Ceraphron isecheno, 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 : 194-197

Ceraphron isecheno sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:EC9EAA76-A9F6-4DA5-92EE-ECCF7B784835

Fig. 55

Diagnosis

F6 1.1 × as high as F9; fore wing length 2.56–2.83 × (2.76) width. Male genitalia: harpe trapezoidal in ventral and dorsal view; harpe/gvc index 0.30; dorsomedial margins of harpes slightly converging and touching at distodorsal margin of gvc, dorsomedial margin of harpe straight and slightly diverging distolaterally in basal third, concave and diverging distolaterally in apical two thirds; gvc width 1.67× distal gvc width; harpe with at least three lateral setae restricted to apical third, longest lateral setae half as long as harpe; aedeagus + gonossiculus as long as harpe; longest apical setae more than half as long as harpe.

Etymology

The species is named after Isecheno in the western part of the Kakamega Forest which is the type locality.

Material examined

Holotype

KENYA • ♂; Western Province, Kakamega Forest; 00°14′6.1 N, 34°52′9.2 E; 1605 m a.s.l.; 28 Aug. 2007; F. Hita Garcia leg.; Transect 23; primary rain forest; Winkler leaf litter extraction; ZFMK; ZFMK- HYM-00036877 .

Paratypes

KENYA – Western Province • 1 ♂; Kakamega Forest; 00°14′52.3 N, 34°52′5.3 E; 1607 m a.s.l.; 14 Aug. 2007; F. Hita Garcia leg.; Transect 18; primary rain forest; Winkler leaf litter extraction; ZFMK; ZFMK-HYM-00036811 • 1 ♂; Kakamega Forest; 00°13′15.5 N, 34°53′24.7 E; 1597 m a.s.l.; 23 Aug. 2007; F. Hita Garcia leg.; Transect 22; primary rain forest; Winkler leaf litter extraction; ZFMK; ZFMK- HYM-00036812 .

Description

Male (N = 3 in morphometric measurements)

BODY LENGTH. 0.90–1.00 mm (1.00 mm).

COLOUR. Head brown, mesosoma brown, metasoma light brown; scape and pedicel yellowish, flagellum light brown, gradually darkening from F1 to F9; legs yellowish except pro- and mesocoxa brown and proximal half of metacoxa brown; fore wing venation light brown, fore and hind wing disc slightly melanized.

ANTENNA. 11-segmented, flagellomeres cylindric; scape 3.4× as long as pedicel, scape longer than F1 and F2 combined, F1 2.0× as long as wide, F1 1.7× as long as pedicel, F1 1.3× as long as F2, F1 shorter than F7 and F8 combined, F1 shorter than F9, F6 1.4 × as long as wide, F6 shorter than F7 and F8 combined, F6 1.1 × as high as F9; few small multiporous plates on flagellomeres, sensillae on flagellomeres sickle-shaped and shorter than width of flagellomeres.

HEAD. Head width 1.09–1.16× (1.11) head height; head width 1.93–1.96× (1.96) interorbital space; maximum eye diameter 1.27–1.35 × (1.35) minimum eye diameter; head height 1.61–1.84 × (1.84) maximum eye diameter. Dorsal margin of occipital carina ventral to dorsal margin of lateral ocellus in lateral view; preoccipital furrow present; preoccipital carina present. OOL:POL:LOL 1.00:0.32– 0.50:0.45–0.69 (1.00:0.45:0.50); OOL 1.45–2.86× (2.86) lateral ocellus diameter. White, thick setae on upper face present; supraclypeal depression present; lateral margin of torulus raised; intertorular carina present; posterolateral processes of gena absent.

MESOSOMA, METASOMA. Mesosoma not compressed laterally. Head width 0.88–1.00× (1.00) mesosoma width; Weber length 344–416 µm (344 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 1.62–1.88 × (1.86) mesoscutellum width; posterior mesoscutal width 1.23–1.54 × (1.48) mesoscutellum width; mesoscutellum length 1.38–1.54 × (1.43) mesoscutellum width; mesoscutellum length 0.97–1.13 × (0.97) posterior mesoscutal width; Weber length 1.36–1.41 × (1.41) mesoscutum width; Weber length 1.60–1.83× (1.83) mesoscutellum length. Anteromedian projection of the metanoto-propodeo-metapecto-mesopectal complex curved in lateral view with blunt and lighter end, extending to end of mesosoma; mesometapleural sulcus present; posterior propodeal projection distinct, straight in ventrolateral view; posterior mesosomal comb present. Basal transverse carina of petiole (on syntergum) present; at least five distinct, basal longitudinal carinae on syntergum; pairs of translucent patches on metasomal syntergum and synsternum.

FORE WING. Length 2.56–2.83 × (2.76) width; stigmal vein slightly longer than 3× pterostigma marginal length.

MALE GENITALIA. Genital length 138–181 µm (163 µm); Weber length 1.99–3.03 × (2.12) genital length; gvc width 69–88 µm (81 µm); genital length 2.00–2.07× (2.00) gvc width; gvc width more than two thirds of gvc length; gvc width 1.67× distal gvc width. Proximodorsal margin of gvc slightly convex; distodorsal margin of gvc slightly descending proximomedially ( Fig. 55C ); proximoventral margin of gvc concave; distoventral margin of gvc descending proximomedially ( Fig. 55A ); ventral area of gvc slightly convex; dorsal area of gvc convex ( Fig. 55B ); proximolateral margin of gvc strongly ascending ventrally; distolateral margin of gvc descending ventrally ( Fig. 55B ). Harpe trapezoidal in ventral and dorsal view; harpe/gvc index 0.30; lateral articulation site of harpe with gvc virtually flush ( Fig. 55A, C ); ventral margin of harpe slightly concave, dorsal margin convex in basal half and straight in apical half ( Fig. 55B ), lateral margin slightly convex, widest point of harpe at articulation site with gvc ( Fig. 55A, C ); dorsomedial margins of harpes slightly converging at distodorsal margin of gvc, dorsomedial margin of harpe straight and slightly diverging distolaterally in basal third, concave and diverging distolaterally in apical two thirds ( Fig. 55C ), apex of harpe pointed ( Fig. 55A, C ). Harpe with at least three lateral setae restricted to apical third, longest lateral setae half as long as harpe, lateral setae oriented distolaterally; harpe with at least three apical setae, longest apical setae more than half as long as harpe, apical setae oriented distomedially and distoventrally; harpe with at least six median setae, longest median setae more than one third as long as harpe, median setae oriented distomedially and distoventrally. Aedeagus + gonossiculus as long as harpe, apex of aedeagus + gonossiculus pointed ( Fig. 55A, C ) and ventral to apex of harpe. Genitalia moderately sclerotized.

Female

Unknown.

Variation

The paratype ZFMK-HYM-00036811 differs from all other types in the following characters: the metacoxa is uniformly coloured, the proximolateral margin of the genitalia is slightly emarginated and the distodorsal area of gvc is slightly indented. The dorsomedial margin of the harpe is almost straight from base to apex (triangular harpe) and the anteromedian projection of the metanoto-propodeo-metapecto-mesopectal complex is bifurcated and slightly shorter. The mesometapleural sulcus is absent and the syntergum has at least nine visible longitudinal carinae. This paratype might even represent a separate species but based on many characters shared with the other types (see diagnosis), we treat it here as a slightly odd representative of C. isecheno sp. nov.

Biology

Host unknown, specimens collected from leaf litter.

Distribution

Afrotropical: Kenya.

Remarks

Comparison with similar species

The gvc of C. isecheno sp. nov. is bulbous and therefore similar to C. sp. 3, C. sp. 4 and C. banda sp. nov. However, these species can be easily distinguished by the shapes of the dorsomedial margin of the harpe and the setal arrangement, especially of the lateral setae.

For more comparisons with similar species, see remarks under C. hitagarciai sp. nov.

Condition of type material

In the holotype, the posterior half of the metasoma is deformed, thus the body length measurement is not precise.

Figures

Fig. 55. Holotype of Ceraphron isecheno sp. nov. (ZFMK-HYM-00036877). A–C. Male genitalia in ventral (A), lateral (B) and dorsal (C) views. D. Habitus in lateral view.