Ceraphron kimathii, 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 : 218-221

Ceraphron kimathii sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:D147FDA3-9767-4B27-95AF-B5283669F576

Fig. 62

Diagnosis

Metasoma brown; OOL:POL 1.47–2.00 (2.00); lateral margin of torulus distinctly raised; head height 1.77–1.83× (1.83) maximum eye diameter; mesometapleural sulcus present; anteromedian projection of the metanoto-propodeo-metapecto-mesopectal complex curved in lateral view with blunt and bifurcated end, extending to end of mesosoma. Harpe finger-shaped in ventral and dorsal view; harpe/gvc index 0.68; dorsomedial margins of harpes slightly converging and almost touching at distodorsal margin of gvc, dorsomedial margin of harpe convex and slightly diverging distolaterally in basal third, straight and parallel to other harpe in apical two thirds; harpe with at least three lateral setae restricted to apical half, longest lateral setae slightly less than as long as harpe, lateral setae oriented distodorsally, distolaterally and distoventrally; gvc width more than three quarters of gvc length.

Etymology

The species is named in honour of Dedan Kimathi (1920–1957), the leader of the Kenyan independence movement KLFA. He fought against British colonialists and was executed in 1957.

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-00036988 .

Paratypes

KENYA – Western Province • 3 ♂♂; 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-00036807 to ZFMK-HYM-00036809 • 1 ♂; same collection data as for preceding; 25 Aug. 2007; ZFMK-HYM-00036810 .

Description

Male (N = 3 in morphometric measurements)

BODY LENGTH. 1.00–2.00 mm (1.27 mm).

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

ANTENNA. 11-segmented, flagellomeres cylindric; scape 4.2× as long as pedicel, scape longer than F1 and F2 combined, F1 2.1× as long as wide, F1 1.8 × as long as pedicel, F1 1.3 × 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 1.2× as high as F9; numerous medium-sized multiporous plates on flagellomeres, sensillae on flagellomeres sickle-shaped and shorter than width of flagellomeres.

HEAD. Head width 1.14–1.19× (1.19) head height; head width 1.85–1.92 × (1.85) interorbital space; maximum eye diameter 1.25–1.38× (1.38) minimum eye diameter; head height 1.77–1.83 × (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 1.00:0.50– 0.68:0.44–0.46 (1.00:0.50:0.46); OOL 1.92–2.16 × (1.92) lateral ocellus diameter. White, thick setae on upper face present; supraclypeal depression present; lateral margin of torulus distinctly raised; intertorular carina present; posterolateral processes of gena absent.

MESOSOMA, METASOMA. Mesosoma not compressed laterally. Head width 0.91–1.00× (1.00) mesosoma width; Weber length 400–488 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 setose, setae curved backwards or straight. Mesoscutum width 1.70–1.81 × (1.81) mesoscutellum width; posterior mesoscutal width 1.33– 1.50 × (1.39) mesoscutellum width; mesoscutellum length 1.39–1.42× (1.42) mesoscutellum width; mesoscutellum length 0.93–1.05× (1.02) posterior mesoscutal width; Weber length 1.16–1.25× (1.25) mesoscutum width; Weber length 1.47–1.59× (1.59) mesoscutellum length. Anteromedian projection of the metanoto-propodeo-metapecto-mesopectal complex curved in lateral view with blunt and bifurcated 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 seven distinct, basal longitudinal carinae on syntergum; pairs of translucent patches on metasomal syntergum and synsternum.

FORE WING. Length 2.78–2.88 × (2.85) width; stigmal vein longer than 3× pterostigma marginal length.

MALE GENITALIA. Genital length 169–219 µm (169 µm); Weber length 2.23–2.59 × (2.59) genital length; gvc width 81–100 µm (84 µm); genital length 2.00–2.19 × (2.00) gvc width; gvc width more than three quarters of gvc length; gvc width 1.23× distal gvc width. Proximodorsal margin of gvc convex; distodorsal margin of gvc descending proximomedially ( Fig. 62C ); proximoventral margin of gvc slightly convex; distoventral margin of gvc descending proximomedially ( Fig. 62A ); ventral area of gvc straight; dorsal area of gvc convex ( Fig. 62B ); proximolateral margin of gvc ascending and slightly emarginated ventrally; distolateral margin of gvc slightly descending ventrally ( Fig. 62B ). Harpe finger-shaped in ventral and dorsal view; harpe/gvc index 0.68; lateral articulation site of harpe with gvc not flush ( Fig. 62A, C ); ventral margin of harpe slightly concave, dorsal margin slightly convex ( Fig. 62B ), lateral margin convex, widest point of harpe at lateral articulation site with gvc ( Fig. 62A, C ); dorsomedial margins of harpes slightly converging and almost touching at distodorsal margin of gvc, dorsomedial margin of harpe convex and slightly diverging distolaterally in basal third, straight and parallel to other harpe in apical two thirds ( Fig. 62C ), apex of harpe rounded ( Fig. 62A, C ). Harpe with at least three lateral setae restricted to apical half, longest lateral setae slightly less than as long as harpe, lateral setae oriented distodorsally, distolaterally and distoventrally; harpe with at least two apical setae, longest apical setae half as long as harpe, apical setae oriented distolaterally, distomedially and distoventrally; harpe with at least nine median setae, longest median setae less than half as long as harpe, median setae oriented distomedially, distoventrally and medioventrally. Aedeagus + gonossiculus less than half as long as harpe, apex of aedeagus + gonossiculus pointed ( Fig. 62A, C ) and dorsal to apex of harpe. Genitalia moderately sclerotized with strongest sclerotization at apical harpe and distal gvc.

Female

Unknown.

Variation

The aedeagus + gonossiculus is about one quarter as long as harpe in ZFMK-HYM-00036809. The dorsal part of the gena is equipped with small processes in ZFMK-HYM-00036807 and the number of basal longitudinal carinae on the syntergum is higher than seven in ZFMK-HYM-00036988 and ZFMK- HYM-00036807.

Biology

Host unknown, specimens collected from leaf litter.

Distribution

Afrotropical: Kenya.

Remarks

Comparison with similar species

Ceraphron kimathii sp. nov. and C. kidole sp. nov. can be distinguished by a brown metasoma, the presence of the mesometapleural sulcus and a higher head height to maximum eye diameter (1.77–1.83) in C. kimathii and a light brown metasoma, the absence of the mesometapleural sulcus and a lower head height to maximum eye diameter (1.54–1.64) in C. kidole while the male genitalia are rather similar. However, there are also differences in male genitalia, i.e., the harpe/gvc index is higher in C. kimathii (0.68) than in C. kidole (0.55), the gvc width to length ratio is higher in C. kimathii (more than three quarters) than in C. kidole (less than three quarters), and the setal arrangement is different between both species.

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

Condition of type material

In the holotype, the posterior half of the metasoma is missing, thus the body length measurement is not precise.

Figures

Fig. 62. Holotype of Ceraphron kimathii sp. nov. (ZFMK-HYM-00036988). A–C. Male genitalia in ventral (A), lateral (B) and dorsal (C) views. D. Habitus in lateral view; inset: mesosoma in lateral view.