Conostigmus koleo Salden & Peters 2023, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Salden, Tobias
name: Peters, Ralph S.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2023
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Megaspilidae
Conostigmus
Conostigmus koleo

description: Conostigmus koleo sp. nov.
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: DA42A7C3-87BF-4A74-8775-274B8F32C7ED
Fig. 97
Diagnosis
Metasoma light brown except anterior part yellowish; head height 1.57–1.67 × (1.67) maximum eye diameter. Male genitalia: harpe spatulate in ventral and dorsal view; harpe/gvc index 2.00; ventromedial margins of harpes not touching at distoventral margin of gvc, ventromedial margin of harpe concave in approximately basal third, straight and parallel to other harpe in approximately apical two thirds; gvc width one and a half of gvc length; harpe with at least twenty median setae restricted to slightly more than apical two thirds; Weber length 1.64–1.76× (1.76) genital length; genital length 2.14–2.16 × (2.16) gvc width.
Etymology
The species name is derived from the Swahili word ‘ koleo ’ which means ‘tongs’, with reference to the spatulate harpes.
Material examined
Holotype
KENYA • ♂; Western Province, Kakamega Forest; 00°27′10.6 N, 34°51′48.7 E; 1676 m a.s.l.; 19 Jun. 2007; F. Hita Garcia leg.; Transect 4; primary rain forest; Winkler leaf litter extraction; ZFMK; ZFMK- HYM-00037001.
Paratype
KENYA • 1 ♂; same collection data as for holotype; ZFMK-HYM-00037002.
Description
Male (N = 2 in morphometric measurements)
BODY LENGTH. 1.16–1.48 mm (1.48 mm).
COLOUR. Head dark brown, mesosoma brown, metasoma light brown except anterior part yellowish; scape yellowish and pedicel light brown, flagellum light brown, gradually darkening from F1 to F9; legs yellowish except meso- and metacoxa lighter; fore wing venation light brown, fore and hind wing disc slightly melanized.
ANTENNA. Flagellomeres cylindric; scape 4.4× as long as pedicel, scape longer than F1 and F2 combined, F1 2.9 × as long as wide, F1 2.2× as long as pedicel, F1 1.4 × as long as F2, F1 shorter than F7 and F8 combined (ZFMK-HYM-00037002), F1 as long as F9 (ZFMK-HYM-00037002), F6 1.8× as long as wide, F6 shorter than F7 and F8 combined (ZFMK-HYM-00037002), F6 1.1× as high as F9 (ZFMK-HYM-00037002); numerous distinctly small multiporous plates on flagellomeres, sensillae on flagellomeres erect and sickle-shaped and slightly shorter than width of flagellomeres.
HEAD. Head width 1.22–1.30× (1.22) head height; head width 1.61–1.69 × (1.61) interorbital space; maximum eye diameter 1.25–1.27× (1.27) minimum eye diameter; head height 1.57–1.67 × (1.67) maximum eye diameter. Dorsal margin of occipital carina ventral to dorsal margin of lateral ocellus in lateral view; preoccipital furrow present; preoccipital carina distinct. OOL:POL:LOL 1.00:0.42– 0.45:0.32–0.33 (1.00:0.42:0.33); OOL 2.54–3.00 × (2.54) lateral ocellus diameter. White, thick setae on upper face distinct; supraclypeal depression present; lateral margin of torulus distinctly raised; intertorular carina present; posterolateral processes of gena present.
MESOSOMA, METASOMA. Mesosoma not compressed laterally. Head width 0.96–1.00× (0.96) mesosoma width; Weber length 394–450 µm (450 µm). Mesoscutum densely setose, setae curved backwards; notaulus present; median mesoscutal sulcus present; median mesoscutal sulcus adjacent to transscutal articulation; interaxillar sulcus absent (= scutoscutellar sulcus adjacent to transscutal articulation), scutoscutellar sulcus slightly concave; dorsal axillar area setose, setae curved backwards; mesoscutellum setose, setae curved backwards or straight. Mesoscutum width 2.24–2.29 × (2.29) mesoscutellum width; posterior mesoscutal width 1.60–1.64 × (1.64) mesoscutellum width; mesoscutellum length 1.36 × (1.36) mesoscutellum width; mesoscutellum length 0.83–0.85 × (0.83) posterior mesoscutal width; Weber length 1.13 × (1.13) mesoscutum width; Weber length 1.85–1.89 × (1.89) mesoscutellum length. Anteromedian projection of the metanoto-propodeo-metapecto-mesopectal complex curved in lateral view with blunt and lighter end, extending to end of mesosoma; mesometapleural sulcus present; posterior propodeal projection distinctly short in ventrolateral view; posterior mesosomal comb present, slightly setose. At least six distinct, basal longitudinal carinae on syntergum; pairs of translucent patches on metasomal syntergum and synsternum.
FORE WING. Length 2.41–2.60 × (2.60) width; stigmal vein shorter than 2× pterostigma marginal length; pterostigma present.
MALE GENITALIA. Genital length 241–256 µm (256 µm); Weber length 1.64–1.76 × (1.76) genital length; gvc width 113–119 µm (119 µm); genital length 2.14–2.16 × (2.16) gvc width; gvc width one and a half of gvc length; gvc width equal to distal gvc width. Proximodorsal margin of gvc straight; distodorsal margin of gvc indistinct in median part, lateral parts strongly descending proximomedially (Fig. 97C); proximoventral margin of gvc slightly concave; distoventral margin of gvc strongly descending proximomedially (Fig. 97A); ventral area of gvc convex; dorsal area of gvc convex (Fig. 97B); proximolateral margin of gvc ascending ventrally; distolateral margin of gvc descending ventrally (Fig. 97B). Harpe spatulate in ventral and dorsal view; harpe/gvc index 2.00; lateral articulation site of harpe with gvc flush (Fig. 97A, C); ventral margin of harpe slightly convex, dorsal margin slightly concave (Fig. 97B), lateral margin straight and slightly curved distomedially in apical part, widest point of harpe at lateral articulation site with gvc (Fig. 97A, C); ventromedial margins of harpes not touching at distoventral margin of gvc, ventromedial margin of harpe concave in approximately basal third, straight and parallel to other harpe in approximately apical two thirds (Fig. 97C), apex of harpe pointed (Fig. 97A, C). Harpe with at least two lateral setae restricted to apical quarter, longest lateral setae less than half as long as harpe, lateral setae oriented distomedially and distoventrally; harpe with at least two apical setae, longest apical setae less than one third as long as harpe, apical setae oriented distomedially and distoventrally; harpe with at least twenty median setae restricted to slightly more than apical two thirds, longest median setae less than one quarter as long as harpe, median setae oriented distomedially, distoventrally, medioventrally and proximoventrally. Aedeagus + gonossiculus more than one quarter as long as harpe, apex of aedeagus + gonossiculus rounded (Fig. 97A, C) and dorsal to apex of harpe. Genitalia moderately sclerotized with strongest sclerotization at all margins of harpe and distal margin of gvc and weakest sclerotization at aedeagus + gonossiculus.
Female
Unknown.
Variation
Unknown.
Biology
Host unknown, specimens collected from leaf litter.
Distribution
Afrotropical: Kenya.
Remarks
Comparison with similar species
Conostigmus koleo sp. nov. is very similar to C. kijiko sp. nov. in habitus and body colouration but the male genitalia of the two species distinctly differ in the shape of the harpe (spatulate in C. koleo and spoon-shaped in C. kijiko), their setal arrangement, and the harpe/gvc index (2.00 in C. koleo and 1.60 in C. kijiko). The male genitalia of C. koleo are very similar to those of the Holarctic species C. abdominalis (Boheman, 1832). Trietsch et al. (2020) redescribed C. abdominalis and illustrated intraspecific variations of the male genitalia. The specimen PSUC_FEM 50143 in Fig. 10, E (Trietsch et al. 2020) has a very similar spatulate harpe. However, the gvc of C. koleo is less broad in ventral and dorsal view. In addition, C. koleo is lacking a distinct facial sulcus and a distinct sternaulus which are present in C. abdominalis. However, future studies, ideally integrating results from analyses of molecular sequence, should further target C. abdominalis, which is currently considered as a single valid species with high intraspecific variance and a wide geographic distribution range.
For more comparisons with similar species, see remarks under C. kijiko sp. nov.
Condition of type material
In the holotype, the left F4 to F9 and the right F7 to F9 are missing. The antenna of the paratype is 11-segmented.
description: Published as part of Salden, Tobias & Peters, Ralph S., 2023, Afrotropical Ceraphronoidea (Insecta: Hymenoptera) put back on the map with the description of 88 new species, pp. 1-386 in European Journal of Taxonomy 884 (1) on pages 334-337, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2023.884.2181, http://zenodo.org/record/8177941