Ceraphron herreni, 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 : 184-187

Ceraphron herreni sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:45FA2651-9F89-44B1-966E-A50B4C53F6ED

Fig. 52

Diagnosis

Dorsal margin of occipital carina dorsal to dorsal margin of lateral ocellus in lateral view; preoccipital carina distinct; maximum eye diameter 1.39–1.62× (1.39) minimum eye diameter; anteromedian projection of the metanoto-propodeo-metapecto-mesopectal complex straight in lateral view with blunt, lighter and bifurcated end, exceeding end of mesosoma; posterolateral processes of gena present; mesometapleural sulcus present; fore wing length 3.06–3.19× (3.12) width. Male genitalia: harpe cone-shaped in ventral and dorsal view; harpe/gvc index 0.41; dorsomedial margins of harpes slightly converging and touching at distodorsal margin of gvc, dorsomedial margin of harpe straight in approximately basal quarter, concave and slightly diverging distolaterally in approximately apical three quarters; dorsal margin of harpe concave.

Etymology

The species is named after the entomologist Hans Rudolf Herren (*1947). He was the leader of the spectacular biological pest management campaign fighting the cassava mealybug Phenacoccus manihoti Matile-Ferrero, 1977 ( Hemiptera : Pseudococcidae ) with the parasitoid wasp Anagyrus lopezi (De Santis, 1964) ( Hymenoptera : Encyrtidae ), which in the 1980s saved about 20 million Africans from a major food crisis. Herren was awarded with the World Food Prize 1995.

Material examined

Holotype

KENYA • ♂; Western Province, Kakamega Forest; 00°21′21.1 N, 34°51′44.9 E; 1632 m a.s.l.; 1 Aug. 2007; F. Hita Garcia leg.; Transect 16; primary rain forest; Winkler leaf litter extraction; ZFMK; ZFMK- HYM-00036874 .

Paratypes

KENYA – Western Province • 1 ♂; Kakamega Forest; 00°14′22.9 N, 34°51′21 E; 1594 m a.s.l.; 17 Jul. 2007; F. Hita Garcia leg.; Transect 12; primary rain forest; Winkler leaf litter extraction; ZFMK; ZFMK- HYM-00036851 • 1 ♂; Kakamega Forest; 00°13′15.5 N, 34°53′24.7 E; 1597 m a.s.l.; 23 Aug. 2007; F. Hita Garcia leg.; Transect 22; primary rain forest; Winkler leaf litter extraction; ZFMK; ZFMK- HYM-00036853 • 1 ♂; Kakamega Forest; 00°13′59.1 N, 34°51′43.7 E; 1614 m a.s.l.; 5 Aug. 2007; F. Hita Garcia leg.; Transect 24; primary rain forest; Winkler leaf litter extraction; ZFMK; ZFMK- HYM-00036855 • 1 ♂; Kakamega Forest; 00°07′40.8 N, 34°50′24 E; 1656 m a.s.l.; 12 Aug. 2008; F. Hita Garcia leg.; Transect 30; primary rain forest; Winkler leaf litter extraction; ZFMK; ZFMK- HYM-00036856 .

Description

Male (N = 3 in morphometric measurements)

BODY LENGTH. 1.21–1.23 mm (1.21).

COLOUR. Head dark brown, mesosoma dark brown, metasoma brown; scape and pedicel yellowish, flagellum brown, gradually darkening from F1 to F9; legs yellowish except proximal half of coxae brown; fore wing venation light brown, fore and hind wing disc slightly melanized.

ANTENNA. 11-segmented, flagellomeres cylindric; scape 3.9× as long as pedicel, scape longer than F1 and F2 combined, F1 2.4× as long as wide, F1 1.9× as long as pedicel, F1 1.3× as long as F2, F1 shorter than F7 and F8 combined, F1 shorter than F9, F6 2.0× as long as wide, F6 shorter than F7 and F8 combined, F6 1.4 × as high as F9; numerous large multiporous plates on flagellomeres, sensillae on flagellomeres sickle-shaped and shorter than width of flagellomeres.

HEAD. Head width 1.09–1.12 × (1.09) head height; head width 1.85–2.00 × (2.00) interorbital space; maximum eye diameter 1.39–1.62× (1.39) minimum eye diameter; head height 1.63–1.72 × (1.72) maximum eye diameter. Dorsal margin of occipital carina dorsal to dorsal margin of lateral ocellus in lateral view; preoccipital furrow present; preoccipital carina distinct. OOL:POL:LOL 1.00:0.40– 0.48:0.52–0.55 (1.00:0.48:0.52); OOL 1.92–2.35× (1.92) lateral ocellus diameter. White, thick setae on upper face distinct; supraclypeal depression present; lateral margin of torulus raised; intertorular carina present; posterolateral processes of gena present.

MESOSOMA, METASOMA. Mesosoma not compressed laterally. Head width 0.96–1.00× (1.00) mesosoma width; Weber length 350–438 µm (438 µm). Mesoscutum densely setose, setae curved backwards; median mesoscutal sulcus present; median mesoscutal sulcus adjacent to transscutal articulation; interaxillar sulcus absent (= scutoscutellar sulcus adjacent to transscutal articulation), scutoscutellar sulcus concave; dorsal axillar area setose, setae curved backwards; mesoscutellum sparsely setose in anterior half, setae curved backwards or straight. Mesoscutum width 1.76–2.00 × (2.00) mesoscutellum width; posterior mesoscutal width 1.41–1.62× (1.62) mesoscutellum width; mesoscutellum length 1.48–1.65× (1.65) mesoscutellum width; mesoscutellum length 1.02–1.05 × (1.02) posterior mesoscutal width; Weber length 1.24–1.35 × (1.35) mesoscutum width; Weber length 1.51–1.63 × (1.63) mesoscutellum length. Anteromedian projection of the metanoto-propodeo-metapecto-mesopectal complex straight in lateral view with blunt, lighter and bifurcated end, exceeding end of mesosoma; mesometapleural sulcus present; posterior propodeal projection distinct, straight in ventrolateral view; posterior mesosomal comb absent. Basal transverse carina of petiole (on syntergum) present; at least eight distinct, basal longitudinal carinae on syntergum; pairs of translucent patches on metasomal syntergum and synsternum.

FORE WING. Length 3.06–3.19 × (3.12) width; stigmal vein slightly longer than 3× pterostigma marginal length.

MALE GENITALIA. Genital length 153–175 µm (175 µm); Weber length 2.29–2.50 × (2.50) genital length; gvc width 69–72 µm (72 µm); genital length 2.13–2.44 × (2.44) gvc width; gvc width two thirds of gvc length; gvc width 1.20 × distal gvc width. Proximodorsal margin of gvc slightly concave; distodorsal margin of gvc slightly descending proximomedially ( Fig. 52C ); proximoventral margin of gvc slightly concave; distoventral margin of gvc descending proximomedially ( Fig. 52A ); ventral area of gvc slightly convex; dorsal area of gvc slightly convex ( Fig. 52B ), slightly indented distomedially; proximolateral margin of gvc slightly ascending ventrally; distolateral margin of gvc descending ventrally ( Fig. 52B ). Harpe cone-shaped in ventral and dorsal view; harpe/gvc index 0.41; lateral articulation site of harpe with gvc not flush ( Fig. 52A, C ); ventral margin of harpe slightly concave, dorsal margin concave ( Fig. 52B ), lateral margin convex, widest point of harpe at apical half ( Fig. 52A, C ); dorsomedial margins of harpes slightly converging and touching at distodorsal margin of gvc, dorsomedial margin of harpe straight in approximately basal quarter, concave and slightly diverging distolaterally in approximately apical three quarters ( Fig. 52C ), apex of harpe slightly rounded ( Fig. 52A, C ). Harpe with at least two lateral setae restricted to apical half, longest lateral setae more than half as long as harpe, lateral setae oriented distolaterally; harpe with at least three apical setae, longest apical setae more than half as long as harpe; apical setae oriented distomedially and distoventrally; harpe with at least eight median setae, longest median setae more than one third as long as harpe, median setae oriented distomedially, distoventrally and medioventrally. Aedeagus + gonossiculus two thirds as long as harpe, apex of aedeagus + gonossiculus acute ( Fig. 52A, C ) and ventral to apex of harpe. Genitalia strongly sclerotized with strongest sclerotization at distal margin of gvc and all margins of harpe.

Female

Unknown.

Variation

The number of longitudinal carinae on the syntergum is nine in ZFMK-HYM-00036855 and the indentation of the dorsal area of the gvc is absent in ZFMK-HYM-00036851.

Biology

Host unknown, specimens collected from leaf litter.

Distribution

Afrotropical: Kenya.

Remarks

Comparison with similar species

Ceraphron herreni sp. nov. and C. sp. 2 can be easily distinguished by, for example, a dark brown mesosoma, an uniformly coloured metasoma, a brown flagellum with a less distinct colour gradient and a metacoxa with proximal half brown and distal half yellowish in C. herreni and a brown mesosoma, a metasoma with a lighter anterior third than the rest of the metasoma, a flagellum with a very distinct colour gradient from yellowish to brown and a yellowish metacoxa in C. sp. 2. The male genitalia are rather similar, but those of C. herreni show a concave dorsal margin of the harpe, whereas that margin is straight in C. sp. 2. In addition, the apex of the harpe is slightly rounded in C. herreni and pointed in C. sp. 2 and the setal arrangements of the harpes also differ between the two species.

The male genitalia of C. herreni sp. nov. and the Palaearctic species Ceraphron barbieri Dessart, 1975 are similar, but those of C. herreni have a lower harpe/gvc index (0.41) than those of C. barbieri (0.55) and the proportions of the gvc differ between the species (gvc width two thirds of gvc length and gvc width 1.20× distal gvc width in C. herreni , and gvc width three quarters of gvc length and gvc width equal to distal gvc width in C. barbieri ) ( Dessart 1975c). Furthermore, both species can be distinguished by a strongly sculptured/reticulated head and a long F 1 in C. barbieri (head not strongly sculptured in C. herreni ; F1 3.4× as long as wide in C. barbieri and F1 2.4 × as long as wide in C. herreni ) ( Dessart 1975c). For more comparisons with similar species, see remarks under C. lirhanda sp. nov. and C. mamamutere sp. nov.

Condition of type material

In the holotype, the proximal part of the genitalia is covered with tissue and the ventral area of the gvc is slightly deformed.

Figures

Fig. 52. Holotype of Ceraphron herreni sp. nov. (ZFMK-HYM-00036874). A–C. Male genitalia in ventral (A), lateral (B) and dorsal (C) views. D. Habitus in lateral view.