Phradis modestus, Khalaim, 2007

Khalaim, Andrey, 2007, First records of Meggoleus Heterocola and Phradis (Hymenoptera Ichneumonidae Tersilochinae) from the Afrotropical region with description of four new species, African Invertebrates 48 (2), pp. 101-110 : 107-108

Phradis modestus sp. n.

Figs 17, 25

Etymology: From Latin modestus (modest).

Diagnosis: P. modestus sp. n. differs from all the Palaearctic species in having a 12- segmented female flagellum and a smooth head and mesosoma.

Description:

Female.

Body length 2.2 mm.

Head 0.53 mm wide, weakly and roundly narrowed behind eyes in dorsal view; temple shorter than eye width. Ocelli small. Antenna filiform; flagellum with 12 segments, basal segments slightly elongate, subapical segments about as long as broad ( Fig. 17 ). Mandible punctate basally, upper tooth somewhat longer than lower tooth. Malar space much shorter than basal mandibular width. Head almost entirely smooth, partly finely and scarcely punctate. Occipital carina complete.

Mesonotum and mesopleuron predominantly smooth, sometimes partly finely granulate and finely punctate. Notaulus weak. Sternaulus situated in anterior part of mesopleuron, about half as long as mesopleuron, oblique, relatively narrow, crenulated. Propodeum granulate, sometimes almost smooth or partly irregularly rugulose; basal area twice as long as wide, about half as long as apical area; spiracle round, separated from pleural carina by 1.0–1.5 diameters of spiracle; apical area with shallow median longitudinal depression, weakly irregularly rugulose, with pair of fine longitudinal carinae.

Forewing length 1.7 mm. Pterostigma wider than length of first section of radial vein. Metacarp short, ending far short of forewing apex. Second recurrent vein interstitial, unpigmented anteriorly.

Hind femur length 0.4 mm, maximum width 0.13 mm. Hind tibia 0.51 mm long, distinctly longer than hind femur. Hind spurs short, straight or weakly curved.

First tergite length 0.46 mm. First tergite entirely smooth or partly striate laterally. Second tergite length 0.28 mm. Thyridia elongate, about 1.5 times as long as wide. Ovipositor evenly upcurved, with shallow dorsal depression near apex, without teeth ( Fig. 25 ); sheath length 0.44 mm, as long as first tergite.

Body predominantly black, metasoma behind first segment with brownish tinge. Palpi and tegula darkened. Mandibles darkened basally and apically, and yellow-brown medially. Pterostigma and veins brown. All coxa, trochanters, fore femur in its basal half, mid and hind femora almost entirely (except for narrow light apex) strongly darkened to black; fore femur apically, and all tibia and tarsi yellow-brown, sometimes faintly darkened.

Male.

Similar to female. Flagellum of antenna with 13 or (rarely) 14 segments. Malar space shorter.

Holotype: ^‘ South Africa, W Cape, Wolfgat Nature Reserve , 34 ° 04'S: 18 ° 39'E’, ‘ 5.ix.1995; S. van Noort; sweep, S Coast Strandveld’, ‘SAM-HYM-P011662’ ( SAMC).

Paratypes: SOUTH AFRICA: Western Cape: 3^11ơ same data as holotype (1^9ơ SAMC, 2^2ơ ZISP) .

Figures

Figs 12–25. New South African Tersilochinae: (12, 15, 23) Meggoleus townesi sp. n.: (12) head, dorsal view, (15) antenna, lateral view, (23) ovipositor, lateral view; (13, 16, 19, 21, 24) Heterocola africana sp. n.: (13) head, dorsal view, (16) antenna, lateral view, (19) forewing, (21) hind femur, tibia and basitarsus, (24) ovipositor, lateral view; (17, 25) Phradis modestus sp. n.: (17) antenna, lateral view, (25) ovipositor, lateral view; (14, 18, 20, 22) Phradis wolfgator sp. n.: (14) head, dorsal view, (18) antenna, lateral view, (20) forewing, (22) hind femur, tibia and basitarsus. Scale bar = 0.4 mm.