Afrisolia quagga van Noort & Lahey, 2021

van Noort, Simon, Lahey, Zachary, Talamas, Elijah J., Austin, Andrew D., Masner, Lubomir, Polaszek, Andrew & Johnson, Norman F., 2021, Review of Afrotropical sceliotracheline parasitoid wasps (Hymenoptera, Platygastridae), Journal of Hymenoptera Research 87, pp. 115-222 : 115

Afrisolia quagga van Noort & Lahey sp. nov.

Figs 5 , 6 , 7

Material examined.

Holotype: South Africa • ♀; Eastern Cape, Blauwe Krans Farm, (12.8 km 216°SW Kirkwood) 33°30.747'S, 25°24.644'E; 9-16 Feb 2001; HG Robertson & R Tourle; Winkler; VB01-A3N-W10; Valley Bushveld (non-trashed); SAM-HYM-P095157 (SAMC).

Paratypes: South Africa • 2♂♂; E. Cape, Asante Sana Game Reserve, Waterkloof ; S32 14.745 E24 56.471; 1807 m; 18-25 Nov 2009; J. Midgley; T3S3b; Pitfall trap; Camdeboo Escarpment Thicket; Mixed Grass (tussock & tall shrubs with scattered small oubos); SAM-HYM-P043318; SAM-HYM-P095174 (SAMC) .

Description.

Female. Body length 1.1 mm. Colour of head black, mesosoma orange-brown, metasoma yellow-orange, antennae, alar sclerites, and legs yellow; wings are hyaline, but appear white due to dense presence of white microtrichiae.

Head in dorsal view strongly transverse (1:3), lens-like, with frons only gently arched; temples straight, strongly receding toward occipital carina; POL:LOL:OOL = 22:10:15. Scape distinctly shorter than interorbital space (24:15) with scrobe absent; eyes glabrous; scattered white setae on head; head with delicate alutaceous reticulation, including posterior of hyperoccipital carina; head in lateral view more than twice as high as wide (9:21), with lower frons gently convex, vertex acute and posterior toruli distinctly raised; eyes oval (9:12) and upper part of gena almost disappearing behind eye; malar space much shorter than eye height (19:28); head in anterior view wider than high (12:9), lenticular, with vertex gently rounded, cheeks straight; interorbital space larger than eye height (17: 14); toruli with dorsal carina forming bilateral convex shelf, medial concave; interantennal process acute, slightly projecting between toruli. Antenna with scape to radicle as 24:5, scape micro-alutaceous. Clava 3-merous, length subequal to combined length of pedicle and flagellomeres 1-5.

Mesosoma distinctly longer than high (12:8), moderately convex dorsally; pronotum and mesoscutum, with delicate alutaceous reticulation and scattered setae; scutellum polished, more than twice as wide as long (9:4), anteromedially pointed; posterior margin of scutellum smoothly convex; dorsellum (= metascutellum) about 8 × wider than long, smooth between metascutellar carinae; sulcus separating metanotum from propodeum raised; propodeum with anteriodorsal transverse concave plate from which the foamy keels arise, extending lateroventrally on each side of propodeum; lateral foamy edges are bent up like flanges; mesopleuron smooth, but with a two complete longitudinal striations dorsally accompanied by a few shorter striations in posterodorsal third; transepisternal line present, anterior third arched ventrally to meet mesopleural carina; acetabular and ventral mesopleural carinae delicate; metapleuron with rather dense, long white setae except for around depression and dorsal and posterior edge forming wide foamy area. Fore wing curved over metasoma, extending beyond tip of metasoma, 1.6 × longer than length of metasoma (35:22), broad (19:10), without marginal cilia, with extremely short pointed white microtrichiae with bulbous base; hind wing (3:1) with distinct marginal cilia along full length of posterior margin.

Metasoma shorter than rest of body (11:13), wider than high (10:3); T1 broadly trapezoidal (16:5), anteriorly covered with patch of scattered long white setae; T2 distinctly wider than long (32:15), anterior margin with single transverse setose depression; T3-T6 short; S1 covered with dense patch of long, white setae.

Male. Similar to females except for fore wings of normal shape, not curved over metasoma, twice as long as metasoma; head with hyperoccipital carina less pronounced and absent between lateral ocelli and inner margin of compound eye; occiput not as laterally excavated as in females; antenna filiform; notauli much broader and more lenticular in shape, posteriorly very narrow; dorsal striations on mesopleuron more numerous. Colouration similar to female, except for pedicel and flagellum, which is dark brown.

Diagnosis.

A distinctly coloured species with an orange-yellow metasoma contrasting strongly with the red-brown mesosoma and dark brown head; A. quagga has OOL longer than LOL, whereas it is shorter or equal in length to LOL in the other species; mesocutum alutaceous reticulate between notauli as in A. anyskop , polished in A. obesa and A. robertsoni ; notauli are broader, 3 × longer than wide as in A. obesa , whereas remaining species have narrower notauli, at least 5 × longer than wide; notauli positioned closer together relative to scutellar width, meeting the mesoscutellar sulcus at least double the posterior notaular width from the lateral margins of the scutellum, in contrast to other species where the notauli are posteriorly more widely spaced.

Etymology.

Named for the similar coloration and habitat affiliation to the Quagga, an extinct Plains Zebra subspecies that previously existed in the Cape region. These zebras had reduced stripes and a distinct orange hue on the flanks and hind quarters, which is also reflected in the coloration of the metasoma of this new Afrisolia species. Noun in apposition.

Distribution.

South Africa (Eastern Cape).

Figures

Figure 5. Afrisolia quagga van Noort & Lahey, sp. nov. female holotype (SAMC) (SAM-HYM-P 095157) A habitus, lateral view (inset: data labels) B habitus, dorsal view C head, anterior view D body, dorsal view (wings displaced laterally) E mesosoma, posterior-dorsal view F habitus, ventral view.

Figure 6. Afrisolia quagga van Noort & Lahey, sp. nov. male paratype (SAMC) (SAM-HYM-P 043318) A habitus, lateral view B habitus, dorsal view C habitus with wings spread, dorsal view D head, mesosoma, dorsal view E head, mesosoma lateral view F head, anterior view.

Figure 7. Afrisolia quagga van Noort & Lahey, sp. nov. male paratype (SAMC) (SAM-HYM-P 043318) A head, mandibles, ventral view B head pronotum, dorsal view C mesoscutellum, propodeum, T 1, dorsal view D head, mesosoma, dorso-lateral view E fore tibiae and tarsi, axial view F wings, dorsal view (inset: data labels).