Gnathochorisis malavensis Varga, 2021

Varga, Oleksandr, 2021, First record of the genus Gnathochorisis Förster, 1869 (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae: Orthocentrinae) from the Afrotropical region, with descriptions of two new species from Kenya, Zootaxa 5052 (3), pp. 441-446 : 442-444

Gnathochorisis malavensis Varga , sp. n.

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( Fig. 1 )

Material examined. Holotype: female, KENYA, Western Province , Malava Forest, 1619 m, 0.46372° N, 34.85727° E, Malaise trap in indigenous forest, 4–18.v.2017, leg. R. Copeland (Deposited in: ICIPE) . Paratypes: female, same locality as holotype, 1–15.vi.2017 (Deposited in: SIZK); female, Western Province, Kakamega Forest , nr. KFS HDQTRs, 1620 m, 0.23742° N, 34.86607° E Malaise trap in indigenous forest, 19.iv–2.v.2017, leg. R . Copeland (Deposited in: ICIPE).

Diagnosis. Gnathochorisis malavensis sp. n. is characterized by the combination of the following characters: fore wing with areolet closed (vein 3 rs-m present), face, meso- and metapleuron, and second metasomal tergite black, second tergite distinctly granulate except apex, third tergite smooth, unsculptured, propodeum smooth, unsculptured.

Description. Holotype. Female ( Fig. 1 ). Body length approximately 2.7 mm, fore wing 2.0 mm.

Head ( Fig. 1B ) generally smooth and sparsely pubescent. Antenna with 18 flagellomeres, first flagellomere 1.3 × the length of the second, flagellomeres; maximum diameter of lateral ocellus 0.8 times × the length of the ocellar-ocular distance; inner margins of eyes diverging downwards; face about 0.7 × as long as wide, smooth, weakly granulate centrally, covered with long setae; clypeus moderately convex, about 0.4 × as long as wide, distinctly separated from face, notched apically, smooth, covered with long setae; malar space about as long as the basal width of mandible; subocular sulcus distinct; mandible narrow, weakly twisted, both teeth visible, upper tooth longer than lower tooth; occipital carina largely absent dorsally; temples strongly narrowed behind eyes, short.

Mesosoma ( Fig. 1C, D ). Propleuron smooth, sparsely pubescent; pronotum smooth, epomia absent; mesoscutum weakly transverse, with notauli absent, densely pubescent; scutellum convex, smooth, sparsely pubescent, with lateral carina present basally; mesopleuron smooth, densely pubescent ventrally, epicnemial carina present on lower half of mesopleuron; metapleuron smooth, submetapleural carina strong, pleural carina present and complete; propodeum ( Fig. 1C ) smooth and sparsely pubescent, with well-developed carinae, area basalis weakly defined apically, area superomedia fused with area apicalis. Legs stout, hind femur 3.2 × longer than wide; fifth tarsomere 1.4 × as long as third tarsomere. Fore wing with areolet closed (vein 3 rs-m present); vein cu-a opposite to Rs&M. Hind wing nervellus weakly inclivous, with distance between first abscissa of Cu and M weakly longer than vein cu-a.

Metasoma ( Fig. 1E ) generally smooth and impunctate. First tergite 2.5 × as long as apical width, granulate, dorsolateral carina distinct on basal 0.9 of the tergite, but weak, median longitudinal carina distinct and strong, reaching the apex of the tergite, glymma absent; second tergite 0.7 × as long as apical width, distinctly granulate except apex; third tergite smooth and unsculptured; ovipositor ( Fig. 1D ) up-curved, the length from tip of hypopygium about 0.9 × length of hind tibia.

Colour. Body black. Scape, pedicel, first flagellomere, mandible (except apex), upper hind corner and lower angle of pronotum narrowly orange; legs generally yellowish-orange, except hind coxa partly, hind femur apically, hind tibia largely and tarsus entirely brown; pterostigma and veins brown, ovipositor orange.

Male. Unknown.

Variability. Second metasomal tergite vary from distinctly transverse to subquadrate. Hind legs in one paratype largely brown: coxa, femur and tarsus entirely and tibia except base.

Distribution. Currently known only from Kenya.

Etymology. This species is named after the type locality, Malava forest.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Gnathochorisis malavensis sp. n.: A, C) holotype female; B, D–E) paratype female; A) lateral view of habitus; B) frontal view of head; C) dorsal view of head and mesoscutum; D) dorsal view of propodeum; E) dorsal view of metasomal tergites 1–3. Scale bar = 0.1 mm.