Oberthuerella simba Buffington & van Noort

Buffington, Matthew L. & Noort, Simon van, 2012, Revision of the Afrotropical Oberthuerellinae (Cynipoidea, Liopteridae), ZooKeys 202, pp. 1-154 : 62-67

Oberthuerella simba Buffington & van Noort sp. n. Figures 30-32

Description.

Coloration of head, mesosoma, and metasoma, dark reddish brown; legs reddish brown. Sculpture on vertex, lateral surface of pronotum and mesoscutum present, deeply foveate laterally on head, pronotum; deeply horizontally striate on mesoscutum.

Head. Broadly triangular, in anterior view. Pubescence on head present, dense setae covering head. Sculpture along lateral margin of occiput many costulae. Gena (measured from compound eye to posterolateral margin of head) short, ratio of length of gena to length of compound eye in dorsal view <0.3, in dorsal view. Sculpture of gena deeply striate with remnants of fovea. Lateral margin of occiput defined by distinctly angled, raised, sharp carina. Occiput (except extreme lateral margin) with distinct subvertical, slightly and evenly curved costulae. Ocelli small, ratio of maximum diameter of a lateral ocellus to shortest distance between lateral ocelli 0.2-0.4. Anterior ocellus close to posterior ocelli, posterior margin of anterior ocellus behind or subcontiguous with a transverse line running through anterior margins of posterior ocelli. Relative position of toruli close to ocelli, ratio of vertical distance between inner margin of torulus and ventral margin of clypeus to vertical distance between anterior ocellus and torulus <2.0. Median keel of face present, extending to posterior margin of clypeus. Vertical carina adjacent to ventral margin of torulus absent. Facial sculpture present, punctate-rugose, transversely striate; striations meeting at medial keel. Facial impression absent, face flat. Antennal scrobe absent. Anterior tentorial pits large. Vertical delineations on lower face absent. Ventral clypeal margin laterally, close to anterior mandibular articulation, straight. Ventral clypeal margin medially emarginate. Clypeus foveate-punctate. Malar space adjacent to anterior articulation of mandible evenly rounded, striate-foveate. Malar sulcus absent. Compound eye close to posterior ocellus, ratio of distance between compound eye and posterior mandibular articulation to distance between posterior ocellus and compound eye> 1.2. Compound eye, in dorsal view, distinctly protruding from the surface of the head, particularly laterally. Pubescence on compound eye absent. Orbital furrows absent. Lateral frontal carina of face absent. Dorsal aspect of vertex deeply foveate. Posterior aspect of vertex foveate. Hair punctures on lateral aspect of vertex present, distinctly enlarged. Posterior surface of head deeply impressed around postocciput.

Labial-maxillary complex. Apical segment of maxillary palp with pubescence, consisting only of erect setae. First segment of labial palp shorter than apical segment. Apical seta on apical segment of maxillary palp shorter than twice length of second longest apical seta. Erect setae medially on apical segment of maxillary palp present. Maxillary palp composed of four segments. Last two segments of maxillary palp (in normal repose) straight. Distal margin of subapical segment of maxillary palp distinctly slanting outwards, apical segment bending outwards. Apical segment of maxillary palp more than 1.5 times as long as preceding segment.

Antenna. Articulation between flagellomeres in antenna connate with articles broadly joined. Female antenna composed of 11 flagellomeres. Female F1 shorter than F2; gold in color. Flagellomeres of female antenna cylindrical, not widened towards apex, non-clavate. Placoidal sensilla absent. Distal flagellomeres of female antenna not conspicuously enlarged compared to proximal flagellomeres.

Pronotum. Macrosculpture on lateral surface of pronotum present, foveate. Pubescence on lateral surface of pronotum present, long, dense. Anterior flange of pronotal plate distinctly protruding anteriorly, smooth. Carinae extending posteriorly from lateral margin of pronotal plate absent. Lateral pronotal carina present. Pronotal crest absent. Dorsal margin of pronotal plate (in anterior view) rounded. Submedian pronotal depressions closed laterally, deep. Lateral margin of pronotal plate defined all the way to the dorsal margin of the pronotum. Pronotal plate wide, almost as wide as head.

Mesoscutum. Mesoscutal surface convex, evenly curved. Sculpture on mesoscutum present, deeply transversely costate; densely setose. Notaulus present, marked by series of deep subcontiguous pits of uniform width. Median mesoscutal carina absent. Anterior admedial lines present, with adjacent cuticular surface foveate. Median mesoscutal impression present, long, reaching over 1/2 length of mesoscutum. Parascutal carina distinctly sinuate, posteriorly ending in posteroventrally directed projection.

Mesopleuron. Dorsally with strigae running dorsoventrally; ventrally smooth, medially densely setose. Subpleuron entirely smooth with long, white setae over entire surface. Lower mesopleuron medially smooth, setose; costate laterally, ventrally. Epicnemial carina present on ventral half of mesopleuron; shagreened, ventrally bulbous near mesosternum. Lateroventral mesopleural carina absent. Mesopleural triangle absent. Subalar pit large and well defined, lying in posterior end of subalar groove. Speculum present, shagreened. Mesopleural carina absent.

Scutellum. Dorsal surface of scutellum foveate-areolate. Circumscutellar carina present, incomplete, laterally delimiting dorsal and ventral halves of scutellum, not present posteriorly. Posterior margin of axillula marked by distinct ledge, axillula distinctly impressed adjacent to ledge. Lateroventral margin of scutellum posterior to auricula entirely smooth. Dorsoposterior part of scutellum produced posteriorly into sharp spine, greater than 1.0 × length of petiole. Dorsal part of scutellum entirely rugose. Scutellar plate absent. Scutellar foveae present, two, each with four longitudinal divisions resulting in transverse row of 10 longitudinally elongate subfovea. Longitudinal scutellar carinae absent. Single longitudinal carina separating scutellar foveae a bsent. Posterolateral margin of scutellum drawn out into distinct protuberance. Lateral Lateral bar narrow, with strong strigate, foveate sculpture.

Metapectal-propodeal complex. Metapectal cavity anterodorsal to metacoxal base absent. Anterior margin of metapectal-propodeal complex separated from mesopleuron by deep, broad, uninterrupted marginal impression. Posteroventral corner of metapleuron (in lateral view) rounded, not drawn out posteriorly. Anterior impression of metepimeron present, triangular, with broadest part ventrally. Posterior margin of metepimeron distinct, separating metepimeron from propodeum. Subalar area abruptly broadened anteriorly, with an indicated longitudinal division. Calyptra present, blunt, lobe-like, polished posteriorly with setiferous punctures anteriorly. Dorsellum present with two strong medial fovea, glabrous. Anterior impression of metepisternum, immediately beneath anterior end of metapleural carina, large and wide. Pubescence long, dense, silvery on metapleuron; long, thin on propodeum. Propodeal spurs present, crenulate. Lateral propodeal carinae present, not reaching scutellum. Ventral end of lateral propodeal carina terminating before reaching nucha. Inter propodeal carinae space lightly setose with two distinct fovea at dorsal end. Petiolar foramen removed from metacoxae, directed posteriorly. Horizontal carina running anteriorly from lateral propodeal carina present. Lateral propodeal carina straight, sub-parallel. Calyptra, in lateral view, elongate. Propodeum relatively short, not drawn out posteriorly. Calyptra, in posterior view, dorsoventrally elongate.

Legs. Pubescence posterolaterally on metacoxa moderately dense, confined dense hair patch absent. Microsculpture on hind coxa absent. Longitudinal carina on the posterior surface of metatibia absent. Metafemoral spine present, elongate, extending distally as low keel along ventral femoral margin. Distal mesotibial spurs shorter than medial spurs. Distal metatibial spurs shorter than medial spurs. Ratio of first metatibial segment to remaining 4 segments greater than 1.0. Pubescence on outer surface of metatarsal claw sparse, consisting of few setae. Outer surface of metatarsal claw entirely smooth. Apical seta of metatarsal claw positioned on outer surface below dorsal margin. Base of metatarsal claw lammelate, with translucent cuticular flange.

Forewing. Pubescence of forewing absent on basal half of wing, sparse distally. Apical margin of female forewing rounded. Rs+M of forewing tubular. Mesal end of Rs+M vein situated closer to anterior margin of forewing, directed towards middle of basalis. Vein R1 tubular along at least basal part of anterior margin of marginal cell. Basal abscissa of R1 (the abscissa between 2r and the forewing margin) of forewing as broad as adjacent wing veins. Coloration of forewing absent, entire wing hyaline. Marginal cell of forewing membranous, similar to other wing cells. Areolet present, incomplete, open posteriorly. Hair fringe along apical margin of forewing absent.

Petiole. Slightly elongate, 1.5 –2× longer than wide. Surface of petiole longitudinally costate, ventral keel absent, lateral patches of long white setae present. Posterior part of female petiole not abruptly widened. Ventral flange of annulus of female petiole absent.

Metasoma. Setal band (hairy ring) at base of tergum 3 present, interrupted dorsally, extending laterally to middle of sclerite. Tergum 3 distinctly smaller than tergum 4. Posterior margin of tergum 3 smoothly rounded. Posterior margin of tergum 4 straight. Sternum 3 exposed, ventral border of T2-T7 visible. Sculpture on metasomal terga present, composed to dense seta bearing punctures, interrupted dorsally on T3-T5; dense setae present across entire metasomal surface. Syntergum absent, all postpetiolar terga free. Annulus absent. Peg-like setae on T6-T7 absent. Posteroventral cavities of female metasoma T7 present, setose. Female posteroventral margin of T6-T7 straight, parallel. Terebrum and hypopygium (in lateral view) straight, pointing posteriorly.

Diagnosis.

Easily distinguished from all other Oberthuerella by the predominance of golden setae on head, mesosoma and metasoma; this feature is only shared with Oberthuerella aureopilosa , but this latter species has the speculum smooth (shagreened in Oberthuerella simba ).

Etymology.

Latin for lion, in reference to the large size and general setation patterns of this species.

Distribution.

Democratic Republic of Congo. Link to Distribution Map. [http://hol.osu.edu/map-full.html?id=300220]

Material examined.

Holotype, female: DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO: Munowe River, Upemba National Park, 19.I.1958, E. S. Ross and R. E. Leech, USNM ENT 00764782 (deposited in CASC).