as long as combined length of pedicel, anellus and F1 (Figure 34); scape 0.9 × as long as combined length of pedicel, anellus, F1 and F2; anellus subquadrate; F1 1.1 × as long as pedicel, 1.5 × as long as wide; F2 1.5 × as long as wide; following funicular segments longer than wide, F7 1.3 × longer than wide. Pronotum, mid- and lateral lobes of mesoscutum with transverse carinae; axilla striated. Mid-lobe of mesoscutum 1.1 × as long as scutellum. Scutellum 1.3 × as long as wide, with irregular transverse striae; frenum 0.4 × as long as scutellum length; completely covered with irregular, concentric wrinkles. Forewing stigma oval elongate, 1.6 × as long as wide (Figure 35); upper part of stigmal vein relatively elongate, 0.4 × as long as stigma length; uncus short, 0.4 × as long as upper part of stigmal vein; marginal vein 0.9 × as long as postmarginal vein. Propodeum with coarse longitudinal carinae, and conspicuous spiracles.

Variation: Body length from 4.5-4.9 mm, ovipositor sheaths from 0.8-0.9 mm. No variation was observed in colour or pilosity.

No males reared.

Host plants.

Lannea cf. schimperi ( Anacardiaceae ). Like other species also reared from Anacardiaceae fruits, e.g., Megastigmus pistaciae and Megastigmus transvaalensis , it is probably a seed chalcid.

Distribution.

Known only from Sagalla Mountain, Taita Hills, Kenya. Specimens emerged from only 0.4% of sampled fruits (Table 3).

Etymology.

Named in honour of Robert J. Smith, noted musicologist and exceptional left fielder.

Diagnosis and comments.

Its comparatively very short ovipositor, nearly 2 × smaller than gaster length, allows to separate easily this species from the other ones developing in Anacardiacae fruits and showing resembling body colour patterns but a comparatively much longer ovipositor, quite as long as gaster length ( Megastigmus ozoroae ) or longer ( Megastigmus lanneae ; Megastigmus hypogeus ).