Hydrorhoa caffra (Westwood, 1874)

Gadallah, Neveen S., Edmardash, Yusuf A., Al Dhafer, Hathal M. & El-Hawagry, Magdi S., 2014, Eucharitidae (Hymenoptera, Chalcidoidea), a family new to the fauna of Saudi Arabia, with the description of the previously unknown male of Eucharis (Psilogastrellus) affinis Boucek, ZooKeys 462, pp. 115-123 : 116

Taxon classification Animalia Hymenoptera Eucharitidae

Hydrorhoa caffra (Westwood, 1874) Figs 1-3

Schizaspidia caffra Westwood, 1874: 152. Type data: Africa, Caffraria [South Africa]. Holotype ♂, by monotypy. Type depository: UMOX.

Stibulaspis fortistriata Cameron, 1907: 221. Type data: South Africa, KwaZulu-Natal, Estcourt. Lectotype ♀, designation by Heraty 2002 for nomenclatural stability. Type depository: SAMC.

Stibulaspis atropurpurea Cameron, 1907: 221-222. Type data: South Africa: KwaZulu-Natal, Durban. Lectotype ♂, designated by Heraty 2002 for nomenclatural stability. Type depository: SAMC.

Hydrorhoa caffra ; Heraty 2002: 162.

Material examined.

Raydah (Abha, Asir province), 18° 11.88'N; 42° 24.44'E, 2387 m, 7.vi.2014, leg. El-Hawagry [1♂, KSMA].

Diagnosis.

Both sexes of this species are characterized within the genus by the form of the scutellar spines ( Heraty 2002). The male is characterized by the following: metallic bluish-green color (Fig. 1); flagellomeres with long pectination; malar space long (about 2 × longitudinal diameter of eye), transversely striated (Fig. 2); mesoscutum with coarse transverse striations and scutellum with coarse longitudinal striations (Fig. 3); posterior margin of scutellum with two long, slender processes, the distance between them less than half length of either (Fig. 3).

Distribution.

Afrotropical: Kenya, Zimbabwe ( Heraty 2002), South Africa ( Westwood 1874, Cameron 1907, Heraty 2002), new to the Arabian Peninsula.

Remarks.

Hydrorhoa caffra has Afrotropical affinities, previously being recorded only from Kenya, Zimbabwe and South Africa. The present record in Saudi Arabia is significant because it supports studies which consider that parts of the Arabian Peninsula, including Al-Baha and Asir Provinces, should be included in the Afrotropical rather than in the Palaearctic region or the Eremic zone, and that the northern limit of the Afrotropical region should be placed in the Taif area, about 200 km north of Al-Baha ( El-Hawagry et al. 2013, Hölzel 1998, Sclater 1858, Wallace 1876).