Ceraphron ellae, 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 : 177-180

Ceraphron ellae sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:8D10841D-99E8-4168-936F-0423614BA71F

Fig. 50

Diagnosis

Scape and pedicel light brown except proximal half of scape yellowish; anteromedian projection of the metanoto-propodeo-metapecto-mesopectal complex curved in lateral view with blunt and lighter end, extending to end of mesosoma; mesometapleural sulcus present. Male genitalia: harpe finger-shaped in ventral and dorsal view; harpe/gvc index 0.65; dorsomedial margins of harpes slightly converging and almost touching at distodorsal margin of gvc, dorsomedial margin of harpe slightly concave and diverging distolaterally from base to apex; apex oriented distolaterally; harpe with at least ten median setae; lateral margin of harpe straight; genitalia strongly sclerotized with strongest sclerotization at harpe and aedeagus + gonossiculus.

Etymology

The species is named after the daughter of the second author.

Material examined

Holotype

TANZANIA • ♂; Kilimanjaro Region, Mount Kilimanjaro; 3°12′42.7 S, 37°20′35.8 E; 1800 m a.s.l.; 9 Nov. 2012; KiLi project leg.; “high 3”; FLM2, forest lower mont.; Coloured pan trap; ZFMK; ZFMK- HYM-00037083 .

Description

Male

BODY LENGTH. 1.25 mm.

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

ANTENNA. 11-segmented, flagellomeres cylindric; scape 4.3× as long as pedicel, scape longer than F1 and F2 combined, F1 1.9× 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 1.5 × as long as wide, F6 shorter than F7 and F8 combined; numerous medium-sized multiporous plates on flagellomeres, sensillae on flagellomeres sickle-shaped and shorter than width of flagellomeres.

HEAD. Head width 1.04 × head height; head width 1.79 × interorbital space; maximum eye diameter 1.29 × minimum eye diameter; head height 1.78 × maximum eye diameter. Dorsal margin of occipital carina ventral to dorsal margin of lateral ocellus in lateral view; preoccipital furrow present; preoccipital carina present. OOL:POL:LOL 1.00:0.55:0.55; OOL 3.67 × lateral ocellus diameter. White, thick setae on upper face present; supraclypeal depression present; lateral margin of torulus raised; intertorular carina present; posterolateral processes of gena absent.

MESOSOMA, METASOMA. Mesosoma not compressed laterally. Head width 0.96 × mesosoma width; Weber length 369 µm. Mesoscutum densely setose, setae curved backwards; median mesoscutal sulcus present; median mesoscutal sulcus adjacent to transscutal articulation; interaxillar sulcus present (= 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 1.80 × mesoscutellum width; posterior mesoscutal width 1.40 × mesoscutellum width; mesoscutellum length 1.48× mesoscutellum width; mesoscutellum length 1.06 × posterior mesoscutal width; Weber length 1.53 × mesoscutum width; Weber length 1.59 × mesoscutellum length. Anteromedian projection of the metanoto-propodeo-metapecto-mesopectal complex curved in lateral view with blunt and lighter end, extending to end of mesosoma; mesometapleural sulcus present; posterior propodeal projection straight and light in ventrolateral view; posterior mesosomal comb indistinct. Basal transverse carina of petiole (on syntergum) present; at least ten distinct, basal longitudinal carinae on syntergum; pairs of translucent patches on metasomal syntergum and synsternum.

FORE WING. Length 3.18 × width; stigmal vein longer than 3× pterostigma marginal length.

MALE GENITALIA. Genital length 181 µm; Weber length 2.03 × genital length; gvc width 75 µm; genital length 2.42 × gvc width; gvc width two thirds of gvc length; gvc width 1.20 × distal gvc width. Proximodorsal margin of gvc slightly convex; distodorsal margin of gvc slightly descending proximomedially ( Fig. 50C ); proximoventral margin of gvc slightly concave; distoventral margin of gvc slightly descending proximomedially ( Fig. 50A ); ventral area of gvc straight; dorsal area of gvc convex ( Fig. 50B ); proximolateral margin of gvc ascending ventrally; distolateral margin of gvc convex ( Fig. 50B ). Harpe finger-shaped in ventral and dorsal view; harpe/gvc index 0.65; lateral articulation site of harpe with gvc not flush ( Fig. 50A, C ); ventral margin of harpe slightly concave, dorsal margin slightly concave ( Fig. 50B ), lateral margin straight, widest point of harpe at apical quarter ( Fig. 50A, C ); dorsomedial margins of harpes slightly converging and almost touching at distodorsal margin of gvc, dorsomedial margin of harpe slightly concave and diverging distolaterally from base to apex ( Fig. 50C ), apex of harpe pointed, oriented distolaterally ( Fig. 50A, C ). Harpe with at least two lateral setae restricted to apical quarter, longest lateral setae half as long as harpe, lateral setae oriented distodorsally, distolaterally and distoventrally; harpe with at least one apical seta, longest apical seta two thirds as long as harpe, apical seta oriented distolaterally and distoventrally; harpe with at least ten median setae restricted to apical two thirds, longest median setae one quarter as long as harpe, median setae oriented distomedially and distoventrally. Aedeagus + gonossiculus less than half as long as harpe, apex of aedeagus + gonossiculus acute ( Fig. 50A, C ) and dorsal to apex of harpe. Genitalia strongly sclerotized with strongest sclerotization at harpe and aedeagus + gonossiculus.

Female

Unknown.

Variation

Unknown.

Biology

Host unknown, specimen collected with coloured pan trap.

Distribution

Afrotropical: Tanzania.

Remarks

Comparison with similar species

Ceraphron ellae sp. nov. can be distinguished from all other species by its quite distinctive and strongly sclerotized male genitalia with finger-shaped harpe, pointed apex of harpe and with at least ten median setae distributed along the apical two thirds of the median margin of the harpe.

Condition of type material

In the holotype, the head, mesosoma and metasoma are detached, thus the body length measurement is not precise, and the right antenna is missing. The left antenna is slightly deformed (e.g., F9) and the posterior half of the metasoma is deformed which can also lead to imprecise body length measurement. The left fore wing is detached and the left hind wing is glued to a card. Left fore and hind legs as well as the right middle leg are missing (except coxae).

Figures

Fig. 50. Holotype of Ceraphron ellae sp. nov. (ZFMK-HYM-00037083). A–C. Male genitalia in ventral (A), lateral (B) and dorsal (C) views. D. Habitus in lateral view.