Caenocrepis formidolosa, Mitroiu, Mircea-Dan, 2012

Mitroiu, Mircea-Dan, 2012, The genus Caenocrepis Thomson (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) in the Afrotropical region, with a key to world species, Zootaxa 3557, pp. 49-55 : 53-55

Caenocrepis formidolosa sp. nov.

( Figs 9, 10, 12 , 14, 18 )

Type material. Holotype female ( BMNH): ZIMBABWE: “ Rhodesia, Salisbury, A. Watsham / WF 96, xii 74 ”. Paratypes (one female, four males): ZIMBABWE: 1Ƥ “ Rhodesia, Salisbury, A. Watsham / WF 213, xi.75 ” ( BMNH); 13 “ Rhodesia, Salisbury, A. Watsham / WF 78, x 74 ”, “R430” ( BMNH); 13 “ Rhodesia, Salisbury, A. Watsham / WF 101, xii. 74 ” ( BMNH); 13 “ Rhodesia, Salisbury, A. Watsham / WF 120, (i)75”, “R461”, “clypeus” [Bouček’s handwriting] ( BMNH); 13 “ Rhodesia, Makumbi Miss, A. Watsham (i)76”, “big teeth” [Bouček’s handwriting] ( BMNH).

Diagnosis. Easily recognizable from all the other species by the very large clypeal lobes, present both in females and males ( Fig. 14 ).

Description. Female. Body length. 1.85–2.25 mm.

Colour. Head and mesosoma black, mostly without metallic tinge. Metasoma brownish, with some copper and greenish reflections. Eyes reddish, ocelli light brown. Antenna light brown, but darker on dorsal side of pedicel and flagellum. Mandible light brown. Fore wing slightly infuscate, mainly on disc; tegula and venation brown. Coxae as mesosoma; trochanters and femora dark brown; tibiae dark brown, knees and distal extremities yellowish; tarsi light brown, last segment darker.

Head. Uniformly reticulate except clypeus. In dorsal view about 2.4× as broad as long and in frontal view 1.15× as broad as high. Posterior part of head moderately concave. Temple extremely short in dorsal view, only about one seventh eye length. POL about 1.5–1.6× OOL. Eyes 1.35–1.4× as high as long, with inner margins slightly diverging. Malar space about 0.6× eye height and about 0.8× eye length. Clypeus with irregular strong striation, face with a very small convexity above it; clypeal margin with a broad incision delimiting large lobe on either side that extends ventrally in front of mandibles (lobe also seen in lateral view as a sharp lamina, Fig. 9 ). Antennal scrobes not obviously developed, but a small depression above both toruli present. Antennae inserted about level with lower ocular line, separated by less than diameter of a torulus; scape not reaching median ocellus, short; combined length of pedicel and flagellum about 0.8× head width and about 2.3× scape length; pedicel length about 1.8× width in lateral view; both anelli transverse, the first narrower than second; funicle with proximal F slightly transverse (F1 conical, width about 1.1× length, F6 width about 1.3× length) and with sensilla arranged in one irregular row on each segment; clava length about 2.1–2.2× width.

Mesosoma. Slightly narrower than head, length about 1.1–1.2× width, and length about 1.2× height. Mesoscutum width about 2–2.2× length. Scutellum moderately convex, width about 1.1× length, about equal to mesoscutum. Dorsellum as a transverse lamina, lateral panels of metanotum uniformly reticulate. Propodeum short, width about 6–6.4× median length; plicae not raised but median area clearly delimited and covered with raised reticulation; sides almost smooth, shiny; median carina evident, raised above reticulation; nuchal area not developed, with a small smooth triangle anteriorly, continuous with median carina; spiracle elongated, not touching metanotum. Fore wing length about 2.1–2.2× width; S about 1.1–1.2× M, P about 1.6–1.7× M; stigma moderate, uncus small; costal cell ventrally with many rows of hairs distally; basal cell, including basal vein, completely bare; speculum short, not extending further than proximal end of M; disc densely pilose, without bare areas below M or between S and P; marginal fringe short.

Metasoma. Long acuminate, about 1.1–1.2× as long as mesosoma, length about 1.4–1.9× width, depending on extent tergites collapsed; Gt1 about one-third metasoma length. Ovipositor sheaths barely visible in dorsal view.

Male. Differs from the female mainly in the following characters: head width about 2.3–2.4× length in dorsal view; temples less short in dorsal view, about one sixth to one fifth eye length; POL about 1.6–1.7× OOL; eye height about 1.2–1.3× length; antenna longer, combined length of pedicel and flagellum about 1.2–1.3× head width; pedicel shorter, length about 1.3–1.4× width; all F longer than broad, with two rows of sensilla on each segment (F1 length about 1.3× width, F6 the same); clava longer, length about 2.4–2.5× width; mesosoma length about 1.2× width and length about 1.3–1.4× height; mesoscutum less transverse, width about 1.8× length; fore wing length about twice width; M sometimes equal to S, P about 1.3–1.4× M; metasoma oval, shorter than mesosoma.

Etymology. From the Latin word for terrifying, with regard to the very large clypeal lobes.

Distribution. Afrotropical: Zimbabwe.

Hosts. Unknown, see C. simonae .

Figures

FIGURES 7 – 12. 7 and 8, Caenocrepis simonae sp. nov., lateral habitus: 7, female holotype; 8 male paratype. 9 and 10, C. formidolosa sp. nov., lateral habitus: 9, female holotype; 10, male paratype. 11 and 12, head in frontal view: 11. C. simonae, female holotype; 12. C. formidolosa, female paratype.

FIGURES 13 – 18. 13 and 14, clypeus: 13, C. simonae sp. nov., female holotype; 14. C. formidolosa sp. nov., female paratype. 15 – 18, fore wings: 15, C. arenicola, female; 16, C. bothynoderi, female; 17, C. simonae, female holotype; 18, C. formidolosa, female holotype.