Megastigmus copelandi Roques & Copeland

Roques, Alain, Copeland, Robert S., Soldati, Laurent, Denux, Olivier & Auger-Rozenberg, Marie-Anne, 2016, Megastigmus seed chalcids (Hymenoptera, Torymidae) radiated much more on Angiosperms than previously considered. I- Description of 8 new species from Kenya, with a key to the females of Eastern and Southern Africa, ZooKeys 585, pp. 51-124 : 73-74

Taxon classification Animalia Hymenoptera Torymidae

Megastigmus copelandi Roques & Copeland sp. n.

Type material.

Holotype ♀: Kenya, Coast Province, Taita hills, Mwatate area, 3.48940°S, 38.33298°E, 1050m, 4 Feb 2012, ex. Grewia tephrodermis seeds, CHIESA coll. N°98, R. Copeland leg. (NMKE)

Paratypes: 2 ♀♀, same collection data as holotype (1 ♀ RSC; 1 ♀ ARC)

Description.

Holotype ♀. Small species with body length (without ovipositor) 2.6 mm; length of ovipositor sheaths 1.1 mm. Body colour entirely orange to dark orange except a few black patterns including contours of each ocellus, a spot at wing insertions, contour of propodeal spiracle, rounded spots on the lateral parts of T3, a lunule on the middle of T4, and 2 elongated blackspots on the lateral sides of T5 (Figures 36, 37). Head and gaster dark orange contrasting with the paler orange of the thorax (Figure 37). Pilosity on head entirely pale (Figure 39). Antenna brownish. Thoracic dorsum with long black hairs but lateral parts with pale hairs; scutellum with 3 lateral pairs of long black hairs (Figure 38). Propodeum with pale hairs, coxa and legs with pale hairs. Forewing stigma black without infuscation; basal cell with two small setae, closed by a basal setal line with five long setae and a costal setal line with seven long setae (Figure 41). Ovipositor sheaths black, 0.9 × as long as gaster, 0.4 × as long as body (Figure 37).

Head rounded, width: height ratio: 1.3 ×; POL: OOL 1.0; inter-antennal area as broad as torulus width; scrobe short, ca. 2.6 × as long as wide. Scape 1.2 × as long as combined length of pedicel, anellus, and F1 (Figure 40); scape 0.8 × as long as combined length of pedicel, anellus, F1 and F2; anellus subquadrate; F1 1.1 × as long as pedicel, 1.6 × as long as wide; F2 1.9 × as long as wide; following funicular segments becoming increasingly elongate, with F7 2.0 × as long as wide. Pronotum, mid- and lateral lobes of mesoscutum, and axilla with very coarse transverse carinae; mid-lobe of mesoscutum 1.1 × as long as scutellum. Scutellum 1.2 × as long as wide, with irregular transverse striae; frenum 0.4 × as long as scutellum length, densely wrinkled. Stigma elongate, oval-oblique, about 1.4 × as long as wide (Figure 41); upper part of stigmal vein short, 0.3 × as long as stigma length; uncus 0.9 × as long as upper part of stigmal vein; marginal vein 0.9 × as long as postmarginal vein. Propodeum with cross- striae tending to reticulate in the anterior part but without median carina.

Variation. Females range in length from 2.6-2.7 mm. In one paratype, gaster is dark brown. Wing chaetotaxy is variable with basal setal line with 5-6 long setae and costal setal line with 3-6 setae.

No males reared.

Host plants.

Grewia tephrodermis ( Malvaceae ).

Distribution.

Known only from the Mwatate area, Taita Hills, Kenya. Megastigmus copelandi emerged from 0.7% of collected fruits (Table 3). Probably a seed feeder.

Etymology.

Named after Dr. Robert Copeland, who collected the specimen.

Diagnosis.

The combination of an almost entirely orange body, pale pilosity on the head, and an ovipositor a bit shorter than gaster length readily distinguishes this species from other Afrotropical Megastigmus , and from Megastigmus grewianae , in particular, which also attacks Grewia fruits. The latter species is much larger (4.1 mm vs. 2.6-2.7) and has an ovipositor ca. 1.8 × longer than gaster length (Figure 82) vs. 0.9 × in Megastigmus copelandi .