Pediobius askari 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 : 222-225

Pediobius askari Gumovsky , sp. n.

( Figs 12 , 13 , 17A, E , 18A )

Diagnosis. Head in dorsal view ( Fig. 17E ) about 3.0× as broad as long, face mostly finely reticulated, but smooth below antennal toruli; frontal sutures complete, antennal toruli situated below level of lower eye margins at a distance about as long as diameter of torulus ( Figs 12C , 17A ); vertex along eye margins with strong bristles, slightly longer and stronger than flagellar setae; lower face notably narrowed and elongate ( Figs 12C , 17A ), malar space about 0.8× as long as eye height, mouth opening about 0.6× as long as malar space; mandible with two teeth ( Fig. 13D ); occipital margin sharp and distinctly curved ( Figs 13F , 17E ); antennal scape dark, with metallic tint; mesoscutum and mesoscutellum mostly with coarse sculpture, notauli weakly marked anteriorly and inconspicuous posteriorly ( Figs 12D , 13B ); entire dorsum with setae longer than flagellar setae; mesoscutellum with one pair of setae; propodeum with distinct nucha bearing shallow foveae posteriorly, its submedian areas 1.5× as broad as long, submedian carinae subparallel anteriorly and notably diverging posteriorly ( Figs 13E , 18A ); propodeal callus with 3 setae; metatibial spur about 0.5× as long as metabasitarsus; slightly more than 2.0× as long as breadth of metatibia; subcosta of submarginal vein with two long bristles and parastigma with one long bristle; forewing speculum partly closed below, cubital setal line of 6 setae at underside of wing; stigmal vein with distinct petiole, postmarginal vein slightly longer than stigmal vein; fore wing broadly darkened medially; WIP with altering narrow bands of violet (apical), blue and green color ( Fig. 12B ); metasomal petiole short, robust, about 1.6× as long as propodeum ( Fig. 13B, E ), Gt1 occupying approximately slightly more than 1/3 of length of gaster.

Type material. Holotype ♀, South Africa, Mpumalanga Province, nr. Barberton, mist-belt forest patch, nr. Agnes Mine, U-turn to Almeida ( Fig. 1J ) sweeping in savanna, 07.V. 2014, DNA extract F 1 (A. Gumovsky) (deposited in: BMNH) .

Paratypes: ♀, ibid., forest patch nr. Agnes Mine ( Fig. 1K ), sweeping (hundred double sweepings), 12.V.2014 (A. Gumovsky) ( SIZK) ; ♀, South Africa, MPU [Mpumalanga], 3 km SE of Moloto, 25.28,8S, 28.38,9E, 1250 m, collected by D-Vac from Acacia nilotica, 04.ii.1997, SANC Pretoria , Database No. HYMCO2085 (E. Grobelaar & M. Stiller); ♀, Gauteng Province, GAU [Gauteng], Roodeplaat : PPRI nr. Pretoria , 25.36S, 28.21E, collected by D- Vac from Acacia nilotica, 18.xii.1996 (Grobelaar / Sals / Stiller); ♀, South Africa , Limpopo Province, Tvl, Duiwelskloof, 23.42S, 30.06E, 12–14.i. 1987 (G.L. Prinsloo) ( SANC) ; ♀, ibid., [Eastern Cape] “ S. Africa, R.E.Turner, Brit. Mus., 1923-422, Port St. John, Pondoland , Aug. 7 –13.1923 ( BMNH) ; ♀, Zimbabwe, Harare, “ Rhodesia, Salisbury, A. Watsham ”, WF. 229 (ii).76 ; ♀, Kenya, Mtapa , near Mombasa, 9.vi–2.vii+ 23–30.vii.1993 (P. Lammers) ( BMNH) ; ♀, Tanzania, Mkomazi Game Reserve, Ibaya Camp , 3°58'S, 37°48'E, 11 Mar – 5 Apr 1996, S. Van Noort, Malaise trap, Acacia / Commiphora / Combretum bushland, SAM-HYM-P017586 ; ♀, ibid., 14 April – 3 May 1996, SAM-HYM-P015400 ; ♀, ibid., gorge, 1 km NW of Ibaya , 3°58'S, 37°47'E, 31-1-1996, A. Russell-Smith, SAM-HYM-P01 9792 ( SAMC) ; ♀, DRC, North Kivu Province, “ Coll. Mus. Congo, Terr . Rutshuru , 7-v-1937, Miss. Prophylactique ” ( RMCA) ; ♀, Ivory Coast, Lamto, Malaise , RCI, 19-8-1985, (J.Y. Rasplus) ( INRA).

Description. Female. Body length about 2.2–2.4 mm. Body dark, with bright metallic luster in following areas: face golden green ( Figs 12C , 17A ), propodeum, lateral and ventral mesosoma, coxae and Gt1 dark blue ( Fig. 12A, D, E ); entire antenna and legs dark, fore wing with broad dark spot medially, first two tarsomeres pale brown, third one darker and terminal tarsomere much darker ( Fig. 12A ).

Head about 1.3× as broad as mesosoma ( Figs 12A, D , 17E ), 3.0× as broad as long in dorsal view, lightly reticulated throughout ( Figs 12C , 17A ), apart from lower face; with sparse bristles on vertex and along eye orbits. Border between upper and lower face marked by weak elevation, but without ridge or carina ( Fig. 13F ). Occipital margin deeply concave and marked by sharp carina ( Fig. 12F ). POL about 1.4× OOL. Head in frontal view about 1.4× as broad as high. Eye bare; its height 1.2× as long as malar space. Breadth of mouth opening about 0.6× malar space (malar space about 1.7× mouth opening), anterior margin of clypeus slightly produced; mandible wide, rounded, with two teeth ( Fig. 13D ). Upper margins of antennal toruli situated below level of lower eye margins at a distance equal to major diameter of torulus ( Figs 12C , 13A, C ). Combined length of pedicel and flagellum slightly longer than maximum head breadth (measured between outer eye margins). Scape 6.7–6.8× as long as broad, and about 0.5× as long as head height; pedicel nearly 2.3× as long as broad. Funicle with F1 about 6.0×, F2 3.8×, F3 about 3.0× as long as broad; clava about 2.5× as long as broad.

Mesosoma ( Figs 12D, E , 13A, B ) about 1.4–1.5× as long as broad. Pronotum narrow, its collar situated somewhat lower than level of moderately convex mesoscutum, visible in dorsal view as a narrow strip, bearing sharp transverse carina and small lateral shoulders ( Figs 12D , 13B, F ). Mesoscutum convex anteriorly, relatively flat posteriorly, as well as mesoscutellum, finely reticuled; notauli marked as fine sutures anteriorly, and as very shallow depressions posteriorly ( Figs 12D , 13B ). Transscutal line straight ( Fig. 12D ). Axilla lightly but distinctly reticulated, with 1 short seta ( Fig. 13B ). Scutellum nearly flat, reticulated with wide elongate meshes in 2/3 and rounded meshes in about posterior 1/3 ( Fig. 13B ). Dorsellum narrow ( Fig. 13E ), subrectangular, without outlined foveae but with distinct lateral margins (this condition may be resultant from fused foveae). Propodeum ( Fig. 18A ) nearly smooth, but coriaceous along supracoxal flange, with short anterior groove under dorsellum and small pits on sides of anterior grooves; median coriaceous strip delimited by submedian carinae notably diverging posteriorly and ending up with distinct coriaceous nucha bearing two large indistinctly margined pits; propodeal callus with 3 setae.

Fore wing 2.6× as long as broad, with speculum partly closed below, with basal setal line present as two short setae and cubital setal line of 6 setae at underside of wing; subcosta of submarginal vein with two strong bristles, parastigma with one bristle; marginal vein 1.4× longer than relatively narrow costal cell, stigmal vein short, 1.5× as long as width of marginal vein in its broadest part, with rounded stigma and short uncus; postmarginal vein slightly longer than stigmal vein. WIP with altering narrow bands of violet (apical), blue, green, violet, and fuzzy greenviolet (near the dark cloud, Fig. 12B ). Metatibial spur slightly more than 2.0× as long as breadth of metatibia, 0.5× as long as metabasitarsus. Metatibia about 0.9× as long as metatarsus, metabasitarsus about 3.5× as long as breadth of metatibia.

Metasoma about 1.4× as long as combined length of head plus mesosoma in dorsal view ( Fig. 12A, B ). Metasomal petiole short, robust, rugose, with sharply margined collar; about 1.6× as long as propodeum. Gaster long ovate, about 2.6× as long as broad ( Fig. 12A ); Gt1 smooth dorsally, light alutaceous laterally, occupying slightly more than 1/3 length of gaster, Gt7 elongate, about 2.0× as long as its basal width.

Male. Unknown.

Etymology. The specific epithet means “soldier” in Swahili, a lingua franca in East Africa, and refers to the helmet-like head of this species.

Distribution. South Africa, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Tanzania, DRC, Ivory Coast.

Host. Unknown. Collected in very diverse biotopes in across Africa.

Comparative remarks. The species is easily distinguishable from all other representatives of Pediobius by the remarkable habitus with the helmet-like, convex, coarsely sculptured head and darkened medially fore wings ( Figs 12 , 13 ). The only species it may be confused with is P. maleficus , from which it differs as described below.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Some localities Where collections Were made: A, B, semi-deciduous rainforest betWeen Yedi and Uesa villages (Ituri Province, DRC): A, habitat, B, collecting; C, disturbed area at MongbWalu mining camP (“behind the Titanic block”) (Ituri Province, DRC); D, E, Yangambi, research Plot 1 of COBIMFO Project (Orientale Province, DRC): border betWeen abandoned shamba and secondary forest; F, G, Palabora reserve (LimPoPo Province, South Africa): F, “Dolerite road” site, G, Molengraaf farm; H, I, Tamarix trees at “Madala site” (Gauteng Province, South Africa): H, in APril, I, in November, under Windy Weather bringing dust from nearby mines; J, K, areas near Agnes Mine, vicinities of Barberton (MPumalanga Province, South Africa); A, B, the tyPe locality of P. nganga; C–I, localities Where P. afroteres Was collected (F, its tyPe locality); J, K, localities Where P. askari Was collected (J, its tyPe locality).

FIGURE 12. Pediobius askari. A–D, holotyPe female (South Africa, BMNH), E, ParatyPe female (Tanzania, SAMC). A, B, habitus: A, dorsal vieW, B, lateral vieW; C, D, head and anterior Part of mesosoma: C, fronto-lateral vieW, D, dorsal vieW; E, head, mesosoma and anterior Part of metasoma in dorso-lateral vieW.

FIGURE 13. Pediobius askari, ParatyPe female (ZimbabWe, BMNH), SEM. A, B, head, mesosoma and anterior Part of metasoma: A, ventro-lateral vieW, B, dorso-lateral vieW; C, head in frontal vieW; D, mouth oPening and mandibles; E, ProPodeum and Petiole in lateral vieW; F, head in dorso-lateral vieW.

FIGURE 17. Pediobius sPP. A–D, head in frontal vieW; E–H, head and anterior Part of mesosoma in dorsal vieW.

FIGURE 18. Pediobius sPP. A–D, Posterior Part of mesosoma and anterior Part of metasoma in dorsal vieW.