Stenomacrus communis Varga, 2024, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Varga, Oleksandr
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Ichneumonidae
Stenomacrus
Stenomacrus communis

description: Stenomacrus communis sp. nov.
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: A88B1BA8-4EA2-4FDF-98AC-4CB25958CEFB
Fig. 3
Diagnosis
Stenomacrus communis sp. nov. is characterized by the combination of the following: face weakly aciculate (Fig. 3B); antenna with 18–19 flagellomeres, first flagellomere about 3.2–3.4 × as long as wide; temples 0.4 × maximum diameter of eye in dorsal view, strongly narrowed (Fig. 3D); propodeum smooth, with only lateral longitudinal carina present on apical half (Fig. 3E); fore wing with vein 2 rs-m about 0.7 × distance between 2 rs-m and 2 m-cu; vein 3rs-m absent (Fig. 3F); first tergite 1.4–1.7 × as long as its apical width, longitudinally wrinkled, with latero-median longitudinal carinae hardly visible among wrinkles; second tergite 1.0–1.2 × as long as its apical width, longitudinally wrinkled at least to the middle of tergite (Fig. 3G–H); ovipositor sheath about 0.6 × as long as hind tibia (Fig. 3A).
Stenomacrus communis sp. nov. is similar to S. pronotalis sp. nov. but has a shorter antenna with 18– 19 flagellomeres (22 in S. pronotalis); a shorter, smooth first metasomal tergite with well developed wrinkles (granulate with weak wrinkles in S. pronotalis); and a dark pronotum, the same colour as the rest of the mesosoma (distinctly paler than the rest of mesosoma in S. pronotalis).
Etymology
The new species is the most common in samples from different localities in Kenya.
Type material
Holotype
KENYA • ♀; Coast Prov., Taita Hills, Vuria Forest; 3.41428° S, 38.29178° E; 2162 m a.s.l.; 8–22 Aug. 2012; R. Copeland leg.; Malaise trap, just inside indigenous forest; ICIPE.
Paratypes
KENYA • 5 ♀♀; same data as for holotype; 14–28 Oct. 2011; ICIPE • 2 ♀♀; same data as for holotype; 28 Dec. 2011 – 10 Jan. 2012; ICIPE • 5 ♀♀; Coast Prov., Taita Hills, Ngangao Forest; 3.36100º S, 38.34186º E; 1848 m a.s.l.; 27 Dec. 2011 – 10 Jan. 2012; R. Copeland leg.; Malaise trap, indigenous forest; ICIPE • 3 ♀♀; same data as for preceding; 10–24 Jan. 2012; ICIPE • 5 ♀♀; Eastern Prov., Nyambene Hills, Itieni Forest; 0.24433° N, 37.87016° E; 2142 m a.s.l.; 15–27 Nov. 2011; R. Copeland leg.; at bottom, Malaise trap, edge of indigenous forest, nr forest station; ICIPE • 1 ♀; same data as for preceding; 27 Nov.–11 Dec. 2011; ICIPE.
Description
Female
Body length 2.9–3.1 mm. Fore wing 2.4–2.5 mm.
Head smooth and sparsely pubescent. Antenna with 18–19 flagellomeres, first flagellomere about 3.2– 3.4 × as long as wide. Face about 0.6 × as long as wide, weakly aciculate; inner orbits parallel. Malar space 2.6 × basal width of mandible; subocular sulcus distinct. Clypeus 0.6 × as long as wide, granulate, weakly convex centrally. Mandible bidentate, strongly bent outwards; lower tooth small, but visible even in frontal view. Temples 0.4 × maximum diameter of eye in dorsal view, strongly narrowed. Frons and vertex smooth; length of ocellar-ocular distance about 1.0 × maximum diameter of lateral ocellus; occipital carina absent.
Propleuron sparsely pubescent. Pronotum smooth, with some traces of wrinkles distally; epomia absent. Mesoscutum evenly and densely pubescent; notauli absent. Scutellum densely pubescent, with carinae present only on basal 0.1. Mesopleuron smooth; epicnemial carina present laterally. Metapleuron smooth; pleural and submetapleural carinae present. Propodeum smooth, with only lateral longitudinal carina present on apical half of propodeum.
Legs relatively stout; hind femur 3.6 × as long as wide, third tarsomere of hind tarsus about 0.9 × length of fifth tarsomere; tarsal claws simple.
Fore wing with vein 2 rs-m about 0.7 × distance between 2 rs-m and 2 m-cu; vein 3rs-m absent; vein 1cu-a weakly distad M & Rs; hind wing with nervellus not intercepted, weakly reclivous.
Metasoma with first tergite 1.4–1.7 × as long as apical width, longitudinally wrinkled, with latero-median longitudinal carinae hardly visible among wrinkles; lateral oblique grooves distinct and deep. Second tergite 1.0–1.2 × as long as apical width, longitudinally wrinkled almost to apex of tergite; basolateral grooves distinct; thyridium weakly elongate. Remaining part of metasoma smooth, weakly compressed laterally. Ovipositor sheath about 0.6 × as long as hind tibia, apical part widened and pubescent.
Body generally brownish except antenna basally, face narrowly below antennal sockets, mandible (except apices), fore and mid legs, and all trochanters and trochantelli yellow. Hind coxa brownish, hind femur yellowish with brownish dorsal stripe, hind tibia and tarsus reddish with darker dorsal stripes.
Male
Unknown. Several morphologically similar male specimens were found in samples together with this newly described species, but they represent at least three morphospecies and thus it is not possible to associate them with females of S. communis sp. nov. without molecular analysis.
Remarks
One female paratype has wider temples; some specimens from Itieni Forest have an unevenly pubescent mesoscutum in combination with a more weakly sculptured metasoma (Fig. 2H). It is possible that S. communis sp. nov. comprises a complex of species hardly distinguishable morphologically, thus molecular analyses for further clarification are needed.
Distribution
So far only known from Kenya.
description: Published as part of Varga, Oleksandr, 2024, Review of the genus Stenomacrus Förster, 1869 (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae: Orthocentrinae) from Kenya and Burundi: a first step to understanding the diversity of the genus in the Afrotropics, pp. 177-202 in European Journal of Taxonomy 958 on pages 183-185, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2024.958.2669, http://zenodo.org/record/13903208