Pediobius rohombaya Gumovsky, 2018

Gumovsky, Alex, 2018, New enigmatic species of the genus Pediobius (Hymenoptera, Eulophidae) from Afrotropics, with notes on related genera, Zootaxa 4438 (2), pp. 201-236 : 209-213

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.4438.2.1

publication LSID

lsid:zoobank.org:pub:688C9DA1-BE32-4FC6-B726-65CA36358473

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5959801

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03F687C9-FA37-B46C-FF27-6A1B10E0C804

treatment provided by

Plazi

scientific name

Pediobius rohombaya Gumovsky
status

sp. nov.

Pediobius rohombaya Gumovsky , sp. n.

( Figs 6 View FIGURE 6 , 17D, 17H View FIGURE 17 , 18D View FIGURE 18 )

Diagnosis. Head in dorsal view about 3.0× as broad as long ( Fig. 17H View FIGURE 17 ), face mostly smooth ( Fig. 17D View FIGURE 17 ), at most with light reticulation under frontal sulcus, medially convex, with distinct frontal and scrobal sutures, lower face merely narrowed, malar space about 0.5× as long as eye height, mouth opening about 0.7× as long as malar space; antennal toruli situated at about level of lower eye margins; mandible with two teeth; occipital margin sharp and sharply curved; antennal scape mostly pale brown but with metallic luster; mesoscutum and mesoscutellum mostly with light sculpture, notauli marked anteriorly by fine sutures and posteriorly as wide subtriangular foveae ( Fig. 6A View FIGURE 6 ); entire dorsum with very short setae; mesoscutellum with one pair of setae; propodeum with distinct robust nucha bearing two shallow foveae ( Fig. 18D View FIGURE 18 ), its submedian areas 1.2× as broad as long, submedian carinae subparallel anteriorly and diverging posteriorly, without median carina between them; propodeal callus with 2 setae; metatibial spur nearly 2.0× as long as breadth of metatibia, about 0.8× as long as metabasitarsus; subcosta of submarginal vein with two short setae; forewing speculum open ( Fig. 6F View FIGURE 6 ); fore wing transparent, with short darker fold near submarginal break; WIP with narrow blue field along apical margin and with wide violet field behind it ( Fig. 6G View FIGURE 6 ); metasomal petiole very slightly shorter than propodeum; gaster elongate ovate, about 2.2–2.8× as long as broad, Gt1 occupying about 1/2 of length of gaster ( Fig. 6A View FIGURE 6 ).

Type material. Holotype ♀, CAR, Prefecture Sangha-Mbaéré, Réserve Spéciale de Forêt Dense de Dzanga- Sangha , 12.7 km 326° NW Bayanga, 3°00.27'N 16°11.55'E, 420 m, 12.v.2001, S. van Noort, Sweep, CAR01 View Materials GoogleMaps -S111, Lowland Rainforest, SAM-HYM-P06 7744 (deposited in: SAMC).

Paratypes. ♂, same as holotype, CAR01-S120, SAM-HYM-P067444; ♂, CAR01-S112, SAM-HYM-P066943; ♀, ibid., Parc National de Dzanga-Ndoki, 38.6 km 173° S Lidjombo , 2°21.60'N 16°03.20'E, 350 m, 22.v.2001, S. van Noort, Sweep, Lowland rainforest CAR 01 View Materials -S246, SAM-HYM-P065926 (metasoma missing) GoogleMaps ; ♀, CAR01-S247, SAM-HYM-P068603; ♂, CAR01-S218, SAM-HYM-P065302; 2 ♂, CAR01-S209, SAM-HYM-P068730, SAM- HYM-P068731; ♀, ibid., 23.v.2001, CAR 01 View Materials -S254, SAM-HYM-P065141 GoogleMaps ; ♂, CAR01-S254, SAM-HYM- P065197; ♀, CAR01-S256, SAM-HYM-P065176; ♀, Gabon, Prov. Ogooué-Maritime, Réserve des Monts Doudou , 24.3 km 307° NW Doussala, 2°13.35'S 10°24.35'E, 370 m, 7.iii.2000, S. van Noort, Sweep, Lowland Rainforest, undergrowth, low canopy in forest, GA00-S46, SAM-HYM-P065298 GoogleMaps ; ♀, ibid., 8.iii.2000, GA00-S63, SAM-HYM-P0023620 GoogleMaps ; ♀, ibid., SAM-HYM-P0023622 GoogleMaps ; ♀, ibid., 9.iii.2000, GA00-S82, SAM-HYM-P0023509 GoogleMaps ; ♀, ibid., 11.iii.2000, GA00-S91, SAM-HYM-P0023595 GoogleMaps ; ♀, ibid., 19.iii.2000, GA00-S139, SAM-HYM- P0023514 GoogleMaps ; ♀, Uganda, Kibale National Park, Kanyawara, Makerere University Biological Field Station , 1523 m, 0°33.836'N 30°21.700'E, 11.viii.2008, S.van Noort, UG08-KF8-S04, sweep, primary mid-altitude Rainforest, SAM-HYM-P06 9241 ( SAMC) GoogleMaps ; ♀, DRC, Orientale Province, Yangambi , “COBIMFO tree” ( Fig. 1D, E View FIGURE 1 ), 0°47'19.7'' N 24°31'9.7'' E, 21.I.2013 (A. Gumovsky) GoogleMaps ; ♀, Ituri Province, Djugu Territory, upstream of Ituri river from Galaya village, confluence of Ituri and Kelebo rivers, near “ Camp Kelebo ”, dense secondary forest, 75 Moerike traps, 29.III-05.IV.2015 (A. Gumovsky) ( SIZK) .

Other (non-type) material. ♀ (smaller sized, coarser sculpture), DRC, North Kivu Province , “ Congo belge : Kivu, Rutshuru. 1285 m, 11-vii-1935, G.F. de Witte: 1637”; ♀ (smaller sized, coarser sculpture), ibid . , “ Musée du Congo: Haut-Uelé: Moto, fin-1922, L.Burgeon ”; ♀ (dark variety, Fig. 6E View FIGURE 6 ), ibid . , “ Congo belge: P.N.A., Nyarusambo , 2000 m. 2-vii-1934, G.F. de Witte: 465” ( RMCA) .

Description. Female. Body length about 2.3–2.6 mm. Body ( Fig. 6A View FIGURE 6 ) dark with blue tint on smooth areas of gastral tergites and bright green metallic luster on face and mesosterna; antennal scape mostly pale yellow, occasionally darkened, pedicel also mostly pale ventrally, darker dorsally, rest of antenna dark brown, legs pale to dark, tibiae mostly pale; wings transparent, with somewhat darker fold near submarginal break, first three tarsomeres paler, terminal tarsomere dark in most specimens.

Head smooth dorsally, with light or distinct reticulation below frontal sulcus. Head about 1.4× as broad as mesosoma, nearly 3.0× as broad as long in dorsal view, with very short sparse bristles on vertex. Occipital margin with sharp carina. POL about 2.0× OOL ( Fig. 17H View FIGURE 17 ).

Head in frontal view ( Fig. 17D View FIGURE 17 ) about 1.3–1.4× as broad as high. Eye almost bare; its height about 2.0× longer than malar space. Mouth opening about 0.7× as long as malar space; mandible with two teeth. Upper margins of antennal toruli situated slightly above level of lower eye margins. Combined length of pedicel and flagellum 0.8– 0.9× maximum head breadth ( Fig. 6A View FIGURE 6 ). Scape about 4.0–5.0× as long as broad, and about 0.4–0.5× as long as head height; pedicel about 2.4× as long as broad. Funicle with F1 2.5–2.7× as long as broad, slightly longer than F2 and F3, which 1.5–1.8× as long as broad; clava about 2.3–2.7× as long as broad.

Mesosoma about 1.7× as long as broad, with short setae. Pronotum narrow, its collar situated somewhat lower than level of convex mesoscutum, visible as a narrow strip in dorsal view, bearing sharp transverse carina. Mesoscutum weakly convex in lateral view, mostly smooth or lightly sculptured (more coarsely sculptured in nontype specimens), notaular depressions marked anteriorly as fine sutures continued to narrow channels posteriorly ( Fig. 6A View FIGURE 6 ). Anterior margin of mesoscutellum weakly advanced medially. Mesoscutellum nearly flat, mostly smooth. Axilla smooth, with one short seta. Dorsellum triangular, with lateral plicae. Propodeum smooth and shiny, with anterior groove, its submedian areas 1.2× as broad as long; submedian carinae subparallel anteriorly, diverging posteriorly and ended by wide foveae at somewhat elongate, but not margined nucha ( Fig. 18D View FIGURE 18 ).

Propodeal callus with two setae. Fore wing about 2.3× as long as broad, with speculum open below and with short cubital setal line of about 6 short setae at underside of wing; subcosta of submarginal vein with two short setae; marginal vein nearly 1.5× longer than narrow costal cell, stigmal vein short, slightly shorter than postmarginal vein, about 1.8× longer than marginal vein in its broadest part, with short stigma and uncus ( Fig. 6F View FIGURE 6 ). WIP with narrow blue field along apical margin and wide violet field behind it ( Fig. 6G View FIGURE 6 ).

Metatibial spur nearly 2.0× as long as breadth of metatibia, about 0.8× as long as metabasitarsus. Metatibia about 0.8× as long as metatarsus, metabasitarsus slightly less than 2.0× as long as breadth of metatibia.

Metasoma about 1.3–1.7× longer than mesosoma ( Fig. 6A View FIGURE 6 ), slightly longer than head plus mesosoma. Metasomal petiole short, robust and coriaceous, slightly shorter than propodeum. Gaster long ovate, about 2.2– 2.8× as long as broad; Gt1 smooth, polished, occupying approximately 1/2 of length of gaster, often with a discernible narrow patch of reticulation covered with short hairs laterally, Gt 7 in shape of a short triangle in dorsal view, about as long as broad basally.

Male. Very similar to female ( Fig. 6C View FIGURE 6 ), except for: antennal scape about 3.6× as long as broad; pedicel about 2.0× as long as broad, F1 slightly more than 3.0×, F2 1.7×, F3 about 1.5× as long as broad; clava nearly 3.0× as long as broad (not including terminal spine). Metasoma (including long petiole) about 0.6× as long as head plus mesosoma. Metasomal petiole as long as or just slightly longer than propodeum. Gaster subpentagonal, about 1.8× as long as broad, Gt1 occupying approximately 4/5 of length of gaster.

Comparative notes. The species resembles P. marjoriae and P. orungu sp. n. It is distinguishable from P. marjoriae by the convex head, open forewing speculum and poorly visible notauli. From P. orungu it differs in having the propodeum with two weakly diverging submedian carinae and without median carina ( Fig. 18D View FIGURE 18 ) (in P. orungu the submedian carinae are notably diverging and have a median carina between them, Fig. 7D View FIGURE 7 ), the short setae on dorsum, which are about as long as the setae on flagellar segments (these setae are longer in P. orungu ), the short Gt7 ( Fig. 6A View FIGURE 6 ) (Gt7 distinctly elongate in P. orungu , Fig. 7C View FIGURE 7 ) and forewing WIP with apical narrow blue field followed by a wide violet field ( Fig. 6G View FIGURE 6 ) (the fore wing with the wide violet field apically in P. orungu , Fig. 7E View FIGURE 7 ).

There is some color variation among the specimens referred to this species. The coxae and femora are dark with weak metallic luster in most specimens from CAR and in one female from Gabon ( Fig. 6A–C View FIGURE 6 ). The other five females from Gabon, the female from Uganda (Kibale), and the female from DRC (Yangambi) have entirely pale coxae and femora ( Fig. 6D View FIGURE 6 ). These differences are considered intraspecific color variations. This assumption is supported by the fact that the dorsal part of the metafemur is bearing a thin dark metallic band dorsally even in the specimens with pale legs. The RMCA female from DRC (Nyarusambo) has the entirely dark legs and antennal scape ( Fig. 6E View FIGURE 6 ). This color form is also considered an intraspecific variation here, but since this is such a unique dark-colored specimen, it is not included in the type series. The two other RMCA specimens from DRC are regarded non-types due to their somewhat coarser dorsal sculpture, smaller body size (about 1.9 mm), longer dorsal setae (similar to P. orungu ) and indistinct WIP. Also, the longer dorsal setae in the smaller-sized specimens may suggest a correlation of this character with smaller body size and decrease the diagnostic value of the length of dorsal setae in P. orungu . This surmise will be clarified when larger series of both species are available.

Etymology. The specific epithet originates from words “roho mbaya” meaning “bad spirit” in Swahili. The name reflects initial problems with distinguishing it from similar species and presence of confusing specimens with aberrant characters (listed above as non-types).

Distribution. CAR, Gabon, DRC, Uganda.

Host. Unknown.

SAMC

Iziko Museums of Cape Town

SIZK

Schmaulhausen Institute of Zoology

RMCA

Royal Museum for Central Africa

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Hymenoptera

Family

Eulophidae

Genus

Pediobius

GBIF Dataset (for parent article) Darwin Core Archive (for parent article) View in SIBiLS Plain XML RDF