Norbanus brevicephalus Mitroiu, 2015, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Mitroiu, Mircea-Dan
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2015
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Pteromalidae
Norbanus
Norbanus brevicephalus

description: Norbanus brevicephalus sp. nov.
(Figs 29–36)
Diagnosis. BOTH SEXES. Head and mesosoma black, with some faint metallic reflections (Figs 29–32, 36); hind tibia medially dark (Figs 29, 36). Head without distinct elevation between eye and posterior ocellus (Fig. 31). Clypeal margin slightly emarginate (Fig. 31). Temple short, about 0.2× as long as eye in dorsal view, posteriorly round and strongly convergent (Fig. 32). Scutellum moderately convex, not globose (Figs 29, 36). Upper mesepimeron smooth. Propodeum inclined (Figs 29, 36), spiracular sulci absent (cf. Fig. 11). Speculum not reaching proximal part of marginal vein, separated from it by a patch of sparse setae (Fig. 34).
FEMALE. Metasoma brown (Figs 29, 30, 35); fu5–6 and clava dark (Fig. 33). Scape not reaching vertex (Fig 31); second anellus transverse; fu1 not wider than pedicel; clava length about 2.6× width, slightly wider than fu6 and gradually narrowing towards spicula; micropilosity area occupying about 1/3 length of claval body (Fig. 33). Fore wing disc pilosity dense (Fig. 34). Posterior margin of gt1 not incised, moderately sinuous (Figs 30, 35). Sculpture on gastral tergites mostly reticulate-imbricate, with alveolae much wider than long (Fig. 35).
MALE. Funicular segments widened both proximally and distally, mostly with two whorls of long setae each, and separated from each other by long tubular connections; setae on funicular segments shorter than length of segments; claval segments separated by deep constrictions (Fig. 36).
Material examined. Holotype ♀ (BMNH). MADAGASCAR: “Madagascar: Tuléar, Bereboka, 65 km N.E. Morondava, May 1983, J.S. Noyes, M.C. Day ” [CPD, on rectangular card].
Allotype ♂. MADAGASCAR: “Madagascar: Tuléar, Berenty 12 km N.W. Amboasary, 5–15.V.1983, J. Noyes & M. Day, B.M.1983-201” (BMNH).
Additional paratypes. MAURITIUS: 1 ♂ “MAURITIUS; Macchabee Forest, 2.vi.1971, A. M. Hutson, B.M.1971-346” (BMNH).
Description. FEMALE (holotype). Colour. Head and mesosoma black, with very faint bronze green reflections (Figs 29–32); metasoma light brown, ovipositor sheaths black (Figs 29, 30, 35). Body pilosity short whitish (Figs 31, 32). Eyes grey, ocelli translucent (Figs 31, 32). Mandibles light brown, teeth darker. Antenna (Fig. 33) with scape (except base), pedicel, anelli and fu1–4, light brown, fu5–6 and clava except tip dark brown to black; base of scape whitish, apex of clava and spicula lighter than rest of clava. Wings hyaline, tegulae and venation brown (Fig. 34). Legs (Fig. 29) with coxae brown, darker basally; trochanters light brown; fore and mid femora brown, hind femur dark brown; fore tibia brown with light knees; mid and hind tibiae with an extensive brown band around middle of segment, leaving pale extremities; tarsi light brown, claws and arolia darker.
Body length. 3.75 mm.
Head without distinct elevation between eye and posterior ocellus, reticulate except lower face extensively and finely striated, striation not reaching toruli (Figs 31, 32). Clypeal margin shallowly emarginate (Fig. 31). Eye ovate, anterior and posterior margins not sinuous (Fig. 29). Gena with distinct lamina near mouth corner. Scrobes short and shallow, not visible in dorsal view of the head (Fig. 32). Toruli with lower margins slightly above lower margins of eyes (Fig. 31). Antenna (Fig. 33) with scape not reaching vertex (Fig. 31); both anelli transverse, the second slightly longer than the first; funicular segments longer than wide; clava ventrally gradually narrowing before spicula, sutures hardly visible, oblique; micropilosity area occupying about 1/3 length of claval body. Relative measurements—head length: 22.5, width: 54, height: 43; POL: 10.5; OOL: 7.5; eye height: 25.5, length: 17; IOD: 30.5; eye length dorsally: 16; temple length dorsally: 3; malar space: 15; distance between clypeal margin and toruli: 16; scape length: 25; pedicel length: 5, width: 3; pedicel plus flagellum: 55; fu1 length: 6.5, width: 2.5; fu6 length: 5.5, width: 3.5; clava length: 10.5, width: 4.
Mesosoma dorsally reticulate (Fig. 30). Notauli traceable to about half the length of mesoscutum (Fig. 30).
Scutellum moderately convex (Fig. 29), frenal line absent, but frenal area with finer reticulation than rest of scutellum. Upper mesepimeron smooth. Metapleuron and dorsellum uniformly reticulate. Propodeum inclined (Fig. 29), uniformly reticulate except two small depressions near its anterior margin submedially; spiracles large and elongate, their anterior edge nearly touching metanotum; spiracular sulci absent (cf. Fig. 11). Fore wing (Fig. 34) with basal cell and basal fold glabrous; costal cell with one continuous row of pilosity on ventral surface, accompanied by a few scattered setae distally; speculum moderately wide, but in the upper part not reaching marginal vein, being separated from it by a patch of sparse pilosity; disc pilosity dense, area between stigmal vein and postmarginal vein mostly pilose; wing pilosity including marginal fringe short; stigma clearly capitate. Relative measurements—mesosomal length: 53, width: 44, height: 38; mesoscutum length: 20; scutellum length: 20, width: 25; propodeum length: 9; fore wing length: 105, width: 41; M: 21; S: 10; P: 19.
Metasoma ovate-acuminate (Figs 29, 30), dorsally mostly reticulate-imbricate (alveolae wider than long) except for gt1 which is mainly smooth (Fig. 35). Posterior margin of gt1 entire and clearly sinuous (Fig. 35). Metasoma length slightly greater than combined length of head and mesosoma (Fig. 29). Ovipositor sheaths slightly visible in dorsal view (Fig. 30). Relative measurements—metasomal length: 85, width: 44; gt1 length: 12; gt7 length: 5.5, width: 14.
MALE (allotype). Differs from the female holotype mainly as follows. Body length: 2.75 mm. Metasoma brownish except extensively yellowish dorsally and ventrally in proximal 2/3; extreme base of gt1 brownish (Fig. 36). Scape reddish-brown, darker dorsally; flagellum dark brown (Fig. 36). Toruli much closer to median ocellus than to clypeal margin (Fig. 36). Scape exceeding level of vertex by about half scape length; funicular segments widened both proximally and distally, mostly with two whorls of long setae each, and separated from each other by long tubular connections; setae on funicular segments emerging mostly at an acute angle to segment, shorter than length of segments (Fig. 36); length of pedicel plus flagellum about 1.7× head width; clava with segments not closely compacted together (Fig. 36). Fore wing disc pilosity less dense. Metasoma oval, length about 2.1× width, shorter than head plus mesosoma and narrower than mesosoma (Fig. 36).
Variation. Not conspicuous in the available material.
Comments. Both sexes of N. brevicephalus most closely resemble N. foritempus. The females differ from those of the latter species mostly in the shape of the flagellum and head, and the sculpture of the gastral tergites. The males of N. brevicephalus can be separated from males of N. foritempus mostly by the shape and structure of the flagellum.
Etymology. The name of the new species refers to the short head due to the reduced temples.
Distribution. Madagascar, Mauritius (Map 2).
Hosts. Unknown.
description: Published as part of Mitroiu, Mircea-Dan, 2015, Revision of the Afrotropical species of Norbanus Walker (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae), pp. 1-103 in Zootaxa 3969 (1) on pages 26-28, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3969.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/14952529