Aphanogmus simbai, 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 : 121-125

Aphanogmus simbai sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:A5447770-C02A-4077-AA05-3512669597E1

Fig. 33

Diagnosis

Head dark brown, mesosoma dark brown; head width 1.09–1.15 × (1.15) mesosoma width; posterior mesosomal comb distinct and densely setose; four distinct, basal longitudinal carinae on syntergum. Male genitalia: harpe finger-shaped in ventral and dorsal view; harpe/gvc index 0.53; dorsomedial margins of harpes almost touching at distodorsal margin of gvc, dorsomedial margin of harpe concave from base to apex; aedeagus + gonossiculus less than three quarters as long as harpe; aedeagus + gonossiculus with at least one ventrobasal seta.

Etymology

The species name is derived from the Swahili word ‘ simba ’ which means ‘lion’. It refers to the four distinct, basal longitudinal carinae on the syntergum which resemble scratch marks of a lion.

Material examined

Holotype

KENYA • ♂; Western Province, Kakamega Forest; 00°22′45 N, 34°49′40.8 E; 1618 m a.s.l.; 11 Sep. 2007; F. Hita Garcia leg.; Transect 27; primary rain forest; Winkler leaf litter extraction; ZFMK; ZFMK- HYM-00037022.

Paratypes

KENYA – Western Province • 1 ♂; Kakamega Forest; 00°19′36 N, 34°52′14.6 E; 1605 m a.s.l.; 21 Jun. 2007; F. Hita Garcia leg.; Transect 6; primary rain forest; Winkler leaf litter extraction; ZFMK; ZFMK-HYM-00034451 • 1 ♂; Kakamega Forest; 00°21′7.9 N, 34°52′2.6 E; 1597 m a.s.l.; 2 Jul. 2007; F. Hita Garcia leg.; Transect 7; primary rain forest; Winkler leaf litter extraction; ZFMK; ZFMK- HYM-00034452 .

Description

Male (N = 3 in morphometric measurements)

BODY LENGTH. 0.72–0.92 mm (0.75 mm).

COLOUR. Head dark brown, mesosoma dark brown, metasoma brown; scape and pedicel light brown, flagellum brown; legs brown except joints and tarsi lighter; fore wing venation light brown, distal end of marginal vein and pterostigma marginal vein distinctly darker, fore and hind wing disc slightly melanized, fore wing at proximal part and distal part less melanized.

ANTENNA. 11-segmented, flagellomeres trapezoidal; scape 4.0× as long as pedicel, scape longer than F1 and F2 combined, F1 2.4× as long as wide, F1 1.7× as long as pedicel, F1 1.2× as long as F2, F1 shorter than F7 and F8 combined, F1 shorter than F9, F6 1.6 × as long as wide, F6 shorter than F7 and F8 combined, F6 1.4 × as high as F9; few distinctly small multiporous plates on flagellomeres, sensillae on flagellomeres erect and longer than width of flagellomeres.

HEAD. Head width 1.18–1.25× (1.22) head height; head width 1.68–1.82 × (1.73) interorbital space; maximum eye diameter 1.10–1.35× (1.35) minimum eye diameter; head height 1.52–1.74 × (1.61) maximum eye diameter. Dorsal margin of occipital carina ventral to dorsal margin of lateral ocellus in lateral view; preoccipital furrow present; preoccipital carina absent. OOL:POL:LOL 1.00:0.55– 0.96:0.60–0.75 (1.00:0.67:0.67); OOL 1.50–2.35× (2.25) lateral ocellus diameter. White, thick setae on upper face absent; supraclypeal depression present; lateral margin of torulus raised; intertorular carina present; posterolateral processes of gena absent.

MESOSOMA, METASOMA. Mesosoma compressed laterally. Head width 1.09–1.15 × (1.15) mesosoma width; Weber length 238–303 µm (288 µm). Mesoscutum densely setose, setae curved backwards; median mesoscutal sulcus present; median mesoscutal sulcus adjacent to transscutal articulation; indistinct interaxillar sulcus, scutoscutellar sulcus not adjacent to transscutal articulation, scutoscutellar sulcus concave; dorsal axillar area sparsely setose, setae curved backwards or straight; mesoscutellum sparsely setose, setae curved backwards or straight. Mesoscutum width 2.11–2.13 × (2.12) mesoscutellum width; posterior mesoscutal width 1.47–1.60 × (1.47) mesoscutellum width; mesoscutellum length 1.67–1.71× (1.71) mesoscutellum width; mesoscutellum length 1.04–1.16 × (1.16) posterior mesoscutal width; Weber length 1.19–1.28 × (1.28) mesoscutum width; Weber length 1.52–1.59 × (1.59) mesoscutellum length. Anteromedian projection of the metanoto-propodeo-metapecto-mesopectal complex curved in lateral view with blunt and emarginated end, exceeding end of mesosoma; mesometapleural sulcus absent; posterior propodeal projection distinctly short in ventrolateral view; posterior mesosomal comb distinct and densely setose. Basal transverse carina of petiole (on syntergum) present; four distinct, basal longitudinal carinae on syntergum; pairs of translucent patches on metasomal syntergum and synsternum.

FORE WING. Length 3.03–3.18 × (3.12) width; stigmal vein shorter than 2 × pterostigma marginal length.

MALE GENITALIA. Genital length 138–181 µm (156 µm); Weber length 1.67–1.84 × (1.84) genital length; gvc width 56–66 µm (63 µm); genital length 2.44–2.76 × (2.50) gvc width; gvc width less than two thirds of gvc length; gvc width 1.16 × distal gvc width. Proximodorsal margin of gvc straight; distodorsal margin of gvc strongly descending proximomedially ( Fig. 33C ); proximoventral margin of gvc indistinct; distoventral margin of gvc descending proximomedially ( Fig. 33A ); ventral area of gvc slightly convex; dorsal area of gvc straight ( Fig. 33B ); proximolateral margin of gvc indistinct; distolateral margin of gvc convex ( Fig. 33B ). Harpe finger-shaped in ventral and dorsal view; harpe/gvc index 0.53; lateral articulation site of harpe with gvc not flush ( Fig. 33A, C ); ventral margin of harpe concave, dorsal margin convex ( Fig. 33B ), lateral margin convex, widest point of harpe at lateral articulation site with gvc ( Fig. 33A, C ); dorsomedial margins of harpes almost touching at distodorsal margin of gvc, dorsomedial margin of harpe concave from base to apex ( Fig. 33C ), apex of harpe rounded, oriented distomedially ( Fig. 33A, C ). Harpe with at least one ventral seta restricted to apical third, longest ventral seta less than half as long as harpe, ventral seta oriented distolaterally and distoventrally; harpe with at least four apical setae, longest apical setae one third as long as harpe, apical setae oriented distomedially and distoventrally; harpe with at least three median setae restricted to apical quarter, longest median setae less than one quarter as long as harpe, median setae oriented distomedially and distoventrally. Aedeagus + gonossiculus less than three quarters as long as harpe, apex of aedeagus + gonossiculus divided ( Fig. 33A, C ) and dorsal to apex of harpe. Aedeagus + gonossiculus with at least four digital teeth, two oriented dorsally and two oriented ventrally and with at least one ventrobasal seta. Genitalia moderately sclerotized with strongest sclerotization at aedeagus + gonossiculus.

Female

Unknown.

Variation

Unknown.

Biology

Host unknown, specimens collected from leaf litter.

Distribution

Afrotropical: Kenya.

Remarks

Comparison with similar species

Aphanogmus simbai sp. nov. and the similar A. fumipennis Thomson, 1858 can be distinguished by characters of the male genitalia: the dorsomedial margin of the harpe is concave from base to apex in A. simbai and convex and slightly diverging distolaterally in basal third and concave and slightly converging distomedially in apical two thirds in A. fumipennis . Furthermore, the harpes of A. simbai are less distinctly curved in ventral direction than those of A. fumipennis .

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

Condition of type material

In the holotype, the right fore- and hind wing are missing. The right hind leg is detached (except coxa). The proximal part of the gvc is damaged. The posterior half of the metasoma is detached, thus the body length measurement is not precise.

Figures

Fig. 33. Holotype of Aphanogmus simbai sp. nov. (ZFMK-HYM-00037022). A–C. Male genitalia in ventral (A), lateral (B) and dorsal (C) views. D. Habitus in lateral view.