Ceraphron mikoi, 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 : 249-252

Ceraphron mikoi sp. nov.

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Fig. 71

Diagnosis

Scape as long as F1 and F2 combined; F1 2.3 × as long as wide; OOL:LOL 1.43; mesometapleural sulcus present; stigmal vein shorter than 3 × pterostigma marginal length. Male genitalia: harpe triangular in ventral and dorsal view; harpe/gvc index 0.31; dorsomedial margins of harpes not touching at distodorsal margin of gvc, dorsomedial margin of harpe convex and diverging distolaterally from base to apex, apex of harpe pointed, oriented distolaterally; lateral margin of harpe convex in basal half and straight in apical half, widest point of harpe at basal quarter; harpe with at least one lateral seta restricted to apical half, longest lateral seta slightly less than as long as harpe; aedeagus + gonossiculus slightly less than as long as harpe.

Etymology

The species is named after István Mikó, who has made important contributions to the study of ceraphronoid wasps and provided a plethora of guidance and inspiration for our work.

Material examined

Holotype

KENYA • ♂; Western Province, Kakamega Forest; 00°12′42.6 N, 34°55′52.3 E; 1615 m a.s.l.; 16 Aug. 2007; F. Hita Garcia leg.; Transect 20; primary rain forest; Winkler leaf litter extraction; ZFMK; ZFMK- HYM-00036890.

Description

Male

BODY LENGTH. 1.10 mm.

COLOUR. Head brown, mesosoma brown, metasoma light brown; scape and pedicel yellowish, flagellum light brown; legs yellowish except proximal half of pro- and mesocoxa brown and basal quarter of metacoxa brown; fore wing venation light brown, fore and hind wing disc slightly melanized.

ANTENNA. 11-segmented, flagellomeres cylindric; scape 3.3× as long as pedicel, scape as long as F1 and F2 combined, F1 2.3× as long as wide, F1 1.6× as long as pedicel, F1 1.2× as long as F2, F1 shorter than F7 and F8 combined, F1 shorter than F9, F6 1.7 × as long as wide, F6 shorter than F7 and F8 combined, F6 1.2 × as high as F9; numerous medium-sized multiporous plates on flagellomeres, sensillae on flagellomeres sickle-shaped and shorter than width of flagellomeres.

HEAD. Head width 1.24 × head height; head width 1.90 × interorbital space; maximum eye diameter 1.16 × minimum eye diameter; head height 1.59 × 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 1.00:0.50:0.70; OOL 2.00 × 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 1.10 × mesosoma width; Weber length 369 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 setose, setae curved backwards; mesoscutellum setose, setae curved backwards or straight. Mesoscutum width 1.92 × mesoscutellum width; posterior mesoscutal width 1.55 × mesoscutellum width; mesoscutellum length 1.59× mesoscutellum width; mesoscutellum length 1.03 × posterior mesoscutal width; Weber length 1.26 × mesoscutum width; Weber length 1.51 × mesoscutellum length. Anteromedian projection of the metanoto-propodeo-metapecto-mesopectal complex curved in lateral view with blunt, lighter and slightly bifurcated end, extending to end of mesosoma; mesometapleural sulcus present; posterior propodeal projection straight and light in ventrolateral view; posterior mesosomal comb absent. Basal transverse carina of petiole (on syntergum) present; at least six distinct, basal longitudinal carinae on syntergum; pairs of translucent patches on metasomal syntergum and synsternum.

FORE WING. Length 2.69 × width; stigmal vein shorter than 3× pterostigma marginal length.

MALE GENITALIA. Genital length 138 µm; Weber length 2.68 × genital length; gvc width 72 µm; genital length 1.91× gvc width; gvc width two thirds of gvc length; gvc width 1.20 × distal gvc width. Proximodorsal margin of gvc straight; distodorsal margin of gvc descending proximomedially ( Fig. 71C ); proximoventral margin of gvc concave; distoventral margin of gvc descending proximomedially ( Fig. 71A ); ventral area of gvc slightly convex; dorsal area of gvc convex ( Fig. 71B ); proximolateral margin of gvc ascending and emarginated ventrally; distolateral margin of gvc convex, more strongly descending ventrally ( Fig. 71B ). Harpe triangular in ventral and dorsal view; harpe/gvc index 0.31; lateral articulation site of harpe with gvc virtually flush ( Fig. 71A, C ); ventral margin of harpe slightly concave, dorsal margin convex ( Fig. 71B ), lateral margin convex in basal half and straight in apical half, widest point of harpe at basal quarter ( Fig. 71A, C ); dorsomedial margins of harpes not touching at distodorsal margin of gvc, dorsomedial margin of harpe convex and diverging distolaterally from base to apex ( Fig. 71C ), apex of harpe pointed, oriented distolaterally ( Fig.71A, C ). Harpe with at least one lateral seta restricted to apical half, longest lateral seta slightly less than as long as harpe, lateral seta oriented distolaterally; harpe with at least two apical setae, longest apical setae more than one third as long as harpe, apical setae oriented distolaterally and distoventrally; harpe with at least three median setae restricted to apical quarter, longest median setae more than one third as long as harpe, median setae oriented distomedially and distoventrally. Aedeagus + gonossiculus slightly less than as long as harpe, apex of aedeagus + gonossiculus pointed ( Fig. 71A, C ) and dorsal to apex of harpe. Genitalia moderately sclerotized with strongest sclerotization at all margins of harpe.

Female

Unknown.

Variation

Unknown.

Biology

Host unknown, specimen collected from leaf litter.

Distribution

Afrotropical: Kenya.

Remarks

Comparison with similar species

Ceraphron mikoi sp. nov. can be distinghuished from C. sp. 4. by differently shaped lateral margins of the harpes (convex and straight in C. mikoi and straight in C. sp. 4), the longer lateral seta in C. mikoi , the higher Weber length to genital length ratio in C. mikoi (2.68, compared to 1.94 in C. sp. 4), the uniformly coloured flagellum in C. mikoi (gradually lightening in C. sp. 4), and the relatively long LOL in C. mikoi (OOL:LOL 1.43, compared to 1.89 in C. sp. 4).

For more comparisons with similar species, see remarks under C. sp. 3.

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. 71. Holotype of Ceraphron mikoi sp. nov. A–C. Male genitalia in ventral (A), lateral (B) and dorsal (C) views. D. Habitus in lateral view.