Ceraphron kidole, 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 : 214-217

Ceraphron kidole sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:A3228D0D-99F8-4B91-817D-070EFD29E041

Fig. 61

Diagnosis

Mesoscutellum length 1.52–1.77 × (1.65) mesoscutellum width; mesoscutellum length 1.06–1.14 × (1.10) posterior mesoscutal width. Male genitalia: harpe finger-shaped in ventral and dorsal view; harpe/ gvc index 0.55; dorsomedial margins of harpes slightly converging and almost touching at distodorsal margin of gvc, dorsomedial margin of harpe straight and diverging distolaterally in basal third, straight and parallel to other harpe in apical two thirds; dorsal margin of harpe slightly concave; harpe with at least three apical setae, longest apical setae as long as harpe; genital length 2.34–2.51× (2.34) gvc width.

Etymology

The species name is derived from the Swahili word ‘ kidole ’ which means ‘finger’, with reference to the finger-shaped harpes of the male genitalia.

Material examined

Holotype

KENYA • ♂; Western Province, 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-00036938 .

Paratypes

KENYA – Western Province • 1 ♂; Kakamega Forest; 00°21′4.4 N, 34°51′41.1 E; 1602 m a.s.l.; 5 Jun. 2007; F. Hita Garcia leg.; Transect 2; primary rain forest; Winkler leaf litter extraction; NHMUK ; NHMUK-013389014 • 1 ♂; same collection data as for holotype; NHMUK-013389015 • 2 ♂♂; same collection data as for holotype; SMNS-HYM-T00785 , SMNS-HYM-T00786 • 1 ♂; same collection data as for holotype; ZFMK-HYM-00036790 • 2 ♂♂; same collection data as for holotype; 9 Jul. 2007; NMK; NMK ( ZFMK-HYM-00036793 ), NMK ( ZFMK-HYM-00036794 ) 1 ♂; same collection data as for holotype; 9 Jul. 2007; ZFMK; ZFMK-HYM-00036795 • 1 ♂; Kakamega Forest; 00°19′49.9 N, 34°52′16.1 E; 1580 m a.s.l.; 1 Aug. 2007; F. Hita Garcia leg.; Transect 15; primary rain forest; Winkler leaf litter extraction; ZFMK; ZFMK-HYM-00036796 • 3 ♂♂; same collection data as for preceding; 7 Aug. 2007; ZFMK; ZFMK-HYM-00036797 to ZFMK-HYM-00036799 • 1 ♂; 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-00036800 • 5 ♂♂; same collection data as for preceding; 8 Aug. 2007; ZFMK-HYM-00036801 to ZFMK-HYM-00036805 • 1 ♂; Kakamega Forest; 00°12′42.6 N, 34°55′52.3 E; 1615 m a.s.l.; 16 Aug. 2007; F. Hita Garcia leg.; Transect 20; primary rain forest; Winkler leaf litter extraction; ZFMK; ZFMK-HYM-00036806 .

Description

Male (N = 4 in morphometric measurements)

BODY LENGTH. 0.83–0.95 mm (0.92 mm).

COLOUR. Head brown, mesosoma brown, metasoma light brown except anterior third lighter; scape and pedicel yellowish, flagellum light 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 3.5× as long as pedicel, scape longer than F1 and F2 combined, F1 2.1× as long as wide, F1 1.4× as long as pedicel, F1 1.3× as long as F2, F1 shorter than F7 and F8 combined, F1 shorter than F9, F6 1.8 × as long as wide, F6 shorter than F7 and F8 combined, F6 1.2 × as high as F9; few small multiporous plates on flagellomeres, sensillae on flagellomeres sickle-shaped and shorter than width of flagellomeres.

HEAD. Head width 1.10–1.21 × (1.10) head height; head width 1.81–2.08 × (1.96) interorbital space; maximum eye diameter 1.22–1.33× (1.22) minimum eye diameter; head height 1.54–1.64 × (1.64) 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 1.00:0.45– 0.56:0.52–0.56 (1.00:0.56:0.56); OOL 2.25–2.63× (2.25) 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 1.02–1.09× (1.02) mesosoma width; Weber length 313–356 µm (319 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 1.71–1.95 × (1.90) mesoscutellum width; posterior mesoscutal width 1.38– 1.53 × (1.50) mesoscutellum width; mesoscutellum length 1.52–1.77 × (1.65) mesoscutellum width; mesoscutellum length 1.06–1.14× (1.10) posterior mesoscutal width; Weber length 1.27–1.39× (1.34) mesoscutum width; Weber length 1.50–1.55× (1.55) mesoscutellum length. Anteromedian projection of the metanoto-propodeo-metapecto-mesopectal complex curved in lateral view with blunt, lighter and slightly bifurcated end; mesometapleural sulcus absent; posterior propodeal projection straight and light in ventrolateral view; posterior mesosomal comb absent. 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 2.86–2.93 × (2.93) width; stigmal vein longer than 3× pterostigma marginal length.

MALE GENITALIA. Genital length 150–177 µm (150 µm); Weber length 1.96–2.13 × (2.13) genital length; gvc width 63–70 µm (64 µm); genital length 2.34–2.51 × (2.34) gvc width; gvc width less than three quarters of gvc length; gvc width 1.29 × distal gvc width. Proximodorsal margin of gvc convex; distodorsal margin of gvc descending proximomedially ( Fig. 61C ); proximoventral margin of gvc concave; distoventral margin of gvc descending proximomedially ( Fig. 61A ); ventral area of gvc slightly convex; dorsal area of gvc convex ( Fig. 61B ); proximolateral margin of gvc ascending ventrally; distolateral margin of gvc convex, more strongly descending ventrally ( Fig. 61B ). Harpe finger-shaped in ventral and dorsal view; harpe/gvc index 0.55; lateral articulation site of harpe with gvc virtually flush ( Fig. 61A, C ); ventral margin of harpe slightly concave, dorsal margin slightly concave ( Fig. 61B ), lateral margin slightly convex, widest point of harpe at lateral articulation site with gvc ( Fig. 61A, C ); dorsomedial margins of harpes slightly converging and almost touching at distodorsal margin of gvc, dorsomedial margin of harpe straight and slightly diverging distolaterally in basal third, straight and parallel to other harpe in apical two thirds ( Fig. 61C ), apex of harpe rounded ( Fig. 61A, C ). Harpe with at least two lateral setae restricted to apical third, longest lateral setae more than two thirds as long harpe, lateral setae oriented distodorsally and distolaterally; harpe with at least three apical setae, longest apical setae as long as harpe, apical setae oriented distolaterally, distomedially and distoventrally; harpe with at least six median setae, longest median setae less than two thirds as long as harpe, median setae oriented distomedially and distoventrally. Aedeagus + gonossiculus less than half as long as harpe, apex of aedeagus + gonossiculus pointed ( Fig. 61A, C ) and as ventral as apex of harpe. Genitalia moderately sclerotized with strongest sclerotization at all margins of harpe, distal gvc and apical aedeagus + gonossiculus.

Female

Unknown.

Variation

The flagellum is uniformly coloured, the mesometapleural sulcus is present and a small interaxillar sulcus is indicated in ZFMK-HYM-00036801. The dorsomedial margin of the harpe and the sclerotization of the genitalia are slightly different in ZFMK-HYM-00036802.

Biology

Host unknown, specimens collected from leaf litter.

Distribution

Afrotropical: Kenya.

Remarks

Comparison with similar species

See remarks under C. kimathii sp. nov. and C. sataoi sp. nov.

Condition of type material

In the holotype, the posterior end of the metasoma is slightly deformed, thus the body length measurement is not precise.

Figures

Fig. 61. Holotype of Ceraphron kidole sp. nov. (ZFMK-HYM-00036938). A–C. Male genitalia in ventral (A), lateral (B) and dorsal (C) views. D. Habitus in lateral view.