Centistidea areolaris Liu & Polaszek, 2024

Liu, Zhen & Polaszek, Andrew, 2024, Afrotropical Centistidea Rohwer, 1914 (Hymenoptera, Braconidae) with description of four new species, ZooKeys 1216, pp. 83-100 : 83-100

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.3897/zookeys.1216.133127
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:04C335D9-5252-499F-A004-7C9C2220C88C
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13970218
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/712D4603-E764-40FD-86C9-821AD4505472
taxon LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:act:712D4603-E764-40FD-86C9-821AD4505472
treatment provided by	ZooKeys by Pensoft
scientific name	Centistidea areolaris Liu & Polaszek
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Centistidea areolaris Liu & Polaszek sp. nov.

Fig. 1 View Figure 1

Diagnosis.

Body length 2.0 mm, light red-brown; eyes 1.8 × longer than temple in dorsal view; temple smooth, superficially punctate, indistinctly constricted behind eyes in dorsal view; hind ocelli in a shallow depression, distance between fore and a hind ocellus 1.2 × longer than minor axis of a hind ocellus, POL: OD: OOL = 1.3: 1.0: 2.9; vertex between eye and hind ocellus nearly smooth except some extremely fine transverse wrinkles; face nearly polished except some punctures along eyes, not convex medially, 1.5 × wider than high; antenna nearly as long as body length, with 1 st, 2 nd, penultimate and ultimate flagellomeres 4.9, 5.5, 2.7 and 3.0 × longer than wide, 1 st indistinctly longer than 2 nd; mesoscutum with superficial and weakly-defined punctures anteriorly and laterally, largely smooth dorsally, notauli less obvious, weakly crenulated near to anterior 1 / 3; scutellar sulcus concave but not crenulated; medio-posterior depressions of scutellum large and oblong, both enclosed by a margined line; propodeum with distinct median carina and carinate-areolate elements medio-apically; pterostigma narrow, 2.9 × as long as its widest part; vein 1 - R 1 attenuated to 0.3 of length of pterostigma; T 1 3.9 × longer than its maximum width, radially striate at lateral membranous area; T 2 triangular part 1.3 × wider than median length; T 3 1.9 × longer than T 2.

Description.

Female. Body length 2.0 mm, fore wing length 2.5 mm (Fig. 1 a View Figure 1 ).

Head. 1.8 × as wide as long, 1.2 × wider than mesoscutum. Eyes 1.8 × longer than temple in dorsal view (Fig. 1 b View Figure 1 ). Temple a little shiny, smooth, superficially punctate, sparsely pubescent, indistinctly constricted behind eyes in dorsal view. Ocelli small, hind ocelli in a shallow dimple, distance between fore and a hind ocellus 1.2 × longer than minor axis of a hind ocellus, POL: OD: OOL = 1.3: 1.0: 2.9. Frons flat and polished. Vertex between eye and hind ocellus shiny and nearly smooth except some extremely fine transverse wrinkles. Face (Fig. 1 c View Figure 1 ) shiny, nearly polished except some punctures along eyes, not convex medially, transverse, 1.5 × wider than high. Clypeus 2.0 × wider than medial length, nearly polished. Length of malar space 1.4 × longer than width of mandible. Antenna (Fig. 1 d View Figure 1 ) nearly as long as body length, with scape, pedicel and 1 st, 2 nd, penultimate and ultimate flagellomeres 1.4, 1.6, 4.9, 5.5, 2.7 and 3.0 × longer than wide, 1 st indistinctly longer (nearly 1.1 ×) than 2 nd, flagellomeres gradually shortened to apex.

Mesosoma. Length: width: height = 1.4: 1.0: 1.2. Mesoscutum (Fig. 1 c View Figure 1 ) shiny with superficial and weakly defined punctures anteriorly and laterally, largely smooth dorsally, notauli less obvious, weakly crenulated near to anterior 1 / 3. Scutellar sulcus slightly curved, concave, not crenulated. Scutellum shiny, sculptured as dorsal mesoscutum, medio-posterior depressions large and oblong, both enclosed by a margined line. Propodeum (Fig. 1 k View Figure 1 ) shiny with distinct median carinae reaching posterior margin, rugulose anteriorly, with carinate-areolate elements medio-apically. Mesopleuron (Fig. 1 f View Figure 1 ) highly polished, impunctate.

Legs. Hind femur (Fig. 1 j View Figure 1 ) 3.7 × as long as its widest part. Length of hind femur: tibia: basitarsus = 2.0: 2.4: 1.0. Basitarsus of hind leg 0.6 × as long as tarsomeres 2–5.

Wings. Fore wing (Fig. 1 g View Figure 1 ): pterostigma narrow, 2.9 × as long as its widest part (Fig. 1 b View Figure 1 ); vein 1 - R 1 attenuated to 0.3 length of pterostigma; vein r: 2 - SR: 2 - M = 1.0: 7.7: 3.0, 1 - SR: 1 - M = 1.0: 6.1, 1 - CU 1: 2 - CU 1 = 1.0: 1.7; first discal cell of fore wing nearly 1.2 × wider than high. Hind wing (Fig. 1 h View Figure 1 ): vein M + CU: 1 - M: r-m = 2.0: 2.2: 1.0.

Metasoma. 0.9 × length of mesosoma. T 1 (Fig. 1 i View Figure 1 ) highly polished, spatula-shaped, 3.9 × longer than its maximum width, distinctly narrowed anterior-medially, radially striate at lateral membranous area. T 2 triangular part 1.3 × wider than median length, longitudinally striate at lateral membranous area. T 3 1.9 × longer than T 2, weakly longitudinally striate. Hypopygium shorter than length of metasoma. Ovipositor sheath (Fig. 1 l View Figure 1 ) 1.3 × longer than hind basitarsus, with long and dense setae apically.

Colour. Light red-brown, except apex of metasoma darker brown (Fig. 1 a View Figure 1 ). Palpi and spurs pale yellow. Antenna and apical ovipositor sheath dark brown. Legs yellow except apical tarsomeres. Wing membrane hyaline, pterostigma yellow-brown, vein 1 - SR, 1 - M and 1 - CU 1 brown, other veins brown.

Male. Unknown.

Host.

Unknown.

Material examined

( NHMUK). Holotype: • 1 ♀, South Africa, Port St. John , Pondoland, RE Turner, 12–30. VI. 1923, Brit. Mus 1923-363, No. NHMUK 010639675 About NHMUK . Paratype: • 1 ♀, same data except IX. 1923, Brit. Mus 1923-510, No. NHMUK 010639676 About NHMUK .

Distribution.

South Africa.

Etymology.

The specific name “ areolaris ” refers to the propodeum with carinate-areolate elements medio-apically.

Remarks.

This species is similar to the Neotropical species, C. vertus ( Papp, 2013) . Its peculiar propodeum is very rare in Miracinae with both median carina and areola present, but differs in the following: antenna slightly shorter than body length, with penultimate flagellomere 2.7 × longer than wide (antenna 1.2 × longer than body length, with penultimate flagellomere 4.0 × longer than wide in C. vertus ); medio-posterior depressions on scutellum distinct in an enclosed oval margined line (absent in C. vertus ); and T 2 gradually wider basally (narrowly parallel-sided basally in C. vertus ).