Acroclisoides marimbae Tselikh & Mitroiu, 2025

Tselikh, Ekaterina V., Mitroiu, Mircea-Dan, Lee, Jaehyeon, Dale-Skey, Natalie & Ku, Deok-Seo, 2025, Revision of Acroclisoides Girault & Dodd, 1915 (Chalcidoidea, Pteromalidae, Metasteninae), ZooKeys 1257, pp. 153-214 : 153-214

Acroclisoides marimbae Tselikh & Mitroiu sp. nov.

Figs 81–88

Type material.

Holotype • female, Tanzania, “ TANGANYIKA Dar-es-Salaam ex Pentatomid 14. III. 1919 W. A. Lambourn ”, “ Acroclisoides near luzonensis Gah. G. J. Kerrich det. 1948 ”, “ NHMUK 013455889 ” ( NHMUK) . Paratypes • 7 females, 2 males, Senegal, “ Senegal, Bambey , 12. VIII. 1943, J. Risbec, Ex eggs of Pentatomia, 486 ” ( 1 male bearing an additional label: “ Pachyneuronini? genus, G. Nixon det. 1947 ”) ( NHMUK) • 4 females, 4 males, Senegal, “ Senegal, Bambey , J. Risbec, 484, 533 ”, “ Ex Atalecore notatipennis ” ( NHMUK) • 3 females, Zimbabwe, “ Rhodesia: Salisbury , v. 1979, A. Watsham ” ( NHMUK, MICO) • 1 female, Zimbabwe, “ Zimbabwe: Harar, St. Ignatius , V. 1990, A. Watsham ”, “ Acroclisoides det. R. Burks 2004 ”, “ CNC L- 2017-073 ” ( CNC) • 2 females, 1 male, Tanzania: “ TANGANYIKA T. Dar es Salaam W. A. Lambourn Ex ova on leaf. Casuarina Em. 20. III. 1919 ”, “ 429 ”, “ NHMUK 013455888 ”, “ NHMUK 013455890 ”, “ NHMUK 013455891 ” ( NHMUK, ZISP) .

Description.

Female. Body length 1.90–2.00 mm; fore wing length 1.70–1.75 mm.

Coloration. Head and mesosoma dorsally black with diffuse metallic blue luster; head frontally dark blue green with diffuse metallic coppery luster; antenna with scape, pedicel, anelli and F 1 – F 3 yellowish brown, F 4 – F 5 brown, F 6 yellow, clava with C 1 – C 2 brown and C 3 – C 4 yellowish brown. Fore and hind coxae dark blue green with diffuse metallic coppery and violet luster, mid coxae yellowish brown, all femora yellowish brown, all tibiae and tarsi yellow. Fore wing hyaline, venation brown. Metasoma dorsally dark brown with metallic violet luster; ovipositor sheaths brown.

Sculpture. Head, clypeus and mesosoma reticulate; scutellum strongly reticulate, frenal area finely reticulate, propodeum finely reticulate, nucha alutaceous; petiole smooth; metasoma smooth and shiny.

Head. In dorsal view 2.29–2.35 × as broad as long and 1.55–1.62 × as broad as mesoscutum; in frontal view 1.55–1.71 × as broad as high. POL 0.63–0.71 × as long as OOL. Eye height 1.06–1.12 × eye length and 1.40–1.46 × malar space. Distance between antennal toruli and lower margin of clypeus 4.50–5.10 × distance between antennal toruli and median ocellus. Antenna with scape 1.05–1.08 × as long as eye height and 1.18–1.21 × as long as eye length; pedicel 1.00–1.18 × as long as broad; combined length of pedicel and flagellum 0.55–0.87 × breadth of head; F 1 – F 6 longer than broad, F 1 1.83–2.20 × as long as broad and with two or three rows of sensilla; clava 2.20–2.40 × as long as broad, with small microsetose area on C 3 and C 4. Lower posterior corner of gena with large, sharp spine. Lower margin of clypeus concave bilaterally, in middle part broadly emarginate.

Mesosoma. 1.27–1.34 × as long as broad. Scutellum moderately arched, 0.88–0.91 × as long as broad, frenal area differentiated by sculpture. Propodeum 0.78–0.80 × as long as scutellum, without costula or median carina, nucha small. Fore wing 2.08–2.14 × as long as its maximum width; basal cell with 5–7 setae, basal vein setose; speculum closed below; M 0.60–0.74 × as long as PM and 1.00–1.22 × as long as S, stigma small to moderate.

Metasoma. 1.52–1.55 × as long as broad, 0.79–0.93 × as long as mesosoma, 0.56–0.72 × as long as mesosoma and head. Petiole 1.00–1.10 × as long as broad. Ovipositor sheaths projecting slightly beyond apex of metasoma.

Male. Body length 1.80 mm. Head posterior to malar space striate reticulate. Distance between antennal toruli and lower margin of clypeus 3.45 × distance between antennal toruli and median ocellus. Metasoma 1.65 × as long as broad. Antenna with F 1 – F 6 yellowish brown. Otherwise, similar to female.

Etymology.

The species is named in honor of the queen Marimba, a folk hero whose accomplishments have become part of the African folklore (noun in genitive case).

Biology.

The species was reared from eggs of Atelocera (as Atalecore) notatipennis Stål, 1858 ( Hemiptera : Pentatomidae ) (see above), but it is not clear if they are primary parasitoids of hyperparasitoids.

Distribution.

Kenya, Senegal, Tanzania, Zimbabwe.

Comments.

Acroclisoides marimbae Tselikh & Mitroiu , sp. nov. belongs to a group of species that have a hyaline fore wing in both sexes. This species is similar to A. bicolor Luo & Qin ; the differences between these species are given in the key.

Figures

Figures 81–88. Acroclisoides marimbae Tselikh & Mitroiu, sp. nov., female, holotype. 81. Habitus, lateral view; 82. Mesosoma and propodeum, dorsal view; 83. Antenna; 84. Head, frontal view; 85. Fore wing; 86. Head, lateral view; 87. Habitus, dorsal view; 88. Head and pronotum, dorsal view.