Dinapsis centralis, Shaw, Scott Richard & Noort, Simon Van, 2009

Shaw, Scott Richard & Noort, Simon Van, 2009, A new Dinapsis species from the Central African Republic (Hymenoptera, Megalyridae, Dinapsini), Zootaxa 2118, pp. 30-36 : 33-35

Dinapsis centralis sp. nov. ( Figs. 2 A–F)

Description. Color ( Figs. 2 A–F). Body mostly black. Antenna, mandible, foreleg, middle leg, hind trochanter, hind tarsus, tegula, wing venation, hypopygium, ovipositor and sheath dark reddish brown. Eyes and ocelli silver. Wing membrane clear except for two dark brown pigmented bands across forewing.

Length. 4.3 mm excluding ovipositor.

Head ( Figs. 2 C–E). Head round, 1.03x wider than height; vertex, frons, and face evenly foveatereticulate; ocelli small, ocello-ocular distance 2.25x ocellar diameter; ocellar triangle equilateral; eye large and slightly protuberant, nearly parallel in anterior view; eye sparsely but evenly covered with minute ocular setae; eye margined posteriorly by foveate groove and single post-ocular orbital carina; antenna with 12 flagellomeres having flagellar length/width ratios as follows, F1 = 4.33, F2 = 4.25, F3 = 4.25, F10=4.33, F11= 4.00, F12 (apical flagellomere)=3.50; apical flagellomere visibly slightly wider than basal flagellomeres; temple areolate-reticulate, temple width equal to eye width in lateral view; malar space length 1.27x mandible width basally; occipital carina normal, not wide or crenulate.

Mesosoma ( Figs. 2 A, C). Pronotum smooth laterally, medially with diagonal foveate furrow; mesonotum 2x wider than long, mesonotal lobes coarsely foveate-reticulate; scutellar furrow coarsely foveate; scutellar disc smooth, shining, with scattered punctures; scutellar disc medially devoid of setae, laterally and posteriorly rimmed with large erect setae; mesopleuron antero-laterally finely foveate-reticulate and densely setose, medially and posteriorly smooth, shining, devoid of setae, and with large median mid-pit; propodeum medially with well-developed cross-carinae between submedian longitudinal carinae.

Legs ( Figs. 2 A–B). Apex of foretibia with 4 stout spines; hind coxa smooth, finely granular, covered with long, silky, white setae; hind femur stout, 2x longer than wide, outer surface of hind femur sparsely but evenly covered with long, erect, silky white setae, inner surface smooth, shining, and mostly devoid of setae; surface of hind tibia finely foveate-reticulate, shining, laterally and ventrally with long, silky white setae, dorsally with longer, dark, erect setae, some with tiny flattened, spatulate tips; inner median margin of hind tibia with a dense longitudinal patch of shorter white setae; hind basitarsus long, slightly longer than remaining four tarsomeres combined, ventrally with dense preening brush consisting of numerous short, white setae, inclined posteriorly, dorsally with long, dark, erect setae, some with tiny flattened, spatulate tips, similar to those on hind tibia apically; hind tarsomeres 2, 3 and 4 each short and compact, each about as long as wide; hind tarsomeres 2 and 3 each with 2 long, dark, erect setae without spatulate tips; tarsal claw simple, strongly curved.

Wings ( Figs. 2 A, F). Forewing length 4.0 mm; wing basally with cells R, 1A, 1R1 basally, and 1M largely devoid of setae; otherwise, wing apically evenly covered with scattered setae; Wing clear with two dark pigmented vertical bands. Basal wing band narrowest dorsally, starting at basal corner of cell 1M, extending ventrally to cover entire cell 2CU and 3A; apical wing band wider, starting at base of pterostigma, extending apically to cover entire marginal cell 2R1, ventrally to cover entire cell 1+2RS, ventrally wider and more diffuse, with pigmentation extending across cells 2+3M and 3CU, to lower wing margin; forewing venation as in Figs. 2 A and 2F; vein RS apically curving abruptly towards anterior wing margin to form very short, truncate marginal cell 2R1; apical segment of vein M long, extending beyond apex of marginal cell, vein M with small white bulla below mid-point of marginal cell. Hind wing with apical stub of vein RS equal to shortest width between the propodeal submedian longitudinal carinae.

Metasoma ( Figs. 2 A, B). In dorsal view 1.74x longer than wide, with 7 dorsally visible terga, all smooth and shining except for apical tergum 7, which is finely shagreened; exposed portion of ovipositor, in lateral view, 1.5x longer than metasomal length; ovipositor sheath minutely setose, strongly curled (an artifact of preservation), appearing only about ½ as long as ovipositor due to postmortem curling.

Holotype data. Female (point mounted), CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC, Prefecture Sangha- Mbaéré, Parc National de Dzanga-Ndoki, 38.6 km. 173˚ S. Lidjombo, 2°21.60´N 16°03.20´E, 350 m., 22 May 2001, S. van Noort, Sweep, CAR 01-S230, lowland rain forest, SAM-HYM-P0024654, deposited in Iziko South African Museum, Cape Town, South Africa ( SAMC).

Diagnosis. In the key to African Dinapsis species by Hedqvist (1967), Dinapsis centralis keys to couplet 2 because of the presence of minute ocular setae, a characteristic shared with Dinapsis oculohirta Hedqvist.

Dinapsis oculohirta is a smaller species (less than 3 mm), with more densely setose eyes, flagellum having a medial pale annulus, smooth vertex with a medial row of punctures between ocelli, two post-ocular orbital carinae, smooth mesonotal lobes, axilla-scutellar suture demarcated by row of punctures, more pale forewing bands (not filling the marginal cell), and propodeum medially lacking cross-carinae between the submedian longitudinal carinae. In contrast, D. centralis is a larger species (more than 4 mm) with a completely dark flagellum, coarsely foveate-reticulate vertex one post-ocular orbital carina, coarsely foveate-reticulate mesonotal lobes, axilla-scutellar suture demarcated by sulcus, dark forewing bands completely filling the marginal cell, and propodeum medially with well-developed cross-carinae between the submedian longitudinal carinae. All previously described Dinapsis species have a pale annulus on the flagellum, so the dark flagellum of D. centralis easily distinguishes this species from all others. Another curious and distinctive character of this species is the presence of large erect dorsal setae on the hind tibia and basistarsus, some of which have expanded spatulate tips. An online key to described Afrotropical Dinapsis species is available on Waspweb at: http://www.waspweb.org/Megalyroidea/ Megalyridae /Keys/index.htm

Distribution. Only known from the Central African Republic. This record represents the northernmost confirmed distribution of Dinapsis in the Afrotropical Region and the only record from tropical Africa ( Fig. 1).

Etymology. This species is named for its central distribution in the middle of the African continent.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Dinapsis centralis, female, holotype. A, habitus, dorsal view. B, habitus, lateral view. C, head, mesosoma, dorsal view. D, head, lateral view. E, head, anterior view. F, wings. Scale bars in millimeters. (http: // www. morphbank. net / Show /? id = 999008679)