Ceraphron clavatumeris, Salden & Peters, 2023

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 : 164-167

Ceraphron clavatumeris sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:84CACE36-2DDC-488B-9FCD-E10C149012CC

Fig. 46

Diagnosis

Proximal half of scape lighter; legs light brown-yellowish except coxae lighter; few elongate multiporous plates on flagellomeres; flagellomeres cylindric and moniliform (F2–F7); head width 1.70 × interorbital space; OOL 3.50 × lateral ocellus diameter; mesoscutellum length 1.24 × mesoscutellum width; anteromedian projection of the metanoto-propodeo-metapecto-mesopectal complex distinctly short, oriented posterodorsally in lateral view with broad and blunt end. Male genitalia: harpe cone-shaped in ventral and dorsal view; harpe/gvc index 0.57; dorsomedial margins of harpes slightly converging and not touching at distodorsal margin of gvc (see remarks), concave and slightly diverging distolaterally in approximately basal three quarters, straight and diverging distolaterally in approximately apical quarter, apex of harpe straight; aedeagus + gonossiculus as long as harpe; genitalia weakly sclerotized, almost transparent with weaker sclerotization at aedeagus + gonossiculus; gvc width slightly more than gvc length; genital length 63 µm; gvc width 38 µm.

Etymology

The species name is a composition of the Latin word ‘ clavatus ’, which means ‘striped’, and the flagellomere, with reference to the elongate multiporous plates on the flagellomeres.

Material examined

Holotype

GABON • ♂; Ogooué-Ivindo, Ivindo NP, Makokou ; 00°30′44 N, 12°46′12 E; 518 m a.s.l.; 13–16 Sep. 2012; R.S. Peters leg.; forest near station; Pitfall trap; ZFMK; ZFMK-HYM-00037092 .

Description

Male

BODY LENGTH. 0.68 mm.

COLOUR. Head brown, mesosoma brown, metasoma light brown; scape and pedicel light brown-yellowish except proximal half of scape lighter, flagellum light brown; legs light brown-yellowish except coxae lighter; fore wing venation light brown, fore and hind wing disc slightly melanized, fore wing more strongly melanized along wing venation.

ANTENNA. Flagellomeres cylindric and moniliform (F2–F7); scape 2.8× as long as pedicel, scape longer than F1 and F2 combined, F1 1.9 × as long as wide, F1 1.3× as long as pedicel, F1 1.3 × as long as F2, F6 1.2× as long as wide; few elongate multiporous plates on flagellomeres, sensillae on flagellomeres sickle-shaped and shorter than width of flagellomeres.

HEAD. Head width 1.13 × head height; head width 1.70 × interorbital space; maximum eye diameter 1.31 × minimum eye diameter; head height 1.76 × maximum eye diameter. Dorsal margin of occipital carina dorsal to dorsal margin of lateral ocellus in lateral view; preoccipital furrow present; preoccipital carina present. OOL:POL:LOL 1.00:0.54:0.57; OOL 3.50 × lateral ocellus diameter. White, thick setae on upper face absent; supraclypeal depression present; lateral margin of torulus raised; intertorular carina present; posterolateral processes of gena absent.

MESOSOMA, METASOMA. Mesosoma not compressed laterally. Head width 1.06 × mesosoma width; Weber length 194 µm. Mesoscutum densely setose, setae curved backwards; median mesoscutal sulcus present; median mesoscutal sulcus adjacent to transscutal articulation; interaxillar sulcus absent (= scutoscutellar sulcus adjacent to transscutal articulation), scutoscutellar sulcus concave; dorsal axillar area sparsely setose, setae curved backwards; mesoscutellum sparsely setose, setae curved backwards or straight. Mesoscutum width 1.65 × mesoscutellum width; posterior mesoscutal width 1.29 × mesoscutellum width; mesoscutellum length 1.24 × mesoscutellum width; mesoscutellum length 0.95 × posterior mesoscutal width; Weber length 1.11 × mesoscutum width; Weber length 1.48 × mesoscutellum length. Anteromedian projection of the metanoto-propodeo-metapecto-mesopectal complex distinctly short, oriented posterodorsally in lateral view with broad and blunt end; mesometapleural sulcus absent; posterior propodeal projection straight and light in ventrolateral view; posterior mesosomal comb indistinct. Basal transverse carina of petiole (on syntergum) indistinct; at least four basal longitudinal carinae on syntergum; translucent patches on metasoma absent.

FORE WING. Length 2.92 × width; stigmal vein shorter than 3× pterostigma marginal length.

MALE GENITALIA. Genital length 63 µm; Weber length 3.10 × genital length; gvc width 38 µm; genital length 1.67× gvc width; gvc width slightly more than gvc length; gvc width 1.09 × distal gvc width. Proximodorsal margin of gvc straight; distodorsal margin of gvc descending proximomedially ( Fig. 46C ); proximoventral margin of gvc slightly convex; distoventral margin of gvc descending proximomedially ( Fig. 46A ); ventral area of gvc slightly convex; dorsal area of gvc straight ( Fig. 46B ); proximolateral margin of gvc descending ventrally; distolateral margin of gvc descending ventrally ( Fig. 46B ). Harpe cone-shaped in ventral and dorsal view; harpe/gvc index 0.57; lateral articulation site of harpe with gvc not flush ( Fig. 46A, C ); ventral margin of harpe slightly concave, dorsal margin convex ( Fig. 46B ), lateral margin convex, widest point of harpe at lateral articulation site with gvc ( Fig. 46A, C ); dorsomedial margins of harpes slightly converging and not touching at distodorsal margin of gvc (see remarks), concave and slightly diverging distolaterally in approximately basal three quarters, straight and diverging distolaterally in approximately apical quarter ( Fig. 46C ), apex of harpe straight ( Fig. 46A, C ). Harpe with at least one lateral seta restricted to apical third, longest lateral seta more than half as long as harpe, lateral seta oriented distolaterally and distoventrally; harpe with at least three apical setae, longest apical setae two thirds as long as harpe, apical setae oriented distolaterally, distomedially and distoventrally; harpe with at least two median setae, longest median setae one third as long as harpe, median setae oriented distomedially and distoventrally. Aedeagus + gonossiculus as long as harpe, apex of aedeagus + gonossiculus broad ( Fig. 46A, C ) and as ventral as apex of harpe. Genitalia weakly sclerotized, almost transparent with weakest sclerotization at aedeagus + gonossiculus.

Female

Unknown.

Variation

Unknown.

Biology

Host unknown, specimen collected with pitfall trap.

Distribution

Afrotropical: Gabon.

Remarks

Comparison with similar species

Ceraphron clavatumeris sp. nov. is easily distinguishable from all other treated species by the combination of elongate multiporous plates on cylindric and moniliform flagellomeres and the very small and weakly sclerotized male genitalia with the aedeagus + gonossiculus as long as the harpe.

Condition of type material

In the holotype, the left F7–F9, and the right F8 and F9 are missing. One hind and one fore wing are missing and the other hind (not visible in Fig. 46D ) and fore wing are detached. The left middle leg (except coxa) is missing. The posterior half of the metasoma is missing, thus the body length measurement is not precise. The most distal metatarsal segments of the left hind leg and the most distal metatarsal segments of the right hind leg are missing. The male genitalia are lacking the left harpe and the gvc was accidently stained while marking the slide with a permanent marker. The holotype was used in an unsuccessful DNA barcoding attempt, i.e., had been put in lysis buffer for non-destructive DNA extraction, and looks rather transparent.

Figures

Fig. 46. Holotype of Ceraphron clavatumeris sp. nov. (ZFMK-HYM-00037092). A–C. Male genitalia in ventral (A), lateral (B) and dorsal (C) views. D. Habitus in lateral view; inset: flagellomeres in detail.