Centistidea longipedes Liu & Polaszek, 2024

Liu, Zhen & Polaszek, Andrew, 2024, Afrotropical Centistidea Rohwer, 1914 (Hymenoptera, Braconidae) with description of four new species, ZooKeys 1216, pp. 83-100 : 83-100

Centistidea longipedes Liu & Polaszek sp. nov.

Fig. 4

Diagnosis.

Body length 2.2 mm, dark brown; head 1.7 × as wide as long, 1.3 × wider than mesoscutum; eyes 1.5 × longer than temple in dorsal view; temple with transverse wrinkles in between, not constricted behind eyes in dorsal view; distance between fore and a hind ocellus 1.2 × longer than minor axis of a hind ocellus, POL: OD: OOL = 1.2: 1.0: 3.2; frons flat and nearly polished except extremely fine transverse wrinkles; vertex between eye and hind ocellus shiny and sculptured as temple; face shiny, with extremely fine setose punctures, indistinctly convex medially, transverse, 1.4 × wider than high; clypeus 2.2 × wider than medial length, nearly polished; antenna 1.2 × longer than body length, with 1 st, 2 nd, penultimate and ultimate flagellomeres 6.3, 6.7, 3.8, and 4.6 × longer than wide, 1 st 1.1 × longer than 2 nd; mesoscutum with superficial and extremely small punctures, intervals with extremely fine wrinkles, notauli obvious, crenulated to anterior 1 / 3; scutellar sulcus straight and crenulated; medio-posterior depressions on scutellum large and oblong, virtually touching each other; propodeum with distinct median carinae just reach costulae, anterior parts with indistinct punctures and several short rugae alongside median carinae, 2.5 × longer than median length of metanotum, posterior parts polished; hind leg extremely long, 2.6 × than metasoma; pterostigma narrow, 3.7 × as long as its widest part; vein 1 - R 1 0.3 of length of pterostigma; T 1 poorly defined, 2.8 × longer than its maximum width; T 2 1.2 × wider than median length; T 3 0.9 × length of T 2, not longitudinally striate.

Description.

Male. Body length 2.2 mm, fore wing length 2.6 mm (Fig. 4 a ).

Head. Transverse in dorsal view, 1.7 × as wide as long, 1.3 × wider than mesoscutum. Eyes 1.5 × longer than temple in dorsal view (Fig. 4 b ). Temple slightly shiny, small setose punctures with transverse wrinkles in between, not constricted behind eyes in dorsal view. Ocelli small, distance between fore and a hind ocellus 1.2 × longer than minor axis of a hind ocellus, POL: OD: OOL = 1.2: 1.0: 3.2. Frons flat and nearly polished except extremely fine transverse wrinkles. Vertex between eye and hind ocellus shiny and sculptured as temple. Face (Fig. 4 c ) shiny, with extremely fine setose punctures, indistinctly convex medially, transverse, 1.4 × wider than high. Clypeus 2.2 × wider than medial length, nearly polished. Length of malar space 1.6 × basal width of mandible. Antenna (Fig. 4 d ) 1.2 × longer than body length, with scape, pedicel and 1 st, 2 nd, penultimate and ultimate flagellomeres 2.3, 1.9, 6.3, 6.7, 3.8 and 4.6 × longer than wide, 1 st 1.1 × longer than 2 nd, flagellomeres gradually shortened to apex.

Mesosoma. Length: width: height = 10: 4.6: 6.5. Mesoscutum (Fig. 4 e ) shiny with superficial and extremely small punctures, intervals with extremely fine wrinkles, notauli obvious, crenulated to anterior 1 / 3. Scutellar sulcus slightly curved, crenulated. Scutellum shiny, sculptured as mesoscutum, medio-posterior depressions large and oblong, virtually touching each other. Propodeum (Fig. 4 j ) highly shiny, with distinct median carinae just reaching costulae, anterior parts with indistinct punctures and several short rugae alongside median carinae, 2.5 × longer than median length of metanotum, posterior parts polished. Mesopleuron (Fig. 4 f ) highly polished, impunctate.

Legs. Hind leg (Fig. 4 i ) remarkedly long, 2.6 × than metasoma. Hind femur 4.1 × as long as its widest part. Length of hind femur: tibia: basitarsus = 2.2: 3.2: 1.0. Basitarsus of hind leg 0.6 × as long as tarsomeres 2–5.

Wings. Fore wing (Fig. 4 g ): pterostigma narrow, 3.7 × as long as its widest part; vein 1 - R 1 0.3 of length of pterostigma; vein r: 2 - SR: 2 - M = 1.0: 5.3: 3.4, 1 - SR: 1 - M = 1.0: 4.0, 1 - CU 1: 2 - CU 1 = 1.0: 2.2; first discal cell of fore wing nearly 1 / 5 wider than high. Hind wing (Fig. 4 h ): vein M + CU: 1 M: 1 r-m = 1.5: 1.9: 1.0.

Metasoma. Indistinctly longer than mesosoma. T 1 (Fig. 4 k ) highly polished, poorly defined, spatula-shaped, 2.8 × longer than its maximum width, distinctly narrowed anterior-medially. T 2 1.2 × wider than median length; T 3 0.9 × length of T 2, smooth without longitudinal striae.

Colour. Dark brown (Fig. 4 a ). Palpi and spurs honey yellow. Antenna dark brown. Legs yellow, except apical 1 / 3 of hind tibia and hind tarsus brown. Wing membrane hyaline, pterostigma yellow-brown, vein r, 2 - SR, 1 - SR, 1 - M and 1 - CU 1 yellow-brown, other veins pale.

Female. Unknown.

Host.

Unknown.

Material examined

( NHMUK). Holotype: • 1 ♂, Cameroon, Mt Cameroon, Mann’s Quelle (2256 m), M Steele, 4. II. 1932, B. M. 1934-240, No. NHMUK 010639754 . Paratype: • 1 ♂, Uganda, Ruwenzori Range, Bigo (3475 m), DS Fletcher, 20–22. VII. 1952, No. NHMUK 010639740 .

Distribution.

Cameroon, Uganda.

Etymology.

The specific name “ longipedes ” derives from Latin, referring to the extremely long hind legs.

Remarks.

This species is similar to C. leucopterae ( Wilkinson, 1936) but differs in the following: temple not constricted behind eyes in dorsal view (distinctly constricted in C. leucopterae ); T 2 1.2 × wider than median length (3.3 × wider in C. leucopterae ); and T 3 polished (longitudinally striate in C. leucopterae ).

Figures

Figure 4. Centistidea longipedes Liu & Polaszek, sp. nov., male, holotype a habitus, lateral view b head, dorsal view c head, frontal view d antenna e mesosoma, dorsal view f mesosoma, lateral view g fore wing h hind wing i hind leg j propodeum and T 1 k metasoma, dorsal view.