Aphanogmus isiukhu, 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 : 32-35

Aphanogmus isiukhu sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:9C0FEE4A-269F-41AD-B478-BDAB2F0AE5FF

Fig. 6

Diagnosis

Stigmal vein slightly shorter than pterostigma marginal length. Male genitalia: harpe slightly broadened with plateau on apex in lateral view; harpe/gvc index 0.37; ventromedial margins of harpes not touching at distoventral margin of gvc, ventromedial margin of harpe straight and slightly converging and touching distomedially in basal two thirds, straight and slightly diverging distolaterally in apical third; ventral margin of harpe slightly concave in basal two thirds, slightly convex in apical third, dorsal margin indistinct and apex of dorsal margin pointed and oriented dorsally, lateral margin convex and oriented distomedially in basal two thirds, slightly concave in apical third; genital length 1.45–1.57× (1.45) gvc width.

Etymology

The species is named after the Isiukhu River close to the sampling location of the holotype and paratype.

Material examined

Holotype

KENYA • ♂; Western Province, Kakamega Forest; 00°19′36 N, 34°52′14.6 E; 1570 m a.s.l.; 28 Jun. 2007; F. Hita Garcia leg.; Transect 6; primary rain forest; Winkler leaf litter extraction; ZFMK; ZFMK- HYM-00037023 .

Paratype

KENYA • 1 ♂; same collection data as for holotype; ZFMK-HYM-00034453 .

Description

Male (N = 1 in morphometric measurements)

BODY LENGTH. 0.76 mm.

COLOUR. Head brown, mesosoma brown, metasoma light brown; scape light brown except proximal third lighter and pedicel light brown, flagellum light brown; legs light brown except joints and tarsi lighter; fore wing venation light brown, fore and hind wing disc hyaline and weakly melanized.

ANTENNA. 11-segmented, flagellomeres trapezoidal; scape 3.8× as long as pedicel, scape as long as F1 and F2 combined, F1 2.0× as long as wide, F1 1.6× as long as pedicel, F1 1.3× as long as F2, F1 shorter than F7 and F8 combined, F1 shorter than F9, F6 1.3 × as long as wide, F6 shorter than F7 and F8 combined, F6 1.1 × as high as F9; few distinctly small multiporous plates on flagellomeres, sensillae on flagellomeres erect and longer than width of flagellomeres.

HEAD. Head width 1.27 × head height; head width 1.52 × interorbital space; maximum eye diameter 1.21 × minimum eye diameter; head height 1.76 × maximum eye diameter. Dorsal margin of occipital carina ventral to dorsal margin of lateral ocellus in lateral view; preoccipital furrow indisinct; preoccipital carina present. OOL:POL:LOL 1.00:1.50:0.71; OOL 1.71 × lateral ocellus diameter. White, thick setae on upper face absent; supraclypeal depression present; lateral margin of torulus slightly raised; intertorular carina present; posterolateral processes of gena absent.

MESOSOMA, METASOMA. Mesosoma compressed laterally. Head width 1.15 × mesosoma width; Weber length 250 µm. Mesoscutum densely setose, setae curved backwards; median mesoscutal sulcus absent; interaxillar sulcus superficial, scutoscutellar sulcus not adjacent to transscutal articulation, scutoscutellar sulcus concave; dorsal axillar area setose, setae curved backwards; mesoscutellum setose, setae curved backwards or straight. Mesoscutum width 1.82 × mesoscutellum width; posterior mesoscutal width 1.35 × mesoscutellum width; mesoscutellum length 1.76 × mesoscutellum width; mesoscutellum length 1.30 × posterior mesoscutal width; Weber length 1.29 × mesoscutum width; Weber length 1.33 × mesoscutellum length. Anteromedian projection of the metanoto-propodeo-metapecto-mesopectal complex absent; mesometapleural sulcus absent; posterior propodeal projection absent; posterior mesosomal comb absent. Basal transverse carina of petiole (on syntergum) absent; longitudinal carinae on syntergum absent; translucent patches on metasoma absent.

FORE WING. Length 2.73 × width; stigmal vein slightly shorter than pterostigma marginal length.

MALE GENITALIA. Genital length 100–113 µm (100 µm); Weber length 2.50 × (2.50) genital length; gvc width 69–72 µm (69 µm); genital length 1.45–1.57× (1.45) gvc width; gvc width more than three quarters of gvc length; gvc width 1.19 × distal gvc width. Proximodorsal margin of gvc strongly convex; distodorsal margin of gvc descending proximomedially ( Fig. 6C ); proximoventral margin of gvc strongly concave; distoventral margin of gvc convex and descending proximomedially ( Fig. 6A ); ventral area of gvc slightly convex; dorsal area of gvc strongly convex ( Fig. 6B ); proximolateral margin of gvc strongly ascending ventrally; distolateral margin of gvc indistinct ( Fig. 6B ). Harpe slightly broadened with plateau on apex in lateral view; harpe/gvc index 0.37; lateral articulation site of harpe with gvc flush ( Fig. 6A, C ); ventral margin of harpe slightly concave in basal two thirds, slightly convex in apical third, dorsal margin indistinct and apex of dorsal margin pointed and oriented dorsally ( Fig. 6B ), lateral margin convex and oriented distomedially in basal two thirds, slightly concave in apical third, widest point of harpe at apex lateral articulation site with gvc ( Fig. 6A, C ); ventromedial margins of harpes not touching at distoventral margin of gvc, ventromedial margin of harpe straight and slightly converging and touching distomedially in basal two thirds, straight and slightly diverging distolaterally in apical third ( Fig. 6C ), apex of harpe pointed, oriented distolaterally ( Fig. 6A, C ). Harpe with at least one lateral seta restricted to apical half, longest lateral seta less than two thirds as long as harpe, lateral seta oriented distolaterally; harpe with at least one ventral seta restricted to basal third, longest ventral seta less than two thirds as long as harpe, ventral seta oriented distolaterally and distoventrally; harpe with at least three apical setae, longest apical setae less than one quarter as long as harpe, apical setae oriented distodorsally, distolaterally and distoventrally. Aedeagus + gonossiculus less than one quarter of harpe length, apex of aedeagus + gonossiculus indistinct ( Fig. 6A, C ) and dorsal to apex of harpe. Genitalia strongly sclerotized with strongest sclerotization at aedeagus + gonossiculus and apical margin of harpe.

Female

Unknown.

Variation

The harpes are opened in ZFMK-HYM-00034453; therefore, the ventromedial margins of the harpes are not touching.

Biology

Host unknown, specimens collected from leaf litter.

Distribution

Afrotropical: Kenya.

Remarks

Comparison with similar species

The male genitalia of A. isiukhu sp. nov. and A. kakamegaensis sp. nov. are similar in ventral and dorsal view in having the ventromedial margins of the harpes touching and the apical parts of the ventromedial margins being straight and slightly diverging distolaterally. However, the male genitalia of A. isiukhu and A. kakamegaensis are distinctly different in lateral view, specifically in the shape of the apex of the harpe which is plateau-like in A. isiukhu and rounded in A. kakamegaensis .

For more comparisons with similar species, see remarks under A. yala sp. nov.

Condition of type material

In the holotype, the metasoma is deformed, thus the body length measurement is not precise. The paratype ZFMK-HYM-00034453 was lost during processing, but the male genitalia are still present, i.e., only measurements of the genital length and gvc width of ZFMK-HYM-00034453 are included in the description.

Figures

Fig. 6. Holotype of Aphanogmus isiukhu sp. nov. (ZFMK-HYM-00037023). A–C. Male genitalia ventral (A), lateral (B) and dorsal (C) views. D. Habitus in lateral view.