Cryptopimpla hoerikwagga Reynolds & van Noort, 2023

Reynolds, Terry & van Noort, Simon, 2023, Two new species of the genus Cryptopimpla Taschenberg (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae, Banchinae) with an updated key to African species, Journal of Hymenoptera Research 96, pp. 667-696 : 667

Cryptopimpla hoerikwagga Reynolds & van Noort sp. nov.

Fig. 4

Type material.

Holotype ♂: South Africa, W. Cape, Constantiaberge, 640 m, 34°02.5'S, 18°23.5'E, above road to mast overlooking Hout Bay, 23 Feb-2 March 1994, S. van Noort, Mesic Mountain Fynbos, Malaise trap, SAM-HYM-P00591 (SAMC).

Description.

Body overall subpolished. Colour. Body mostly fulvous. Head black, clypeus and mandibles white to brown. Propleuron, fore and mid coxae, dorso-posterior margin of mesoscutum, axillary troughs of mesonotum and metanotum, submetapleural carina black. Pronotum black, pronotal collar and tegula white. Trochanters, trochantellus and tergite V brown to fulvous. Remainder of metasoma brown with tergites VII and VIII white at posterior margins. Head densely punctate. Frons unarmed. Clypeus profile weakly convex with curved lip on ventral margin. Clypeus edge convex. Upper tooth of mandible longer than lower. Setae on head and clypeus short and sparse. Tentorial pits small and indistinct. Flagellum tapered to a slender apex. Eye in lateral view 1.03 times as long as wide, maximum width in anterior view 0.55 times shortest inter-ocular distance. Mesosoma not compressed. Scuto-scutellar sulcus broad with dorso-lateral indentations. Mesoscutum evenly punctate. Epicnemial carinae present ventrally and dorsally, dorsally converging toward anterior edge of mesopleuron; mesopleural pit distinct, surrounding area polished. Propodeum without carinae, its anterior margin straight. Wings hyaline. Fore wing with two bullae close together appearing as one; vein 2m-cu sinuate; areolet truncate-shaped. Hind wing with two basal hamuli and seven distal hamuli. Metasomal tergite I with dorso-lateral wrinkles, densely punctate, with posterior margin weakly convex; tergite II 1.2 times as long as wide posteriorly, spiracle situated at anterior 0.28 of tergite (measured in lateral view), thyridia small.

CT 2.5; ML 0.9; IO 1.9; OO 1.3; Fl1 3.3; body length 9.7 mm; flagella length 9.5 mm; fore wing length 7.5 mm.

Diagnosis.

This species belongs to the Cryptopimpla rubrithorax species-group and is the most strikingly coloured species of African Cryptopimpla . The mesosoma is tricoloured with a distinct white pronotal collar; a black pronotum, propleuron, posterior mesoscutal border, ventral parts of mesopleuron and lateral areas of scutellum and metanotum, with remaining mesosoma dark reddish brown. The head and mesosoma is subpolished, sparsely covered in short setae; the mesopleural pit is distinct with a surrounding polished area; axillar and metanotal struts are subparallel, not strongly converging towards the medial area; the propodeal anterior margin lacks a defined medial tooth; the metasomal tergite I is punctate over most of the surface, posterior margin weakly convex; and the thyridia are small and distinct.

Differential diagnoses.

The propodeal anterior margin is straight, distinguishing the species from several members of the Cryptopimpla rubrithorax species-group (except for C. rubrithorax , C. parslactis and C. orenji ) where the margin may have a blunt medial projection or medial tooth. A broad scuto-scutellar sulcus with deep lateral indentations separates the species from C. fernkloofensis , C. neili , C. hantami , C. kogelbergensis , C. parslactis , and C. orenji where the dorso-lateral indentations and/or sulcus is absent. The densely punctate tergite I distinguish this species from C. kogelbergensis and C. orenji where punctation is reduced to absent. Dorso-lateral carinae of the metasomal tergite I substituted with wrinkling separates C. hoerikwagga from C. fernkloofensis and C. neili where one or no carinae are present. Small thyridia on tergite II distinguishes this species from all other members of the Cryptopimpla rubrithorax species-group, (except for C. neili and C. hantami ), where the thyridia can be elongate or moderately large and circular.

Etymology.

Named after the Khoisan word for Table Mountain “hoerikwagga” which directly translates to "mountain of the sea". Noun in apposition.

Distribution.

South Africa (Western Cape) (Fig. 2 ).

Comments.

A rare species known only from one specimen. Intensive sampling in the type locality as well as other areas of the Cape region have so far produced no further specimens, there is, however, a major backlog of unsorted samples ( van Noort 2023b), which may produce further specimens.

Figures

Figure 2. Recorded distribution for each Cryptopimpla species plotted on topographical maps. The genus is currently only recorded from the Eastern, Northern and Western Cape provinces within South Africa. Note that when two species are present in a single locality one of the species icons is larger, but centrally covered by the second species icon A C. hantami, C. kogelbergensis, C. neili, C. orenji, and C. parslactis B C. elongatus, C. fernkloofensis, C. hoerikwagga, C. onyxi, C. rubrithorax and C. zwarti.

Figure 4. Cryptopimpla hoerikwagga Holotype A habitus, lateral view B head and mesosoma, lateral view C head, anterior view D propodeum, dorsal view E metasoma, lateral view (inset: data labels) F metasomal terga 1 and 2, dorsal view.