Centistidea areolaris Liu & Polaszek 2024, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Liu, Zhen
name: Polaszek, Andrew
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Braconidae
Centistidea
Centistidea areolaris

description: Centistidea areolaris Liu & Polaszek sp. nov.
Fig. 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).
Head. 1.8 × as wide as long, 1.2 × wider than mesoscutum. Eyes 1.8 × longer than temple in dorsal view (Fig. 1 b). 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) 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) 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) 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) shiny with distinct median carinae reaching posterior margin, rugulose anteriorly, with carinate-areolate elements medio-apically. Mesopleuron (Fig. 1 f) highly polished, impunctate.
Legs. Hind femur (Fig. 1 j) 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): pterostigma narrow, 2.9 × as long as its widest part (Fig. 1 b); 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): vein M + CU: 1 - M: r-m = 2.0: 2.2: 1.0.
Metasoma. 0.9 × length of mesosoma. T 1 (Fig. 1 i) 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) 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). 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. Paratype: • 1 ♀, same data except IX. 1923, Brit. Mus 1923-510, No. NHMUK 010639676.
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).
description: Published as part of Liu, Zhen & Polaszek, Andrew, 2024, Afrotropical Centistidea Rohwer, 1914 (Hymenoptera, Braconidae) with description of four new species, pp. 83-100 in ZooKeys 1216 on pages 83-100, DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1216.133127