Cryptopimpla elongatus Reynolds Berry & van Noort

Berry, Terry Reynolds & van Noort, Simon, 2016, Review of Afrotropical Cryptopimpla Taschenberg (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae, Banchinae), with description of nine new species, ZooKeys 640, pp. 103-137 : 112-113

Cryptopimpla elongatus Reynolds Berry & van Noort sp. n. Fig. 1

Type material.

HOLOTYPE ♀: South Africa, Northern Cape, Hantam National Botanical Garden, 31°24.274'S, 19°09.164'E, 755m, 22 May– 12 June 2008, S. van Noort, GL07-DOL1-M39, Malaise trap, Nieuwoudtville-Roggeveld Dolerite Renosterveld, SAM-HYM-P047468 (SAMC).

Description.

Body subpolished. Colour. Head black, clypeus and mouthparts dark brown. Body mostly rufescent apart from the mesonotum, black at the wing bases, mesopleuron ventrally black, submetapleural lobe black, fore and mid coxae black (remaining parts of front leg missing), trochanters and trochantellus of mid and hind legs black and terga 5-8 black.

Head. Densely punctate. Frons unarmed. Clypeus profile weakly convex with a curved lip on the ventral margin. Clypeus edge convex. Upper tooth of mandible longer than the lower tooth. Setae on head and clypeus short and sparse. Eye large and bulbous, maximum width in anterior view 0.73 times shortest inter-ocular distance, maximum width in lateral view 0.79 times maximum length. Tentorial pits small and indistinct. Flagellum tapered to a slender apex.

Mesosoma. Mesoscutum moderately punctate. Scuto-scutellar groove broad, with deep lateral indentations. Epicnemial carinae present ventrally and dorsally, dorsally converging toward anterior edge of mesopleuron. Propodeum without carinae, its anterior margin with a blunt median projection. Mid coxa posteriorly glossy and smooth. Wings hyaline, base of stigma brown. Fore wing with two bullae close together appearing as one; vein 2m-cu sinuate; areolet anteriorly truncate-shaped. Hind wing with one basal hamulus and six distal hamuli.

Metasoma. Tergum 1 longer than the hind coxae, terga 2 and 3 longer than wide; tergum 1 with dorsolateral carinae substituted by longitudinal wrinkles, densely punctate and with posterior margin weakly convex; second tergum 1.26 times longer than wide posteriorly, spiracle situated at basal 0.36 of tergum (measured in lateral view), gastrocoeli moderately large and circular; terga 4-8 slightly compressed; tergum 6 half as wide as tergum 5. Hypopygium strongly sclerotized. Ovipositor upcurved; sheath striations present.

CT 2.1; ML 0.9; IO 1.9; OO 1.7; Fl1 5; OT 0.5; body length 6.7 mm; antenna length 8.4 mm; fore wing length 7.0 mm.

Differential diagnosis.

Cryptopimpla elongatus can be distinguished from all other Afrotropical Cryptopimpla by having a more elongated metasoma, where terga 1-3 are longer than wide with the spiracle on tergum 2 situated at basal 0.36 of tergum (measured in lateral view). There are a few species with a rufescent/black colour combination, but Cryptopimpla elongatus is the only species to have rufescent legs (trochanter and trochantellus black) and a mostly rufescent metasoma (terga 5-8 black). The eye in anterior view is large, its maximum length 0.73 times the shortest inter-ocular distance, separating the species from all other Afrotropical Cryptopimpla whose eye length in anterior view is 0.38-0.66 times the shortest inter-ocular distance. A broad scuto-scutellar groove with deep lateral indentations distinguishes Cryptopimpla elongatus from closely-related species Cryptopimpla fernkloofensis , Cryptopimpla hantami , Cryptopimpla neili , and Cryptopimpla parslactis . The metasomal tergum 1 with dorsolateral carinae substituted with longitudinal wrinkles distinguishes Cryptopimpla elongatus from closely-related species Cryptopimpla fernkloofensis and Cryptopimpla neili . Gastrocoeli on tergum 2 are moderately large and circular, separating Cryptopimpla elongatus (and Cryptopimpla fernkloofensis ) from the remaining closely-related species in the rubrithorax species-group.

Etymology.

The name refers to the rather elongated metasoma of this species. Noun in apposition.

Distribution.

South Africa (Northern Cape).

Comments.

This is a rare species known only from one female specimen collected in Nieuwoudtville-Roggeveld Dolerite Renosterveld. Intensive sampling in other areas of the Cape Floral Kingdom has produced no further specimens. The female metasoma is depressed (not slightly compressed) distinguishing Cryptopimpla elongatus from the closely-related species Cryptopimpla onyxi , Cryptopimpla zwarti , Cryptopimpla hantami , and Cryptopimpla rubrithorax . However, no female specimens are available for closely-related species Cryptopimpla fernkloofensis , Cryptopimpla parslactis , and Cryptopimpla neili , so no comparisons could be made with these species.