Pristomerus san Rousse & Noort 2015, sp. nov.

Pristomerus san sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 8ECF1D02-AFCA-4063-BEAF-6D479B1EB6F5

Fig. 33

Diagnosis

Rather small; yellowish-orange overall, with basal tergites sometimes variously infuscate; face and clypeus densely and deeply punctate but clypeus apically smoother, remainder of head coriaceous; clypeus transverse; malar line long; antenna short with 26–28 flagellomeres, penultimate flagellomere subquadrate; mesosoma entirely densely, deeply and evenly punctate, except almost entire pronotum and ventral half of speculum smooth; female femoral tooth absent; ovipositor moderately short, apically sinuous. Male with ocelli, hind femur and femoral tooth enlarged, inner margins of eyes diverging ventrally, and area superomedia more slender; otherwise similar to female.

Differential diagnosis

Moderately sized and yellowish orange with no defined dorsal dark markings; differentiated from all other Afrotropical species by the combination of the long malar line, the almost smooth pronotum, the deep and dense punctation, the absence of a femoral tooth in females and the rather short ovipositor. Morphologically close to P. moramora and related species which are also present in Southern Africa, but the longer malar line, the smooth pronotum and the deep dense punctation of P. san sp. nov. are reliable identification cues.

Type material

Holotype

SOUTH AFRICA: ♀, “ South Africa, Western Cape, Gamkaberg Nature Reserve, 33°39.570’S 21°53.957’E, 328 m, 31 July–10 Sept 2009, S. van Noort, Malaise Trap, Gamka Thicket, GB09–SUC3– M17, SAM–HYM–P047410” (SAMC).

Paratypes

SOUTH AFRICA: 1 ♂, “W. Cape, De Hoop Nature Reserve, 34°28’S 24°28’E, near Koppie Alleen, 40m alt., 28 September 1995, S. van Noort, Sweep, Strandveld including Sideroxylon inerma, SAM– HYM–P047156” (SAMC); 1 ♂, same label data except: “SAM–HYM–P047158” (SAMC); 2 ♀♀, “South Africa, Eastern Cape, Pearston, Plains of Camdeboo Game Reserve, 32°32.033’S 25°14.267’E, 969m, 22 Feb–9 April 2010, S. van Noort, Malaise trap, Camdeboo Escarpment Thicket, PCD09– ACA1–M03 (SAM–HYM–P049440)” (SAMC); 1 ♀, “South Africa, W. Cape, Walker Bay Nature Reserve, 34°27.414’S 19°21.393’E, 4 Oct–1 Nov 1997, S van Noort, Malaise trap, WB 97–M12, South Coast Strandveld, 57m altitude, SAM–HYM–P049441” (SAMC); 1 ♀, “South Africa Western Cape, Gamkaberg Nature Reserve, 33°59.570’S 21°53.957’E 328m, 3–23 May 2009, S. van Noort, Malaise trap, Gamka Thicket, GB09–SUC3–M08, SAM–HYM–P049442” (SAMC); 1 ♀, “South Africa Northern Cape, Nieuwoudtville National Botanical Gardens, 797m, 31°24.841’S 19°09.551’E, 14 Feb–17 March 2008, S. van Noort, Malaise trap, Nieuwoudtville Dolerite Koppie Renosterveld, GL07–KOP2–M21, SAM–HYM–P049443” (SAMC); 1 ♀, “Durban, C. v.d. Merwe, Sept. 1920, SAM–HYM–P001214” (SAMC); 1 ♀, “Mfongozi, Zululand, W.E. Jones, Apr.–May 1931, SAM– HYM–P001215” (SAMC); 1 ♀, “M’fongosi zulu L. W.E. Jones Jan. 1917, Cremastus testaceous ♀ iii.1918 SAM–HYM–P001216” (SAMC); 1 ♀, Pretoria. Nov. 1942 – Jan. 1943 H. K. Munro Ac. P. 4753” (SANC); 6 ♀♀, “South Africa TVL Roodeplant dam, nr Pretoria 24.41S 28.18E 16.ix.1986 J. S. Donaldson” (SANC).

Other material

SOUTH AFRICA: 9 ♂♂, “Resolution, Grahamstown Miss Walton Jan.–April 1928, SAM–HYM– P001212” (SAMC); same label data, SAM–HYM–P001213 (SAMC); 1 ♀, 1 ♂, “Beaufort West: dist. S.A–M. 2.58, SAM–HYM–P001217” (SAMC).

Description

Female (18 specimens)

B 6.2–7.5; A 3.3–3.9; F 3.9–4.5; CT 1.7; ML 0.7; POL 1.0; OOL 1.2; Fl n-1 1.1; ASM 1.9; OT 1.3–1.5; FFT 0.

COLOUR. Yellowish-orange to orange overall with legs, mandible and clypeus somewhat paler, with sometimes reduced infuscate markings around scutellum and on basal tergites; flagellum and ovipositor sheath dark brown; wings hyaline, venation pale brown.

HEAD. Face moderately, deeply and evenly punctate; inner margins of eyes parallel; clypeus transverse, long, deeply punctate, apically smoother; malar line long; frons, vertex and temple coriaceous; frons with a moderate mid-longitudinal ridge; occipital carina joining hypostomal carina at mandible base; antenna with 26–28 flagellomeres, penultimate flagellomere subquadrate.

MESOSOMA. Pronotum mostly smooth, shallowly crenulate anteriorly and with some punctures along posterior and dorsal margins; mesopleuron and metapleuron densely, deeply and evenly punctate, with a shallowly striate oblique furrow below speculum, speculum ventrally smooth; mesoscutum densely punctate-granulate, punctures somewhat confluent along notaulus; notaulus moderate; scutellum densely punctate; propodeum densely and deeply punctate with carination strong, punctation smoother in area superomedia, and area petiolaris transversely striate. Legs. Female femoral tooth absent.

METASOMA. Tergite 2 and apex of tergite 1 aciculate, following tergites coriaceous; thyridium subelliptic and longitudinal; ovipositor moderately short, apically sinuous.

Male (2 specimens)

B 6.8–8.0; A 3.5–4.2; F 4.2–4.9; POL 0.6; OOL 0.5. Ocelli, hind femur and femoral tooth enlarged; inner margins of eyes diverging ventrally; area superomedia more slender; antenna with 28–29 flagellomeres; otherwise similar to female.

Distribution

South Africa.

Comments

The specimen SAM–HYM–P001216, labeled “ Cremastus testaceous ”, was misidentified as Trathala concolor (Szépligeti, 1905) in Morley (1926).