Pediobius nganga Gumovsky 2018, sp. n.
Creators: name: Gumovsky, Alex
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2018
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Eulophidae
Pediobius
Pediobius nganga

description: Pediobius nganga Gumovsky, sp. n.
(Figs 16, 17C, G, 18B)
Diagnosis. Head in dorsal view (Fig. 17G) nearly 3.0× as broad as long, face lightly reticulated; lower face narrowed and elongate with nearly straight genae and with semicircular ridge below antennal toruli (Figs 16C, F, 17C); frontal sutures complete, antennal toruli situated below level of lower eye margins (Fig. 17C); head with strong bristles: bristles on vertex about 2.0× longer than flagellar setae (Fig. 17C); malar space slightly shorter than eye height, mouth opening about 0.5× as long as malar space (Fig. 17C); mandible with two teeth; occipital margin sharp and nearly straight; antennal scape dark metallic, funicular segments very long (about 5.0–6.0× as long as broad, Fig. 16C); mesoscutum and mesoscutellum with light sculpture, notauli marked by fine sutures anteriorly and by very shallow depressions posteriorly (Fig. 16F); entire dorsum with setae longer than flagellar setae; mesoscutellum with two pairs of setae; propodeum without distinct nucha, its submedian areas 2.5× as broad as long, submedian carinae directly diverging posteriorly and delimiting weakly sunken median strip (Fig. 18B), propodeal callus with 3 setae; metatibial spur about 0.4× as long as metabasitarsus, about 2.0× as long as breadth of metatibia; fore wing with closed speculum and with two distinct creases at wing blade, subcosta of submarginal vein with two strong bristles and parastigma with a long strong bristle, stigmal vein with short uncus and knob-like stigma, as long as postmarginal vein (Fig. 16D); fore wing transparent; WIP very poorly expressed, just with weak narrow violet field apically (Fig. 16E); metasomal petiole short robust, with distinct collar; about 0.6–0.7× as long as propodeum, Gt1 occupying approximately 1/2 length of gaster (Fig. 16A).
Type material. Holotype ♀, DRC, Ituri Province, Djugu Territory, path between Uesa and Yedi villages, foothills of Tongipo Mountain, forest (Fig. 1A), sweeping in the forest (Fig. 1B), 19/02/2014, DNA extract F4 (A. Gumovsky) (deposited in: SAMC).
Description. Female. Body length about 1.8 mm. Body dark, with metallic luster in following areas: face, pronotal collar, mesepisternum, propleural flanges golden, propodeum and Gt1 bluish, thoracic dorsum with golden-blue luster (Fig. 16F); entire antennae and legs (including tarsi) dark; fore wing mostly transparent, just somewhat darkened under marginal vein (Figs 16, 17C, D).
Head slightly broader than mesosoma (Figs 16A, 17G), nearly 3.0× as broad as long in dorsal view, with long robust bristles (Fig. 17G). Occipital margin with sharp carina, nearly straight. POL about 1.3× OOL (Fig. 17G). Head in frontal view 1.2× as broad as high (Fig. 17C). Eye with short sparse setae; its height just slightly longer (1.1×) than narrowed malar space. Mouth opening in the same plane as lower face, its breadth about 0.5× malar space (malar space 1.7× mouth opening); cutting edge of mandible with two teeth (outer tooth longer than inner one). Upper margins of antennal toruli situated below level of lower eye margins at a distance slightly smaller than diameter of torulus (Fig. 17C). Lower face narrowed, with semicircular ridge stretching from lower eye margins to the area below antennal toruli (Fig. 16C, F). Combined length of pedicel and flagellum 1.6× maximum head breadth (measured between outer eye margins). Scape densely pubescent, about 5.7× as long as broad, and about 0.6× as long as head height; pedicel about 2.2× as long as broad. Funicle with F1 about 6.0×, F2 5.0×, and F3 about 4.6× as long as broad; clava about 7.0× as long as broad, with short terminal spine.
Mesosoma about 1.7× as long as broad (Fig. 16A). Pronotum short conical, its collar visible in dorsal view as a wide strip, bearing weak lateral shoulders and blunt transverse carina with long strong bristles, and situated slightly lower than level of weakly convex mesoscutum. Mesoscutum weakly convex in lateral view, with light reticulation, notaular depressions weakly marked anteriorly as fine sutures, indistinct posteriorly (Fig. 16F). Transscutal line slightly curved, posterior margin of mesoscutum weakly emarginate, anterior margin of mesoscutellum slightly advanced. Mesoscutellum weakly convex, with light reticulation and two pairs of large bristles (Fig. 18B). Axilla lightly reticulated, with long seta. Dorsellum very narrow, reduced in size. Propodeum smooth to slightly coriaceous, with narrow anterior groove; its submedian areas 2.5× as broad as long; submedian carinae narrowly joining anteriorly and widely diverging posteriorly, delimiting weakly sunken median strip; posterior end of propodeum with wide flat flange, not forming nucha (Fig. 18B); propodeal callus with 3 setae.
Fore wing (Fig. 16D) about 2.4× as long as broad, with speculum closed below; subcosta of submarginal vein with two long bristles and parastigma with one long bristle; marginal vein 1.6× longer than costal cell; stigmal vein short, 1.5× as long as breadth of marginal vein in its broadest part, with short uncus and knob-like stigma, as long as short postmarginal vein. WIP indistinct, with weak narrow violet area apically; blade of fore wing with two distinct creases at wing medially and one weak crease near area of contact of submarginal and marginal veins (Fig. 16E).
Legs, especially fore coxae, with dense pubescence. Metatibial spur about 2.0× as long as breadth of metatibia, about 0.4× as long as metabasitarsus. Metatibia about 0.7–0.8× as long as metatarsus, metabasitarsus about 4.0– 4.5× as long as breadth of metatibia (Fig. 16A).
Metasoma 0.8× longer than head plus mesosoma in dorsal view (Fig. 16A). Metasomal petiole short robust, with distinct collar; about 0.6–0.7× as long as propodeum. Gaster ovate, about 2.0× as long as broad; Gt1 smooth polished, occupying approximately 1/2 length of gaster, Gt 7 in shape of short triangle in dorsal view (Fig. 16A).
Male. Unknown.
Etymology. The specific epithet means “witchdoctor” or “healer” in Swahili, a lingua franca in East Africa.
Distribution. DRC.
Host. Unknown.
Comparative remarks. The species stands alone among known species of Pediobius and is very recognizable due to the very long antennae and long, densely pubescent legs (Fig. 16A–C), semicircular ridge under toruli (Fig. 16C, F), robust mesosoma with light sculpture (Fig. 16F), mesoscutellum with two pairs of bristles (Fig. 18B, some setae are broken) and the fore wing with creases, and very long strong bristles on submarginal vein and the indistinct WIP (Fig. 16D, E). This species does not appear related to any of other species discussed herein, but also possesses distinctly narrowed lower face (Fig. 17C).
description: Published as part of Gumovsky, Alex, 2018, New enigmatic species of the genus Pediobius (Hymenoptera, Eulophidae) from Afrotropics, with notes on related genera, pp. 201-236 in Zootaxa 4438 (2) on pages 230-234, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4438.2.1, http://zenodo.org/record/1294718