Gnathochorisis ventralis Varga, 2021

Varga, Oleksandr, 2021, First record of the genus Gnathochorisis Förster, 1869 (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae: Orthocentrinae) from the Afrotropical region, with descriptions of two new species from Kenya, Zootaxa 5052 (3), pp. 441-446 : 444-445

Gnathochorisis ventralis Varga , sp. n.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:BA7EE2DC-8F72-4664-9DEA-B08FB8DEDBDA

( Fig. 2 )

Material examined. Holotype: female, KENYA, Coast Province , Muhaka Forest, 41 m, 4.32664° S, 39.52462° E, Malaise trap in indigenous forest, 22.v–5.vi.2015, leg. R. Copeland (Deposited in: ICIPE) . Paratypes: female, same locality as holotype, 18.xi–1.xii.2015 (Deposited in: ICIPE); female, idem, 15–29.xi.2014 (Deposited in: SIZK) .

Diagnosis. Gnathochorisis ventralis sp. n. is characterized by the combination of the following characters: fore wing with areolet closed (vein 3 rs-m present), face, meso- and metapleuron, and second metasomal tergite ivory/yellow, second tergite distinctly granulate to apex, third tergite weakly granulate basally, propodeum granulate centrally.

Description. Holotype. Female ( Fig. 2 ). Body length approximately 3.5 mm, fore wing 3.0 mm.

Head ( Fig. 2B ) generally smooth and partly pubescent. Antenna with 18 flagellomeres, first flagellomere 1.3 × the length of the second, flagellomeres; maximum diameter of lateral ocellus about as long as the length of the ocellar-ocular distance; inner margins of eyes diverging downwards; face about 0.7 × as long as wide, smooth, covered with long setae; clypeus moderately convex, about 0.4 × as long as wide, distinctly separated from face, notched apically, smooth, covered with long setae; malar space about as long as the basal width of mandible; subocular sulcus distinct; mandible narrow, weakly twisted, both teeth visible, upper tooth longer than lower tooth; occipital carina largely absent dorsally; temples strongly narrowed behind eyes, short.

Mesosoma ( Fig. 2C ). Propleuron smooth, sparsely pubescent; pronotum smooth, epomia absent; mesoscutum weakly transverse, with notauli absent, densely pubescent; scutellum convex, smooth, densely pubescent, with lateral carina present basally; mesopleuron smooth, densely pubescent ventrally, epicnemial carina present on lower 0.5 of mesopleuron; metapleuron smooth, submetapleural carina strong, pleural carina present and complete; propodeum ( Fig. 2C ) smooth and sparsely pubescent, weakly granulate centrally, with well-developed carinae, area superomedia fused with area apicalis. Legs stout, hind femur 3.0 × longer than wide; fifth tarsomere 1.5 × as long as third tarsomere. Fore wing with fore wing with areolet closed (vein 3 rs-m present); vein cu-a opposite to Rs&M. Hind wing nervellus inclivous, with distance between first abscissa of Cu and M weakly longer than vein cu-a.

Metasoma ( Figs 2E, D ) generally smooth and impunctate. First tergite 1.9 × as long as apical width, with, granulate, dorsolateral carina distinct on basal 0.9 of the tergite, but weak, median longitudinal carina distinct and strong, reaching the apex of the tergite, glymma absent; second tergite 0.7 × as long as apical width, distinctly granulate to apex; third tergite weakly granulate basally; ovipositor ( Fig. 2D ) up-curved, the length from tip of hypopygium about 0.7 × length of hind tibia.

Colour. Body generally brownish-black dorsally and yellow/ivory ventrally. Face, clypeus, mandible (except apex), malar space, scape, pedicel, inner eye orbits on frons, mesosoma ventrally, mesoscutum partly, legs except hind tarsi fuscous, and second metasomal tergite largely yellow with ivory marks; mesosoma dorsally and the rest of metasoma brownish-black; pterostigma and veins brown, ovipositor yellow, antenna fuscous.

Male. Unknown.

Variability. Frons can be almost entirely black, hind tibia partly fuscous.

Distribution. Currently known only from Kenya.

Etymology. This species is named after the ventrally yellow body.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Gnathochorisis ventralis sp. n.: A, C) paratype female; B, D–E) holotype female; A) lateral view of habitus; B) frontal view of head; C) dorsal view of head and mesoscutum; D) dorsal view of propodeum; E) dorsal view of metasomal tergites 1–3. Scale bar = 0.1 mm.