Ifrika mnyama Colombo and Azevedo, 2023

Dondoni Colombo, Wesley & Azevedo, Celso Oliveira, 2023, Discovery of a new Afrotropical genus of flat wasps Ifrika gen. n. (Hymenoptera: Bethylidae), Journal of Natural History 57 (29 - 32), pp. 1472-1494 : 1478-1479

Ifrika mnyama Colombo and Azevedo sp. n.

( Fig. 4 )

Diagnosis

This species differs from the others of the genus by having the hind wing with three distal hamuli, the genitalia with median projection very thin in lateral view, the basal appendicular process subtriangular, mediodorsal fold filiform and basal cover plate lanceolate, with all margins straight.

Description

Male. Body ~ 3.2 mm long. Forewing ~3.0 mm long. Antenna ~ 1.6 mm long. Colour. Head, clypeus, mesosoma and metasoma dark castaneous; antenna and mandible castaneous; palpi light castaneous to castaneous; legs light castaneous; wings subhyaline, veins castaneous, pterostigma darker. Head. Heptagonal, about as long as wide. Mandible with four teeth, one ventral-most sharpened and larger, otherwise rounded and short, progressively increasing in length ventrad. Clypeus with median lobe acute; median carina complete, somewhat low and straight in lateral view. Antenna with dense erect pubescence, about as long as half flagellomeral diameter, with some outstanding erect setae on first five flagellomeres. Vertex crest weakly outcurved. Frons polished and weakly coriaceous. Ocellar triangle with frontal angle obtuse, anterior ocellus fully posterior to supra-ocular line. Mesosoma . Dorsal pronotal area polished, with some irregularly sized large punctures, posterior area much wider than anterior one. Anteromesoscutum with notauli well impressed, not reaching anterior margin of anteromesoscutum and almost reaching posterior one, converging posterad. Parapsidal signums well impressed, but missing anteriorly, straight. Mesoscuto-scutellar sulcus strongly incurved medially. Metascutellum polished and coriaceous, lateral margin straight, surface convex; metanotal fovea almost rectangular. Metapectal-propodeal disc wider than long, metapostnotal median carina complete, extending posteriorly, lateral marginal carina distinguishable from background texture. Propodeal declivity irregularly alveolate. Mesopleuron with posterior oblique sulcus not well delimited. Wings. Hind wing with three distal hamuli. Metasoma. Hypopygium with spiculum not surpassing inner membrane apically. Posterior margin strongly excavated forming two round lobes, excavation about one-fourth as long as hypopygeal plate. Genitalia. Harpe with dorsal arm 2× wider than ventral arm basally; basal appendicular process subtriangular, wider than long; aedeagus subrectangular with apex wider than base in dorsal view, dorsal valve with ventral margin apex deeply emarginated in lateral view, mediodorsal fold filiform, median projection narrowing apically, laminar, membranous, narrow; basal cover plate subtriangular, all margins straight; apodeme weakly dorsally curved and touching basal cover plate in lateral view.

Female. Unknown.

Material examined

Type material. Holotype: male, CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC, Prefecture Sangha-Mbaéré, Parc National de Dzanga-Ndoki, 38.6 km 173°S Lidjombo 2°21.60 ʹ N 16°09.20 ʹ E, 350 m, 23–24.v.2001, S. van Noort, Malaise trap, CAR01-M189, Lowland rainforest ( SAM-HYM-P101785 ).

Etymology

The epithet mnyama from Kiswahili means animal. Treated as a noun in apposition.

Distribution

Central African Republic ( Figure 2A ).

Figures

Figure 2. Distribution of Ifrika gen. n. (A) Ifrika mnyama sp. n. (B) Ifrika nyigu sp. n. Sources: NMKE, RESOLVE Ecoregions, RQIS and SAMC.

Figure 4. Ifrika mnyama Colombo and Azevedo sp. n. (A) Head, dorsal view. (B) Mesosoma, dorsal view. (C) Hypopygium, dorsal view. (D) Genitalia, dorsal view. (E) Genitalia, ventral view. (F) Harpe, gonostipes and volsella, inner view. (G) Harpe, gonostipes and volsella, outer view. (H) Aedeagus, lateral view. (I) Harpe, lateral view. Scale bars: A, B = 0.2 mm; C–H = 0.1 mm.