Ceraphron, Jurine, Jurine, 1807

Ghosh, Amit Kumar, Kumar, Vikas, Rameshkumar, Anandhan & Tyagi, Kaomud, 2024, A new species of the genus Ceraphron Jurine (Hymenoptera: Ceraphronidae) from India, Zootaxa 5506 (1), pp. 122-128 : 123-126

Abbreviations

OOL: ocular ocellar line

POL: posterior ocellar line

LOL: lateral ocellar line

gvc: gonostyle/volsella complex

Diagnosis

Scape and pedicel yellow; scape 3.57–3.7 × (3.57) as long as pedicel; OOL 2.23–2.26 × (2.23) longer than the diameter of a lateral ocellus; anteromedian projection of the metanoto-propodeo-metapecto-mesopectal complex extending up to the posterior margin of the nucha. Male genitalia: harpe finger-shaped in ventral and dorsal view; harpe/gvc index 1.27; dorsomedial margins of harpes touching at distodorsal margin of gvc, dorsomedial margin of harpe straight and slightly diverging distolaterally in basal third, straight and virtually parallel to each other in apical two thirds; harpe with at least two lateral setae, restricted to apical two thirds; gvc width slightly longer than gvc length; gvc width 0.83–0.93 × (0.83) distal gvc width; genital length 2.68–2.86 × (2.86) gvc width.

Etymology

This species is named initium due to first initiation of taxonomic studies of this dark taxon under the project “Morphological and molecular taxonomy of Ceraphronoidea from India ”.

Material examined Holotype

INDIA: 1 ♂; Nagaland, Nagaland University Guest House .; yellow pan trap; 10-xi-2021 (Reg. No. CDT/MSD/ H-19), coll. A. Rameshkumar.

Paratypes

INDIA: 2 ♂; same locality data as mentioned in Holotype (Reg. No. CDT/MSD/H-13, H-25), coll. A. Rameshkumar.

Description

Male (N = 3 in morphometric measurements) Body length. 1.13–1.14 (1.14) mm.

Colour. Head dark brown, mesosoma dark brown, metasoma brown; scape and pedicel light brown except proximal half of scape lighter, flagellum brown; legs yellowish except proximal half of pro- and mesocoxa brown, proximal third of metacoxa brown; fore wing venation light brown, fore and hind wing disc slightly melanized, fore wing with ligher melanization proximally ( Fig. 1 ).

Antenna. 11-merous, flagellomeres cylindric; scape 3.57–3.7 × (3.57) as long as pedicel, scape longer than F1 and F2 combined, F1 1.65–1.7 × (1.65) as long as wide, F1 1.5–1.9 × (1.5) as long as pedicel, F1 1.2–1.28 × (1.2) as long as F2, F1 shorter than F7 and F8 combined, F1 shorter than F9, F6 1.4–1.7 × (1.7) as long as wide, F6 shorter than F7 and F8 combined, F6 1.35–1.4 × (1.4) as high as F9; numerous small multiporous plates on flagellomeres, sensillae on flagellomeres sickle-shaped and shorter than width of flagellomeres ( Fig. 6 ).

Head. Head width: 1.25 × head height; head width 1.45–2.0 of interorbital space; maximum eye diameter: 1.59–1.72 × (1.72) minimum eye diameter; head height 1.75–1.8 × (1.75) maximum eye diameter. Dorsal margin of occipital carina ventral to dorsal margin of lateral ocellus in lateral view; preoccipital furrow present; preoccipital carina present. OOL: POL: LOL 1: 0.72: 0.70; OOL 2.23–2.26 × (2.23) times longer than the diameter of a lateral ocellus ( Fig. 3 ).

Mesosoma, Metasoma. Mesosoma not compressed laterally ( Fig. 2 ). Head width 0.96 × mesosoma width; Weber length 340–364 (364) µm. Mesoscutum densely setose, setae curved posteriorly; median mesoscutal sulcus present ( Fig. 4 ); median mesoscutal sulcus adjacent to transscutal articulation; interaxillar sulcus present (= scutoscutellar sulcus not adjacent to transscutal articulation), scutoscutellar sulcus concave; dorsal axillar area setose, setae curved posteriorly; mesoscutellum setose, setae curved backwards or straight. Mesoscutum width 1.8–1.9 × (1.9) of mesoscutellum width; posterior mesoscutal width 1.47–1.5 × (1.5) of mesoscutellum width; mesoscutellum length 1.42 of mesoscutellum width; mesoscutellum length 0.85–0.93 × (0.93) of posterior mesoscutal width; Weber length 1.65–1.7 × (1.7) of mesoscutum width; Weber length 2.1–2.4 × (2.1) of mesoscutellum length. Anteromedian projection of the metanoto-propodeo-metapecto-mesopectal complex curved in lateral view with blunt end, upto the end of nucha; mesometapleural sulcus absent; posterior propodeal projection straight and visible in ventrolateral view. Basal transverse carina of petiole (on syntergum) present; at least six distinct, basal longitudinal carinae on syntergum; pairs of translucent patches on metasomal syntergum and synsternum.

Fore wing. Length 3.88–3.91 × (3.91) width; stigmal vein longer than 3 × of pterostigma marginal length ( Fig. 5 ).

Male Genitalia:

Genital length 121 µm (132 µm); Weber length 3.36× genital length; gvc width 45–46 (46) µm; genital length 2.68–2.86 × (2.86) gvc width; gvc width almost subequal to gvc length; gvc width 0.83–0.93 × (0.83) distal gvc width. Proximodorsal margin of gvc straight, but indented medially; distodorsal margin of gvc slightly descending proximomedially; proximoventral margin of gvc straight; distoventral margin of gvc descending proximomedially; ventral area of gvc straight; dorsal area of gvc slightly convex, sharply indented distomedially; proximolateral margin of gvc strongly descending and emarginated ventrally; distolateral margin of gvc convex; Harpe finger shaped in ventral and dorsal view; harpe/gvc index 1.27; lateral articulation site of harpe with gvc flush; ventral margin of harpe concave, dorsal margin convex in basal third and straight in apical two thirds, lateral margin convex, widest point of harpe at apical third; dorsomedial margins of harpes touching at distodorsal margin of gvc, dorsomedial margin of harpe straight and strongly diverging distolaterally in basal third, straight and virtually parallel to other harpe in apical two thirds, apex of harpe broadly rounded. Harpe with at least two lateral setae restricted to apical two thirds, longest lateral setae less than one third as long as harpe, lateral setae oriented distodorsally, distolaterally and distoventrally; harpe with at least three apical setae, longest apical setae less than half as long as harpe, apical setae oriented distolaterally, distomedially and distoventrally; harpe with at least four median setae restricted to apical third, longest median setae less than one quarter as long as harpe, median setae oriented distomedially and distoventrally. Aedeagus + gonossiculus more than half as long as harpe, apex of aedeagus + gonossiculus rounded and dorsal to apex of harpe. Genitalia weakly sclerotized with strongest sclerotization at apical third of harpe ( Figs. 7–9 ).

Female

Unknown.

Variation

The genital length varied from 121 to 132 µm, gvc width from 0.83 to 0.93 to distal gvc width. Moreover, the length/width of the flagellomeres also varied.

Biology

Unknown.

Distribution

Asia: India.

Comments

According to key to male Ceraphron from the afrotropical mainland provided by Salden & Peters (2023), the male genitalia of C. initium is very close to C. semira Salden & Peters and can be differentiated by genitalic as well as non-genitalic characters. The scape and pedicel are yellow (light brown in C. semira ), scape 3.57 to 3.7 as long as pedicel (4.6 times in C. semira ), F1 1.65 to 1.7 times as long as wide (2.76 times in C. semira ), OOL 2.23–2.26 lateral ocellus diameter (OOL 3.16–3.71 lateral ocellus diameter in C. semira ) and the anteromedian projection of the metanoto-propodeo-metapecto-mesopectal complex terminates at the posterior margin of the nucha in C. initium , whereas it exceeds the end of the mesosoma in C. semira .

The male genitalia of this new species is also very similar to C. semira by the straight proximodorsal margin of gvc and distodorsal margin of gvc slightly descending proximomedially. It can be differentiated from C. semira by the ratio of harpe/gvc index 1.27 (1.05 in C. semira ); gvc width almost subequal to gvc length (three quarters of gvc length in C. semira ); gvc width 0.83–0.93× (0.93) distal gvc width (1.05× distal gvc width); dorsomedial margins of harpes touching at distodorsal margin of gvc (not touching in C. semira ); proximodorsal margin of gvc straight but indented medially (straight in C. semira ); dorsal area of gvc slightly convex, sharply indented distomedially (straight and slightly indented distomedially in C. semira ); ventral margin of harpe concave (straight in C. semira ), dorsal margin convex in basal third and straight in apical two thirds (straight in C. semira ); harpe with at least two lateral setae restricted to apical two thirds (4 in C. semira ), longest lateral setae less than one third as long as harpe (less than half as long as harpe in C. semira ); harpe with longest apical setae less than half as long as harpe (two thirds as long as harpe in C. semira ); harpe with at least four median setae restricted to apical third (7 in C. semira ). Aedeagus + gonossiculus more than half as long as harpe (one third as long as harpe in C. semira ).

Furthermore, the male genitalia of C. initium is similar to C. thompsoni (Dall Torre) and can be differentiated from that taxon by the ratio of harpe/gvc index 1.27 (1.37 in C. thompsoni ); harpe with at least two lateral setae restricted to apical two thirds (3 in C. thompsoni ), longest lateral setae less than one third as long as harpe (less than one fourth as long as harpe in C. thompsoni ); harpe with at least three apical setae, longest apical setae two thirds as long as harpe (4 setae and longest seta one fifth as long as harpe); harpe with four median setae restricted to apical third (2 in C. thompsoni ). Aedeagus + gonossiculus more than half as long as harpe (less than half as long as harpe in C. thompsoni ).

Figures

FIGURES 1–6. Ceraphron initium sp. nov., male: (1) Habitus in lateral view, holotype; (2) Mesosoma, lateral view, holotype; (3) Head, dorsal view; (4) Mesosoma, dorsal view, holotype; (5) Fore wing, dorsal view, holotype; (6) Antenna, holotype.

FIGURES 7–9. Ceraphron initium sp. nov., male genitalia, holotype: (7) dorsal view; (8) ventral view; (9) lateral view.