Conostigmus kijiko, Salden & Peters, 2023

Salden, Tobias & Peters, Ralph S., 2023, Afrotropical Ceraphronoidea (Insecta: Hymenoptera) put back on the map with the description of 88 new species, European Journal of Taxonomy 884 (1), pp. 1-386 : 330-334

Conostigmus kijiko sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:A0828739-D966-4A7C-85BF-AC95A8F3996F

Fig. 96

Diagnosis

Metasoma light brown except anterior part yellowish; head height 1.71–1.83 × (1.83) maximum eye diameter. Male genitalia: harpe spoon-shaped and curved distomedially and broadened at apex in ventral and dorsal view, harpe distinctly curved in ventral direction in lateral view; harpe/gvc index 1.60; ventromedial margins of harpes not touching at distoventral margin of gvc, ventromedial margin of harpe concave and converging distomedially in basal two thirds, straight and slightly diverging distolaterally with indentations between median setae in apical third; gvc width one and a half of gvc length; longest lateral setae two thirds as long as harpe, longest apical setae more than two thirds as long as harpe; Weber length 2.24–2.25 × (2.24) genital length; genital length 1.71–1.83× (1.71) gvc width.

Etymology

The species name is derived from the Swahili word ‘ kijiko ’ which means ‘spoon’, with reference to the spoon-shaped harpes.

Material examined

Holotype

KENYA • ♂; Western Province, Kakamega Forest; 00°27′10.6 N, 34°51′48.7 E; 1676 m a.s.l.; 19 Jun. 2007; F. Hita Garcia leg.; Transect 4; primary rain forest; Winkler leaf litter extraction; ZFMK; ZFMK- HYM-00037003 .

Paratype

KENYA • 1 ♂; Western Province, Kakamega Forest; 00°19′36 N, 34°52′14.6 E; 1570 m a.s.l.; 21 Jun. 2007; F. Hita Garcia leg.; Transect 6; primary rain forest; Winkler leaf litter extraction; ZFMK; ZFMK- HYM-00037004 .

Description

Male (N = 2 in morphometric measurements)

BODY LENGTH. 1.23–1.37 mm (1.23 mm).

COLOUR. Head dark brown, mesosoma brown, metasoma light brown except anterior part yellowish; scape yellowish and pedicel light brown, flagellum light brown, gradually darkening from F1 to F9; legs yellowish except meso- and metacoxae lighter; fore wing venation light brown, fore and hind wing disc slightly melanized.

ANTENNA. 11-segmented, flagellomeres cylindric; scape 4.9× as long as pedicel, scape longer than F1 and F2 combined, F1 3.3× as long as wide, F1 2.6× as long as pedicel, F1 1.4× as long as F2, F1 shorter than F7 and F8 combined, F1 as long as F9, F6 1.9 × as long as wide, F6 shorter than F7 and F8 combined, F6 1.1× as high as F9; numerous distinctly small multiporous plates on flagellomeres, sensillae on flagellomeres erect and sickle-shaped and slightly shorter than width of flagellomeres.

HEAD. Head width 1.19–1.30 × (1.19) head height; head width 1.70–1.73 × (1.70) interorbital space; maximum eye diameter 1.24–1.26× (1.26) minimum eye diameter; head height 1.71–1.83 × (1.83) maximum eye diameter. Dorsal margin of occipital carina ventral to dorsal margin of lateral ocellus in lateral view; preoccipital furrow present; preoccipital carina distinct. OOL:POL:LOL 1.00:0.26– 0.43:0.24–0.33 (1.00:0.26:0.24); OOL 2.14–3.30 × (3.30) lateral ocellus diameter. White, thick setae on upper face distinct; supraclypeal depression present; lateral margin of torulus distinctly raised; intertorular carina present; posterolateral processes of gena present.

MESOSOMA, METASOMA. Mesosoma not compressed laterally. Head width 1.01–1.02× (1.02) mesosoma width; Weber length 406–450 µm (406 µm). Mesoscutum densely setose, setae curved backwards; notaulus present; median mesoscutal sulcus present; median mesoscutal sulcus adjacent to transscutal articulation; interaxillar sulcus absent (= scutoscutellar sulcus adjacent to transscutal articulation), scutoscutellar sulcus slightly concave; dorsal axillar area setose, setae curved backwards; mesoscutellum setose, setae curved backwards or straight. Mesoscutum width 2.21–2.24 × (2.24) mesoscutellum width; posterior mesoscutal width 1.65–1.68 × (1.68) mesoscutellum width; mesoscutellum length 1.28–1.33 × (1.28) mesoscutellum width; mesoscutellum length 0.76–0.81 × (0.76) posterior mesoscutal width; Weber length 1.14–1.16 × (1.16) mesoscutum width; Weber length 1.89–2.03 × (2.03) mesoscutellum length. Anteromedian projection of the metanoto-propodeo-metapecto-mesopectal complex straight in lateral view with pointed and lighter end, extending to end of mesosoma; mesometapleural sulcus present; posterior propodeal projection distinctly short in ventrolateral view; posterior mesosomal comb present, slightly setose. At least six distinct, basal longitudinal carinae on syntergum; pairs of translucent patches on metasomal syntergum and synsternum.

FORE WING. Length 2.42–2.65 × (2.65) width; stigmal vein shorter than 2× pterostigma marginal length; pterostigma present.

MALE GENITALIA. Genital length 181–200 µm (181 µm); Weber length 2.24–2.25 × (2.24) genital length; gvc width 106–109 µm (106 µm); genital length 1.71–1.83× (1.71) gvc width; gvc width one and a half of gvc length; gvc width equal to distal gvc width. Proximodorsal margin of gvc straight; distodorsal margin of gvc indistinct in median part, lateral parts strongly descending proximomedially ( Fig. 96C ); proximoventral margin of gvc slightly concave; distoventral margin of gvc strongly descending proximomedially ( Fig. 96A ); ventral area of gvc slightly convex; dorsal area of gvc convex ( Fig. 96B ); proximolateral margin of gvc ascending ventrally; distolateral margin of gvc descending ventrally ( Fig. 96B ). Harpe spoon-shaped and curved distomedially and broadened at apex in ventral and dorsal view, harpe distinctly curved in ventral direction in lateral view; harpe/gvc index 1.60; lateral articulation site of harpe with gvc virtually flush ( Fig. 96A, C ); ventral margin of harpe slightly convex, dorsal margin straight ( Fig. 96B ), lateral margin convex, widest point of harpe at lateral articulation site with gvc ( Fig. 96A, C ); ventromedial margins of harpes not touching at distoventral margin of gvc, ventromedial margin of harpe concave and converging distomedially in basal two thirds, straight and slightly diverging distolaterally with indentations between median setae in apical third ( Fig. 96C ), apex of harpe pointed, oriented distomedially ( Fig. 96A, C ). Harpe with at least two lateral setae restricted to apical quarter, longest lateral setae two thirds as long as harpe, lateral setae oriented distolaterally, ditomedially and distoventrally; harpe with at least two apical setae, longest apical setae more than two thirds as long as harpe, apical setae distinctly crossing and oriented distomedially and distoventrally; harpe with at least eight median setae restricted to slightly more than apical third, longest median setae one quarter as long as harpe, median setae distinctly crossing and oriented distomedially, distoventrally, medioventrally and proximoventrally. Aedeagus + gonossiculus one third as long as harpe, apex of aedeagus + gonossiculus rounded ( Fig. 96A, C ) and dorsal to apex of harpe. Genitalia moderately sclerotized with strongest sclerotization at all margins of harpe and weakest sclerotization at aeadeagus + gonossiculus.

Female

Unknown.

Variation

The anteromedian projection of the metanoto-propodeo-metapecto-mesopectal complex of ZFMK- HYM-00037004 is less pointed.

Biology

Host unknown, specimens collected from leaf litter.

Distribution

Afrotropical: Kenya.

Remarks

Comparison with similar species

The male genitalia of C. kijiko sp. nov. are very similar to the male genitalia of the Nearctic species C. pulchellus Whittaker, 1930 . However, in contrast to C. pulchellus , C. kijiko has no facial sulcus and no distinct or elongated sternaulus (intriguingly, these characters also distinguish C. koleo sp. nov. and C. abdominalis (Boheman, 1832)) . In addition, there are indentations between the median setae of the ventromedial margin of the harpe in C. kijiko (absent in C. pulchellus ), the apical and lateral setae of the harpe are distinctly longer, and the aedeagus + gonossiculus is wider in C. kijiko ( Trietsch et al. 2020) .

For more comparisons with similar species, see remarks under C. koleo sp. nov.

Condition of type material

Holotype is immaculate.

Figures

Fig. 96. Holotype of Conostigmus kijiko sp. nov. (ZFMK-HYM-00037003). A–C. Male genitalia in ventral (A), lateral (B) and dorsal (C) views. D. Habitus in lateral view.