Ormyrus nkoloensis Rasplus

Rasplus, Jean-Yves, Salle, John La, Delvare, Gérard, Mckey, Doyle & Webber, Bruce L, 2011, A new Afrotropical genus and species of Tetrastichinae (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) inducing galls on Bikinia (Fabaceae: Caesalpinioideae) and a new species of Ormyrus (Hymenoptera: Ormyridae) associated with the gall, Zootaxa 2907, pp. 51-59 : 56

Ormyrus nkoloensis Rasplus sp. nov.

( Figs 3 A–G, 4C, 4D)

Diagnosis. Head dorsally with dense cross-striation. Occipital carina situated close to occipital foramen. Mesosoma dorsally 1.4 × as long as broad. Hind coxa with faint reticulation and bearing a longitudinal carina anteriorly. Gaster length 2.25 × length of head + mesosoma; metasoma compressed laterally with a simple median carina from tergite 3 to tergite 6. Tergites 3–5 deeply punctured, bearing 3–4 rows of foveae; cusp length longer than intercusp distance.

Description. Female. Body length 2.3– 2-6 mm. Head bright metallic green, golden on clypeus and gena ( Fig. 3 A). Antennal scape yellow, pedicel and flagellum dark brown. Mesosoma dorsally metallic blue-green turning metallic blue on scutellum, laterally brown with green metallic tinge ( Fig. 3 B, D & F). Legs including fore and mid coxae, and distal parts of hind coxae yellow. Hind coxae dark brown with green metallic tinge. Wings hyaline, uniformly smoked. Gaster brown except first tergite metallic blue-green, and some blue reflections on sides of second tergite ( Fig. 3 B, C & E).

Relative measurements (taken with a micrometer, 1mm = 190 graduations): head width 119, height 90, length 55, POL 24, OOL 10, eye (height × length) 66 × 48, malar space 18, distance between toruli and mouth margin 35, scape (length × width) 40 × 11, flagellum plus pedicel 128.

Head dorsally with dense cross-striation, rather densely clothed with pubescence ( Fig. 3 F). Occipital carina situated close to occipital foramen, difficult to observe within the striation. Scrobes deep and smooth ( Fig. 3 A), lower face striate bearing a raised semicircular carina midway between toruli and clypeal margin. Malar sulcus present. Gena smooth along malar sulcus, becoming striated dorsally. Pedicel dorsally nearly twice as long as broad (13: 7). First anellus thin, second nearly half as long as broad. First funicular segment as long as wide, last (sixth) about 1.1 × as broad as long, each flagellomere with one row of sensilla. Clava about 2 × as long as broad.

Mesosoma dorsally 1.4 × as long as broad ( Fig. 3 F). Pronotum and mesoscutum transversely and finely reticulate ( Fig. 3 F). Scutellum about as long as broad, its apex rounded ( Fig. 3 F); scutellum transversely reticulate anteriorly, posteriorly the reticulations arranged concentrically. Propodeum subvertical, entirely smooth. Fore wing ( Fig. 3 G) with dense pilosity, cubital line of setae almost reaching the base of wing, basal line complete. Basal cell setose, with a dorsal row of bristles close to and parallel with the submarginal vein and a ventral row in middle of basal cell; costal cell dorsally bare but ventrally setose along margin; speculum asetose; stigma subparallel to postmarginal vein ( Fig. 3 G). Hind coxa with faint reticulation and bearing a longitudinal carina anteriorly ( Fig. 3 D).

Gaster length 2.25 × length of head + mesosoma; metasoma compressed laterally with a simple median carina from tergite 3 to tergite 6 ( Fig. 3 C). Tergites 3–5 deeply punctured, bearing 3–4 rows of foveae; cusp length longer than intercusp distance ( Fig. 3 E). Distal third of gaster conical and moderately up-turned. Epipygium as long as dorsal length of tergite six. Exerted part of ovipositor as long as epipygium.

Male. Unknown

Etymology. Named after the type locality, a village of south-western Cameroon.

Material examined. Holotype ♀: CAMEROON, 1 km W of the village N'kolo-Bondé, c. 200 m from the Béla - Bipindi road, (03°13'N, 10°15'E, 90 m asl), ex galls on Bikinia letestui (Pellegr.) Wieringa subsp. letestui ( Fabaceae : Caesalpinioideae ) ( CBGP). 3♀, paratypes: same collection date as holotype ( CBGP).

Discussion. Ormyrus nkoloensis belongs to the Ormyrus punctiger species-group, which is characterized by a single carina on the dorsal part of the gaster ( Bouček et al. 1981). Ormyrus nkoloensis is closely related to O. flavipes Bouček, 1981 from which it differs, at first sight, by its entirely metallic green gaster, without the testaceous coloration on the sides of the characteristic gaster of O. flavipes . In O. nkoloensis , the epipygium is less than 2 × as long as the tergite six whereas it is more than 2 × as long in O. flavipes . Furthermore, the length of the exerted part of the ovipositor is about as long as the epipygium, whereas it is clearly shorter in O. flavipes .

Figures

FIGURE 3. Ormyrus nkoloensis Rasplus sp. nov. paratype. FEMALE: (A) head, frontal view; (B) habitus; (C) gaster, dorsal view; (D) head and mesosoma, lateral view; (E) gaster, lateral view; (F) head and mesosoma, dorsal view; (G) right wings.