Glenosema uphahla Azevedo & van Noort, 2019

Azevedo, Celso O. & Noort, Simon Van, 2019, Review of Afrotropical Glenosema Kieffer (Hymenoptera, Bethylidae) with description of 13 new species, Zootaxa 4585 (3), pp. 401-437 : 427-429

Glenosema uphahla Azevedo & van Noort , sp. nov.

Fig. 14

Description, holotype Ƌ. Body length 2.8 mm. Forewing length 1.7 mm.

Colour. Head black, scape black, pedicel almost black, flagellomeres dark castaneous, mandible from black proximally to dark castaneous distally, palpi dark castaneous; mesosoma black, legs dark castaneous with tarsi castaneous, wings hyaline, veins light castaneous; metasoma dark castaneous.

Head. Mandible 0.57 × LH, distinctly wider distally, distal teeth large. Clypeus with well-projected trapezoidal median lobe, its surface inclined at 45 o, median area elevated and sharp but forming carina, apical margin concave in dorsal view, triangular in frontal view, lateral lobe short. Antennal foramina distant each other about 1.3 × antennal foramen diameter. First four antennomeres in ratio 29:9:19:19. Antenna almost reaching transverse posterior carina of metapectal-propodeal disc, pedicel slightly longer than wide, flagellomeres more than twice as long as wide; flagellar pubescence dense, short and appressed with some sub-erect outstanding setae; sensilla pale, elongate, dense, aligned in longitudinal series of about 4–5 in each flagellomere. Eye suboval, mid-sized, placed at middle-dorsal area of head in lateral view, with very sparse and short setae. Frons strongly coriaceous, punctures small, shallow, very sparse one another; frontal line as polished impression, short. LH 1.03 × WH. WF 0.65 × WH. WF 1.63 × HE. OOL 1.5 × WOT. VOL 1.11 × HE. Distance of posterior ocellus to vertex crest 2.4 × DAO. Distance of anterior ocellus to supra-ocular line 1.6 × DAO. Frontal angle of ocellar triangle acute; ocellar triangle not elongate, POL 2.4 × DAO. Vertex almost straight, sides of head posterior to eye parallel for short distance. Occipital carina complete. Malar space 0.38 × as long as wide. Hypostomal carina almost straight, angled medially, median half very thick.

Mesosoma. Mesothorax strongly coriaceous as frons. Dorsal pronotal area subtrapezoidal, wider than long; anterior discal margin not outlined. Mesonotum divided into anteromesoscutum and mesoscutellar-axillary complex, clearly separated by transscutal fissure. Anteromesoscutum as long as mesoscutellum, notauli absent, parapsidal signal almost complete, well impressed. Mesoscutum-mesoscutellar suture conspicuous, deep, anterior and posterior margins straight medially and curved laterally, posterior margin not notched medially, lateral end dilated and blunt. Metapectal-propodeal disc strongly areolate and posteriorly also substriate, glabrous, surface flat centrally and convex peripherally, median length 0.82 × median width, metapostnotal median and paraspiracular carinae absent; lateral carina present and conspicuous; posterior carina complete; spiracle small, slender, placed at disc. Propodeal declivity strongly areolate, surface subvertical and flat, median carina absent. Lateral surface of metapectal-propodeal complex strongly areolate and substriate. Prosternum median-sized and concave. Mesopleuron with mesepimeron not visible, mesopleural suture well outlined, mesopleural pit small, deep. Forewing with two closed cells, costal vein absent.

Metasoma. Strongly coriaceous, tergite II 3.0 × as long as tergite III, with pair of elliptical light antero-lateral spots. Hypopygium triangular, posterior margin not angularly produced. Genitalia: paramere double, dorsal one diamond-shaped, ventral one evenly narrow with somewhat sharp apex; dorsal margin of basiparamere very produced inward, slightly covering aedeagal base. Cuspis bifid, ventral arm somewhat long with rounded apex, dorsal arm even longer than ventral one, slightly wider at mid-height, with rounded apex. Aedeagus bottle-shaped, progressively narrowing apicad so that basal and apical portions are not distinguishable, filamentous and membranous apex short and not curved outward; apodeme slightly dilated basally, not surpassing genital ring; dorsal half of genital ring much more advanced basad than ventral half.

Material examined. Holotype ♂, South Africa, Western Cape, Gamkaberg Nature Reserve , 33°43.745’S 21°56.972’E, 1000 m, 30 Mar–24 July 2010, S. van Noort, Malaise trap, Renosterveld, GB 09-REN1-M39 ( SAM- HYM-A027207 ) . Paratype: 1♂, South Africa, E. Cape, Februarie Farm (39.9 km 268° W Kirkwood), 33°32.813’S 25°03.091’E, 10–12 Feb 2001, S. van Noort, Malaise trap, VB01-R2N-M24 Valley Bushveld (nontrashed) (SAM-HYM-A027212) .

Variation. Body smaller; head slightly wider than long; cuspis with ventral arm narrower basally and apex of dorsal arm somewhat blunt; but the most prominent variation is the paratype has the metapectal-propodeal disc not strongly areolate nor posteriorly substriate.

Diagnosis. The genitalia of the holotype are protracted, so we did not dissect them. Because of that the description of more internal parts of genitalia was based on the paratype. This species is unique among the Afrotropical species of Glenosema by having the dorsal margin of the basiparamere expanded so that it covers part of the aedeagal base. The arms of cuspis are also longer than the pattern found in most Glenosema .

Etymology. The specific epithet uphahla is a noun in apposition from IsiXhosa, which means roof, it is in allusion to the wide basiparamere that covers a bit of the aedeagal base.

Distribution. South Africa.

Figures

FIGURE 14. Glesonema uphahla sp. nov., holotype male. A. Habitus, lateral, inset: labels; B. Mesosoma, dorsal; C. Head, dorsal; D. Genitalia, ventral (paratype).