Aphanogmus reticulatus ( Fouts, 1934 )

Salden, Tobias & Peters, Ralph S., 2023, Afrotropical Ceraphronoidea (Insecta: Hymenoptera) put back on the map with the description of 88 new species, European Journal of Taxonomy 884 (1), pp. 1-386 : 345-348

Aphanogmus reticulatus ( Fouts, 1934)

Fig. 99

Johnson & Musetti 2004: 22.

Aphanogmus reticulatus – Polaszek & LaSalle 1995: 133 ‒135 (keyed, diagnosis), 139, fig. 22 (male genitalia).

Diagnosis (based on ZFMK-HYM-00037038)

Scape longer than F1 to F3 combined; OOL:LOL 2.00; metapleuron with longitudinal striations; fore wing length 3.28 × width. Male genitalia: harpe bilobed; ventral and dorsolateral lobe finger-shaped in ventral, lateral and dorsal view; harpe/gvc index 0.48; dorsolateral lobe/ventral lobe index 0.49; dorsolateral length of harpe/harpe index 0.81; dorsomedial margins of harpes not touching at distodorsal margin of gvc, dorsomedial margin of harpe slightly convex from base to apex; lateral setae on dorsolateral lobe oriented distodorsally and distolaterally.

Material examined

KENYA • 1 ♂; Western Province, Kakamega Forest; 00°11′43.5 N, 34°56′58 E; 1682 m a.s.l.; 3 Jun. 2008; F. Hita Garcia leg.; Transect 29; primary rain forest; Winkler leaf litter extraction; ZFMK; ZFMK- HYM-00037038 .

Description (based on ZFMK-HYM-00037038)

Male

BODY LENGTH. 0.98 mm.

COLOUR. Head brown, mesosoma brown, metasoma light brown; scape and pedicel yellowish, flagellum light brown, gradually darkening from F1 to F9; legs yellowish-transparent; fore wing venation light brown, fore and hind wing disc slightly melanized.

ANTENNA. 11-segmented, flagellomeres trapezoidal; scape 4.1× as long as pedicel, scape longer than F1 to F3 combined, F1 2.3× as long as wide, F1 1.3 × as long as pedicel, F1 1.3 × as long as F2, F1 shorter than F7 and F8 combined, F1 shorter than F9, F6 1.6× as long as wide, F6 shorter than F7 and F8 combined, F6 1.1 × as high as F9; few distinctly small multiporous plates on flagellomeres, sensillae on flagellomeres erect and longer than width of F1 to F4.

HEAD. Head width 1.11 × head height; head width 1.75 × interorbital space; maximum eye diameter 1.26 × minimum eye diameter; head height 1.58 × maximum eye diameter. Dorsal margin of occipital carina ventral to dorsal margin of lateral ocellus in lateral view; preoccipital furrow present; preoccipital carina distinct. OOL:POL:LOL 1.00:0.75:0.50; OOL 2.00 × lateral ocellus size. White, thick setae on upper face absent; supraclypeal depression present; lateral margin of torulus slightly raised; intertorular carina present; posterolateral processes of gena absent.

MESOSOMA, METASOMA. Mesosoma compressed laterally. Head width 1.17 × mesosoma width; Weber length 263 µm. Mesoscutum densely setose, setae curved backwards; median mesoscutal sulcus present; median mesoscutal sulcus adjacent to transscutal articulation; interaxillar sulcus present (= scutoscutellar sulcus not adjacent to transscutal articulation), scutoscutellar sulcus concave; dorsal axillar area setose, setae curved backwards; mesoscutellum setose, setae curved backwards or straight. Mesoscutum width 2.00 × mesoscutellum width; posterior mesoscutal width 1.53 × mesoscutellum width; mesoscutellum length 1.82× mesoscutellum width; mesoscutellum length 1.19 × posterior mesoscutal width; Weber length 1.24 × mesoscutum width; Weber length 1.35 × mesoscutellum length. Anteromedian projection of the metanoto-propodeo-metapecto-mesopectal complex straight and transparent in lateral view with pointed end, extending to end of mesosoma; mesometapleural sulcus absent, metapleuron with longitudinal striations; posterior propodeal projection straight and light in ventrolateral view; posterior mesosomal comb absent. Basal transverse carina of petiole (on syntergum) present; at least five, basal longitudinal carinae on syntergum; pairs of translucent patches on metasomal syntergum and synsternum.

FORE WING. Length 3.28 × width; stigmal vein shorter than 2× pterostigma marginal length.

MALE GENITALIA. Genital length 138 µm; Weber length 1.91 × genital length; gvc width 56 µm; genital length 2.44× gvc width; gvc width more than half of gvc length; gvc width 1.41 × distal gvc width. Proximodorsal margin of gvc slightly concave; distodorsal margin of gvc descending proximomedially ( Fig. 99C ); proximoventral margin of gvc slightly concave; distoventral margin of gvc descending proximomedially ( Fig. 99A ); ventral area of gvc slightly convex; dorsal area of gvc convex ( Fig. 99B ), indented distomedially; proximolateral margin of gvc slightly ascending ventrally; distolateral margin of gvc convex more strongly descending dorsally ( Fig. 99B ). Harpe bilobed; ventral and dorsolateral lobe finger-shaped in ventral, lateral and dorsal view; harpe/gvc index 0.48; dorsolateral lobe/ventral lobe index 0.49; dorsolateral length of harpe/harpe index 0.81; lateral articulation site of harpe with gvc flush ( Fig. 99A, C ); ventral margin of harpe straight and curved in ventral direction in basal third, dorsal margin convex in basal third and straight in apical two thirds ( Fig. 99B ), lateral margin concave, widest point of harpe at lateral articulation site with gvc and apex of dorsolateral lobe ( Fig. 99A, C ); dorsomedial margins of harpes not touching at distodorsal margin of gvc, dorsomedial margin of harpe slightly convex from base to apex ( Fig. 99C ), apices of ventral and dorsolateral lobe pointed, oriented distolaterally ( Fig. 99A, C ). Harpe with at least two lateral setae on dorsolateral lobe restricted to apical half, longest lateral setae more than one third as long as harpe, lateral setae oriented distodorsally and distolaterally; harpe with at least one apical seta on dorsolateral lobe, longest apical seta on dorsolateral lobe less than half as long as harpe, apical seta on dorsolateral lobe oriented distolaterally and distoventrally; harpe with at least two apical setae on ventral lobe, longest apical setae on ventral lobe less than one quarter as long as harpe, apical setae on ventral lobe oriented distodorsally, distolaterally and distoventrally; indistinct number of median setae on ventral lobe, longest median setae less than one quarter as long as harpe, median setae oriented medioventrally and with indistinct orientation. Aedeagus + gonossiculus more than one third as long as harpe, apex of aedeagus + gonossiculus divided ( Fig. 99A, C ) and dorsal to apex of dorsolateral lobe of harpe. Genitalia weakly sclerotized with strongest sclerotization at aedeagus + gonossiculus.

Female

See Fouts (1934: 101), Benoit (1949: 36–38) and Dessart (1971).

Variation

The male ZFMK-HYM-00037038 is very similar to the described female holotype, except for its legs being yellowish-transparent [compared to the female holotype in which the legs are “reddish-brown; the coxae and femora darker” ( Fouts 1934)].

Biology

Hyperparasitoid, “doubtfully… reared from a Braconid Apanteles aethiopicus Wilkinson, 1931 ” ( Fouts 1934: 102) and from cocoons of A. syleptae Ferriere, 1925 ( Benoit 1949: 39) . Polaszek & LaSalle (1995: 135) listed braconid wasps, for example “ Apanteles sp. , Cotesia flavipes (Cameron) (?), C. sesaminae (Cameron) , […] Glyptapanteles africanus Wilkinson ”, Stenobracon sp. and ichneumonid wasps from the genus Syzeuctus as hosts which were reared from Crambidae , Noctuidae and Pyralidae (Lepidoptera) . ZFMK-HYM-00037038 was collected from leaf litter.

Distribution

Afrotropical: Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Malawi, S ã o Tomé and Príncipe and Somalia.

Type depositories

The female holotype and five paratypes are deposited in the MCSN and “ six paratypes in the author’s collection” ( Fouts 1934: 102). Polaszek & LaSalle (1995: 135) and Benoit (1949: 39) did mention further depositories, of at least 35 female specimens and at least 6 male specimens, like CIRAD, NHMUK, PPRI, RBINS, RMCA and WUR (formerly WAU).

Remarks

Male and male genitalia known. Fouts (1934) and Benoit (1949) described A. reticulatus (as Calliceras reticulata Fouts, 1934 and Ceraphron vandenbrandei Benoit, 1949 ) with, for example, a reticulated (= sculptured) mesoscutellum, similar to A. robustus sp. nov. and A. kisiwa sp. nov. The detailed drawing of the male genitalia by Dessart (1971: 97, figs 11–12) allowed us to clearly recognise the specimen ZFMK-HYM-00037038 as A. reticulatus . The shape of the harpe, the finger-shaped lobes and the setal arrangement are very distinctive and different to those of A. robustus and A. kisiwa sp. nov. (see also A. robustus and A. kisiwa for species delimitations based on body and male genitalia characters).

Based on the information given by Benoit (1949: 37–38), Dessart (1971: 95) and the specimen treated herein, the species is assigned here to the A. fumipennis species group.

In the specimen ZFMK-HYM-00037038, the left hind wing is missing and the posterior half of the metasoma is deformed, thus the body length measurement is not precise.

Figures

Fig. 99. Specimen of Aphanogmus reticulatus (Fouts, 1934) (ZFMK-HYM-00037038). A–C. Male genitalia in ventral (A), lateral (B) and dorsal (C) views. D. Habitus in lateral view.