Ceraphron maathaiae, 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 : 236-239

Ceraphron maathaiae sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:2A430253-E004-455C-9ECB-67B06877150D

Fig. 67

Diagnosis

Flagellomeres cylindric and moniliform (F3–F5); scape slightly shorter than F1 to F3 combined; F6 as high as F9; OOL 3.19 x lateral ocellus diameter; mesoscutellum length 1.21 × posterior mesoscutal width; Weber length 3.69× genital length. Male genitalia: harpe trapezoidal to cone-shaped in ventral and dorsal view; harpe/gvc index 0.44; dorsomedial margins of harpes not touching at distodorsal margin of gvc, dorsomedial margin of harpe straight and parallel to other harpe in approximately basal third, convex and diverging distolaterally in approximately apical two thirds.

Etymology

The species is named in honour of the Kenyan activist Wangarĩ Muta Maathai (1940–2011) who founded the Green Belt Movement and won the Nobel Peace Prize as first African woman.

Material examined

Holotype

KENYA • ♂; Western Province, Kakamega Forest; 00°14′52.3 N, 34°52′5.3 E; 1607 m a.s.l.; 21 Aug. 2007; F. Hita Garcia leg.; Transect 18; primary rain forest; Winkler leaf litter extraction; ZFMK; ZFMK- HYM-00036895 .

Description

Male

BODY LENGTH. 0.95 mm.

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

ANTENNA. 11-segmented, flagellomeres cylindric and moniliform (F3–F5); scape 3.6× as long as pedicel, scape slightly shorter than F1 to F3 combined, F1 2.0× as long as wide, F1 1.3× as long as pedicel, F1 1.2× as long as F2, F1 shorter than F7 and F8 combined, F1 shorter than F9, F6 1.3× as long as wide, F6 shorter than F7 and F8 combined, F6 as high as F9; few small multiporous plates on flagellomeres, sensillae on flagellomeres sickle-shaped and shorter than width of flagellomeres.

HEAD. Head width 1.14 × head height; head width 1.88 × interorbital space; maximum eye diameter 1.20 × minimum eye diameter; head height 1.71 × 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 1.00:0.41:0.40; OOL 3.19 × lateral ocellus diameter. 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 not compressed laterally. Head width 1.09 × mesosoma width; Weber length 300 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 slightly concave; dorsal axillar area setose, setae curved backwards; mesoscutellum setose, setae curved backwards. Mesoscutum width 1.68 × mesoscutellum width; posterior mesoscutal width 1.27 × mesoscutellum width; mesoscutellum length 1.54× mesoscutellum width; mesoscutellum length 1.21 × posterior mesoscutal width; Weber length 1.29 × mesoscutum width. Weber length 1.41 × mesoscutellum length. Anteromedian projection of the metanoto-propodeo-metapecto-mesopectal complex short and straight in lateral view with blunt and lighter end; mesometapleural sulcus indistinct; posterior propodeal projection straight and short in ventrolateral view; posterior mesosomal comb indistinct. Basal transverse carina of petiole (on syntergum) present; at least six distinct, basal longitudinal carinae on syntergum; translucent patches on metasoma absent.

FORE WING. Length 2.98 × width; stigmal vein longer than 3× pterostigma marginal length.

MALE GENITALIA. Genital length 81 µm; Weber length 3.69 × genital length; gvc width 48 µm; genital length 1.68 × gvc width; gvc width two thirds of gvc length; gvc width 1.24 × distal gvc width. Proximodorsal margin of gvc convex; distodorsal margin of gvc descending proximomedially ( Fig. 67C ); proximoventral margin of gvc slightly concave; distoventral margin of gvc descending proximomedially ( Fig. 67A ); ventral area of gvc convex; dorsal area of gvc slightly convex ( Fig. 67B ); proximolateral margin of gvc ascending ventrally; distolateral margin of gvc convex ( Fig. 67B ). Harpe trapezoidal to cone-shaped in ventral and dorsal view; harpe/gvc index 0.44; lateral articulation site of harpe with gvc not flush ( Fig. 67A, C ); ventral margin of harpe concave, dorsal margin slightly convex ( Fig. 67B ), lateral margin convex, widest point of harpe in basal third ( Fig. 67A, C ); dorsomedial margins of harpes not touching at distodorsal margin of gvc, dorsomedial margin of harpe straight and parallel to other harpe in approximately basal third, convex and diverging distolaterally in approximately apical two thirds ( Fig. 67C ), apex of harpe slightly pointed, oriented distolaterally ( Fig. 67A, C ). Harpe with at least one lateral seta restricted to apical quarter, longest lateral seta one third as long as harpe, lateral seta oriented distolaterally; harpe with at least two apical setae, longest apical setae more than half as long as harpe, apical setae oriented distomedially and distoventrally; harpe with at least four median setae, longest median setae one third as long as harpe, median setae oriented distomedially and medioventrally. Aedeagus + gonossiculus more than half as long as harpe, apex of aedeagus + gonossiculus pointed ( Fig. 67A, C ) and dorsal to apex of harpe. Genitalia moderately sclerotized.

Female

Unknown.

Variation

Unknown.

Biology

Host unknown, specimen collected from leaf litter.

Distribution

Afrotropical: Kenya.

Remarks

Comparison with similar species

The male genitalia of C. maathaiae sp. nov. are similar to those of C. ekero sp. nov. However, the dorsomedial margin of the harpe of C. maathaiae is straight and parallel to the other harpe in approximately basal third and convex and diverging distolaterally in approximately apical two thirds, and the dorsomedial margin of the harpe of C. ekero is slightly convex and diverging distolaterally from base to apex. The proximolateral margin of the gvc of C. maathaiae is ascending ventrally, whereas the proximolateral margin of the gvc of C. ekero is not ascending ventrally but is slightly emarginated ventrally. The genitalia of C. maathaiae are uniformly sclerotized and the genitalia of C. ekero have the strongest sclerotization at the distal margin of the gvc and at all margins of the harpe. In addition to these male genitalia character, the two species are easily distinguished by the flagellum of C. maathaiae being gradually darkening from F1 to F9 and the flagellum of C. ekero being uniformly coloured, and by some of the flagellomeres of C. maathaiae being moniliform and shorter than those of C. ekero .

Condition of type material

In the holotype, the right middle leg is missing, except the coxa, and the metasoma is slightly deformed, thus the body length measurement is not precise.

Figures

Fig. 67. Holotype of Ceraphron maathaiae sp. nov. (ZFMK-HYM-00036895). A–C. Male genitalia in ventral (A), lateral (B) and dorsal (C) views. D. Habitus in lateral view; inset: flagellomeres in detail.