Afronympha Gumovsky & van Noort 2022, gen. nov.
Creators: name: Gumovsky, Alex
name: Noort, Simon Van
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2022
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Eulophidae
Afronympha

description: Afronympha Gumovsky & van Noort, gen. nov.
Figures 1–3
Type species: Afronympha eminpashai sp. nov., by present designation and monotypy.
Diagnosis. Mandibles very robust, with 2 large apical teeth and wide blade above (Fig. 2A, E, F–H). Clypeus not delimited by sutures, its anterior margin significantly produced, bilobed, with lobes thin and flange-like, deeply notched medially; gena without incision (Fig. 2A, D, G). Tentorial pits distinct and deep. Frontal transverse sulcus V-shaped; scrobal grooves meet shortly under transverse sulcus and extend below toruli into subtorular grooves (Fig. 2A, C, D, E); occiput with median channel, as in Asecodes and similar genera. Antenna with robust flagellomeres and one small anellus (Fig. 2A, C, D, G), scape with sensory pores restricted to a groove along anterior margin in males; flagellum with sensilla ampullacea short and symmetric (Fig. 3B). Ovipositor long and robust (0.5× as wide as metatibia at its widest), occupying most of the length of the gaster (Fig. 1C, E).
Description. Antenna of both sexes with 3-segmented funicle and 2-segmented clava and scattered setae (Fig. 2A, C, E, G); ventral sensory area present along major part of male scape, sensilla ampullacea short and symmetric (type I of Hansson 2002), present on all flagellomeres (Fig. 3B); one discoid anellus. Mandibles with two large teeth and with lamella above. Tentorial pits deep. Clypeus not delimited, its anterior margin produced and bilobed. Genal margin not incised below eye. Malar sulcus absent. Frontal transverse sulcus V-shaped, placed slightly above middle of frons; antennal scrobes join shortly before reaching frontal suture (Fig. 2A, C–E). Occipital margin not carinate, occiput with a weak vertical fold reaching from occipital margin to occipital foramen. Pronotum short, its collar not carinate (Fig. 2B). Midlobe of mesoscutum with 2–3 pairs of setae, notauli shortly channeled anteriorly, but present as shallow grooves posteriorly (Figs 1D, 2B, 3D). Mesoscutellum with 1 pair of setae (Figs 1D, 3D). Transepimeral sulcus straight (Fig. 3C). Dorsellum (metascutellum) visible as a narrow bar in dorsal view (Fig. 1D). Fore wing with relatively long marginal fringe which is about 3.0× as long as width of marginal vein at its broadest part; costal cell narrow, length of postmarginal vein about 0.6× as long as short stigmal vein. Propodeal callus with 2 setae. Petiole of both sexes short and transverse.
Biology. Not known.
Distribution. Afrotropical region.
Etymology. The Latin name is a combination of Afro– (reflecting the Afrotropical distribution of the genus) and –nympha (from Ionympha Graham, 1959, a similar genus; also, Greek nympha — a forest divine creature). Gender feminine.
Comparative diagnosis. The genus resembles Asecodes Foerster, 1856 and Ionympha Graham, 1959 in general habitus: head and mesosoma weakly sculptured, pronotum reduced dorsally, propodeum without median carinae or plicae but with anterior groove, face with V-shaped frontal sulcus and scrobal grooves extending into subtorular grooves, fore wing with short stigmal and postmarginal veins and relatively long marginal fringe. However, it differs from both mentioned genera, as well as from most other entedonines, in a combination of robust mandibles and produced, bilobed anterior margin of clypeus. Also, the antennal flagellum is slender and tapering towards its end in both Asecodes and Ionympha, whereas it is robust and clavate in Afronympha (Fig. 2A, C, D, G). The produced anterior margin of clypeus is inherent to many entedonines (see discussion), but it is generally straight and not bilobed or notched. The exception is an Australian entedonine, Clypomphale bilob a Bouček, 1988, in which the clypeus projects and its anterior margin is bilobed, although not deeply notched. Also, the clypeus is distinctly delimited by sutures in C. biloba, a character that differentiates it from Afronympha. A similar bilobed projection (rostrum) is an apomorphy of Clypecharis rostrifera Gumovsky, 2003; however, this rostrum is formed by production of the lower face rather than the clypeus.
description: Published as part of Gumovsky, Alex & Noort, Simon Van, 2022, Afronympha, a new genus of Entedoninae (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) from the rainforests of Africa, pp. 242-250 in Zootaxa 5104 (2) on page 243, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5104.2.4, http://zenodo.org/record/6280813