Ceraphron kaimosiensis, 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 : 207-210

Ceraphron kaimosiensis sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:1E6D87A1-E8A7-4251-8A86-9ECFC8B25C89

Fig. 59

Diagnosis

Anteromedian projection of the metanoto-propodeo-metapecto-mesopectal complex curved in lateral view with pointed end. Male genitalia: harpe cone-shaped in ventral and dorsal view; harpe/gvc index 0.37; dorsomedial margins of harpes slightly converging and not touching at distodorsal margin of gvc, dorsomedial margin of harpe straight and slightly diverging distolaterally from base to apex; harpe with at least one lateral seta restricted to apical quarter; longest apical setae more than two thirds as long as harpe; genitalia moderately sclerotized with strongest sclerotization at aedeagus + gonossiculus and weakest sclerotization at harpe.

Etymology

The species is named after the town Kaimosi in the Kakamega Forest region which is the type locality.

Material examined

Holotype

KENYA • ♂; Western Province, Kakamega Forest; 00°07′40.8 N, 34°50′24 E; 1656 m a.s.l.; 2008; F. Hita Garcia leg.; Transect 30; primary rain forest; Winkler leaf litter extraction; ZFMK; ZFMK- HYM-00036912 .

Description

Male

BODY LENGTH. 0.77 mm.

COLOUR. Head brown, mesosoma light brown, metasoma light brown except anterior third lighter; scape and pedicel yellowish, flagellum light brown; legs yellowish except pro- and mesocoxa light brown, proximal third of metacoxa light brown; fore wing venation light brown, fore and hind wing disc slightly melanized.

ANTENNA. 11-segmented, flagellomeres cylindric; scape 3.4× 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 1.4× 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, 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 1.22 × head height; head width 1.86 × interorbital space; maximum eye diameter 1.15 × minimum eye diameter; head height 1.68 × 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 1.00:0.50:0.50; OOL 2.67 × lateral ocellus diameter. White, thick setae on upper face present; supraclypeal depression present; lateral margin of torulus slightly raised; intertorular carina present; posterolateral processes of gena absent.

MESOSOMA, METASOMA. Mesosoma not compressed laterally. Head width 1.13 × mesosoma width; Weber length 244 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 × mesoscutellum width; posterior mesoscutal width 1.41 × mesoscutellum width; mesoscutellum length 1.59× mesoscutellum width; mesoscutellum length 1.13 × posterior mesoscutal width; Weber length 1.34 × mesoscutum width; Weber length 1.44 × mesoscutellum length. Anteromedian projection of the metanoto-propodeo-metapecto-mesopectal complex curved in lateral view with pointed 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 six distinct, basal longitudinal carinae on syntergum; translucent patches on metasoma absent.

FORE WING. Length 2.79 × width; stigmal vein longer than 3× pterostigma marginal length.5

MALE GENITALIA. Genital length 119 µm; Weber length 2.05 × genital length; gvc width 61 µm; genital length 1.95 × gvc width; gvc width more than two thirds of gvc length; gvc width 1.33 × distal gvc width. Proximodorsal margin of gvc slightly concave; distodorsal margin of gvc slightly descending proximomedially ( Fig. 59C ); proximoventral margin of gvc concave; distoventral margin of gvc descending proximomedially ( Fig. 59A ); ventral area of gvc slightly convex; dorsal area of gvc convex ( Fig. 59B ); proximolateral margin of gvc strongly ascending ventrally; distolateral margin of gvc convex, more strongly descending ventrally ( Fig. 59B ). Harpe cone-shaped in ventral and dorsal view; harpe/gvc index 0.37; lateral articulation site of harpe with gvc not flush ( Fig. 59A, C ); ventral margin of harpe slightly concave, dorsal margin slightly convex ( Fig. 59B ), lateral margin slightly convex, widest point of harpe at lateral articulation site with gvc ( Fig. 59A, C ); dorsomedial margins of harpes slightly converging and not touching at distodorsal margin of gvc, dorsomedial margin of harpe straight and slightly diverging distolaterally from base to apex ( Fig. 59C ), apex of harpe slightly pointed ( Fig. 59A, C ). Harpe with at least one lateral seta restricted to apical quarter, longest lateral seta one third as long as harpe, lateral seta oriented distolaterally; harpe with at least two apical setae, longest apical setae more than two thirds as long as harpe, apical setae oriented distomedially and distoventrally; harpe with at least five median setae restricted to apical half, longest median setae two thirds 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. 59A, C ) and dorsal to apex of harpe. Genitalia moderately sclerotized with strongest sclerotization at aedeagus + gonossiculus and weakest sclerotization at harpe.

Female

Unknown.

Variation

Unknown.

Biology

Host unknown, specimen collected from leaf litter.

Distribution

Afrotropical: Kenya.

Remarks

Comparison with similar species

The male genitalia of C. kaimosiensis sp. nov. and C. sp. 5 are very similar. However, in C. kaimosiensis the harpe is the most weakly sclerotized structure of the genitalia, and in C. sp. 5 all margins of the harpe are the most strongly sclerotized structures of the genitalia. Furthermore, the harpe/gvc index of C. kaimosiensis is 0.37 and that of C. sp. 5 is 0.42, the gvc width is more than two thirds of the gvc length in C. kaimosiensis and less than two thirds in C. sp. 5, and the setal arrangement and relative length of the setae differ between the two species.

Condition of type material

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

Figures

Fig. 59. Holotype of Ceraphron kaimosiensis sp. nov. (ZFMK-HYM-00036912). A–C. Male genitalia in ventral (A), lateral (B) and dorsal (C) views. D. Habitus in lateral view