Norbanus mustatai, Mitroiu, 2015

Mitroiu, Mircea-Dan, 2015, Revision of the Afrotropical species of Norbanus Walker (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae), Zootaxa 3969 (1), pp. 1-103 : 70-73

Norbanus mustatai sp. nov.

( Figs 137–144 )

Diagnosis. BOTH SEXES. Head and mesosoma coppery-green ( Figs 137–140, 144 ); hind tibia medially brownish ( Figs 137, 138, 144 ). Head without distinct elevation between eye and posterior ocellus ( Fig. 139 ). Clypeal margin slightly emarginate ( Fig. 139 ). POL about 1.4× as long as OOL. Eye height about 1.4× length. Scutellum moderately convex ( Figs 137, 144 ). Propodeum inclined ( Figs 137, 144 ), spiracular sulci absent (cf. Fig. 11 ). Fore wing length at most about 2.8× width; speculum reaching stigmal vein; marginal vein about 2.2–2.5× as long as stigmal vein ( Fig. 142 ).

FEMALE. Metasoma dark brown to black ( Figs 137, 138 ); clava and fu6 dark ( Fig. 141 ). Lower margins of toruli below lower margins of eyes ( Fig. 139 ). Scape not or very slightly exceeding level of vertex ( Fig. 139 ); second anellus transverse ( Fig. 141 ); clava slightly wider than distal funicular segments ( Fig. 141 ). Metasoma lanceolate, longer than head plus mesosoma, length about 2.5–3.0× width ( Figs 137, 138 ). Posterior margin of gt1 conspicuously sinuous ( Fig. 138 , cf. Fig. 19 ). Gt6 at least slightly wider than long ( Fig. 143 ).

MALE. Scape and pedicel dark brown to black, hence not contrasting with flagellum ( Fig. 144 ). POL about 1.3× as long as OOL. Scape exceeding level of vertex by about half scape length (cf. Fig. 21 ); funicular segments widened both proximally and distally, with two whorls of long setae each, and separated from each other by long tubular connections ( Fig. 144 ); length of pedicel plus flagellum about twice head width.

Material examined. Holotype ♀ ( BMNH). SOUTH AFRICA: “SOUTH AFRICA, Delmas, Tv1, ix. 1988, R. Kfir ”, “ex Chilo partellus on sorghum”, “C 625” [on triangular card].

Allotype ♂. ZIMBABWE: “Salisbury, S. Rhodesia, Dept. Agric., 1136 16/9 /vv” ( BMNH).

Additional paratypes. SOUTH AFRICA : 1 ♀, same information as holotype ( BMNH) ; 1 ♀, same information as holotype, “SANC PRETORIA, Database No. HYMC 00625” ( SANC) ; 1 ♀ “SOUTH AFRICA, Mariepskop, Tvl. xi. 1987, G L Prinsloo”, “ Norbanus ”, “NATIONAL COLL. OF INSECTS ( SANC) Pretoria , South Africa ” ( SANC) ; 1 ♀ “SOUTH AFRICA, C. P., Katberg Mnt, 32.31S, 26.38E. 02.xii.1983, GL Prinsloo, NC Grobbelaar”, “NATIONAL COLL. OF INSECTS ( SANC) Pretoria , South Africa ” ( SANC) . ZIMBABWE: 1 ♀ “Ex Busseola fusca larva, Salisbury, Oct. 1956, C.N. Smith [?] / Salisbury Dist. Dept. Agric. S. Rhodesia, …19…”, “Accession No 11638”, “C.I.E. COLL NO. A.436” ( BMNH) ; 3 ♀ “Parasite of B. fusca, Salisbury Dist. Dept. Agric. S. Rhodesia, 25.10.1954 ”, “Accession No. 7043”, “COM. INST. ENT. COLL. NO. 14008”, “ Norbanus sp. , B.R. Subba Rao det. 1972” ( BMNH) ; 1 ♂ same information as allotype, “ Arthrolysis sp. G . Nixon det. 1946” ( BMNH) .

Other specimens. ZIMBABWE: 3 ♀ “ZIMBABWE Rekomitjie Res. Stat. malaise 16 10’ s. 29 25’ e. alt. 500– 600 m.” ( RMNH) .

Description. FEMALE (holotype). Colour. Head and mesosoma coppery-green ( Figs 137–139 ). Metasoma dark brown, mostly with dark bronze metallic reflections ( Figs 137, 138 ). Body pilosity short whitish ( Figs 139, 140 ). Eyes dark brownish-red, ocelli brown ( Fig. 139 ). Mandibles reddish-yellow, teeth reddish-brown ( Fig. 139 ). Antenna ( Fig. 141 ) with scape brown, basally pale; pedicel brown; anelli yellowish; funicle light brown except dark brown fu6; clava dark brown. Wings hyaline, tegulae, venation and pilosity light brown ( Fig. 142 ). Legs ( Figs 137, 138 ) with coxae as mesosoma; trochanters yellow; femora mainly brown, with yellow extremities, distal parts more extensively so; tibiae pale yellow, slightly brownish medially; tarsi pale yellow, with last segment light brown; arolia and claws dark brown.

Body length. 4.25 mm.

Head without distinct elevation between eye and posterior ocellus ( Fig. 139 ), reticulate except lower face finely striated, striation not reaching level of toruli (cf. Fig. 140 ). Clypeal margin shallowly emarginate (cf. Fig. 140 ). Eye ovate, anterior and posterior margins not sinuous ( Fig. 137 ). Gena with a fairly strong lamina near mouth corner. Scrobes very shallow and short, not visible in dorsal view of the head. Lower margins of toruli below lower margins of eyes ( Fig. 139 ). Antenna ( Fig. 141 ) with scape reaching level of vertex ( Fig. 139 ); both anelli transverse, the second longer than the first; funicular segments longer than wide; clava round before spicula, sutures hardly visible, oblique; micropilosity area occupying about 1/3 length of claval body. Relative measurements—head length: 29, width: 64, height: 50; POL: 13; OOL: 9.5; eye height: 29, length: 20; IOD: 39; eye length dorsally: 19; temple length dorsally: 5; malar space: 20; mouth width: 27; distance between clypeal margin and toruli: 19; scape length: 33; pedicel length: 6, width: 3; pedicel plus flagellum: 65; fu1 length: 9, width: 3; fu6 length: 6, width: 4.5; clava length: 12, width: 5.

Mesosoma dorsally coarsely reticulate ( Fig. 138 ). Notauli reaching slightly beyond middle of mesoscutum ( Fig. 138 ). Scutellum moderately convex ( Fig. 138 ), frenal line absent, but frenal area with finer reticulation than rest of scutellum. Upper mesepimeron smooth (cf. Fig. 144 ). Metapleuron and dorsellum uniformly reticulate. Propodeum inclined ( Fig. 137 ), uniformly reticulate except two small depressions near its anterior margin submedially; spiracles oval, spiracular sulci absent (cf. Fig. 11 ). Fore wing (cf. Fig. 142 ) with basal cell and basal fold glabrous; costal cell with one row of setae on ventral surface, as well as several additional ones distally; speculum large, extending to stigmal vein; wing pilosity including marginal fringe short; stigma moderately capitate. Relative measurements—mesosomal length: 65, width: 48, height: 47; mesoscutum length: 24; scutellum length: 23, width: 27; propodeum length: 13; fore wing length: 140, width: 50; M: 29; S: 12; P: 24.

Metasoma lanceolate, distinctly longer than head plus mesosoma, dorsally mostly reticulate-imbricate (alveolae wider than long) except for gt1 which is mainly smooth ( Figs 137, 138 ). Posterior margin of gt1 sinuous, not incised ( Fig. 138 ). Ovipositor sheaths short, barely visible in dorsal view ( Fig. 138 ). Relative measurements— metasomal length: 125, width: 44; gt1 length: 20; gt6 length: 21.5, width: 25.5; gt7 length: 14, width: 15.

MALE (allotype). Differs from the female holotype mainly as follows. Body length: 3.25 mm. Metasoma dark brown except extensively yellow dorsally and ventrally in proximal half; base of gt1 brownish; distal part dark brown ( Fig. 144 ); scape (except base) and pedicel dark brown, with conspicuous metallic reflections; base of scape yellowish; flagellum dark brown ( Fig. 144 ). Toruli much closer to median ocellus than to clypeal margin ( Fig. 144 ). Scape exceeding level of vertex by about half scape length; funicular segments widened both proximally and distally, with two whorls of long whitish setae each, and separated from each other by long tubular connections; setae on funicular segments emerging at an acute angle to segment ( Fig. 144 ); length of pedicel plus flagellum about twice head width. Metasoma oval, length about twice width, shorter than head plus mesosoma and narrower than mesosoma ( Fig. 144 ).

Variation. FEMALES. Body length: 3.25–4.30 mm. Head and mesosoma with coppery reflections sometimes less strong. Hind tibia slightly to conspicuously brownish medially. Scape from reaching to very slightly exceeding level of vertex. Second anellus from distinctly transverse to almost quadrate. Marginal vein about 2.2–2.5× as long as stigmal vein. Metasoma length about 2.5–3.0× width; gt6 from almost quadrate to 1.2× wider than long.

MALES. Variability not conspicuous in the examined material.

Comments. Based on the long metasoma N. mustatai most closely resembles N. longissimus from which it can be separated mostly by the shorter metasoma and different body colour. Several specimens are excluded from the type material mostly because they have the hind tibia uniformly pale and have slightly shorter scapes.

Etymology. The new species is dedicated to Professor Gheorghe Mustață, whose scientific career was dedicated to the study of parasitoid complexes of economically important insect pests in Romania.

Distribution. South Africa, Zimbabwe (Map 9).

Hosts. Most specimens have been reared from Chilo partellus ( Crambidae ) on sorghum ( South Africa), as well as larvae of Busseola fusca ( Noctuidae ) ( Zimbabwe).

Figures

FIGURES 137–144. Norbanus mustatai. 137–139, holotype ♀: 137, habitus, lateral view; 138, habitus, dorsal view; 139, head, frontal view. 140, paratype ♀, South Africa, lower face, detail. 141, holotype ♀, antenna, lateral view. 142, paratype ♀, South Africa, fore wing, dorsal view. 143, holotype ♀, terminal gastral tergites, dorsal view (contour of gt6 highlighted). 144, allotype ♂, habitus, lateral view.

FIGURES 7–12. Norbanus aequus, holotype ♀: 7, habitus, lateral view; 8, habitus, dorsal view; 9, head, frontal view; 10, pedicel plus flagellum, lateral view; 11, propodeum; 12, fore wing, dorsal view.

FIGURES 19–22. Norbanus africanus. 19, paratype ♀, Malawi, metasoma, detail. 20, ♂, Malawi, habitus, lateral view. 21, ♂, D. R. Congo, head, frontal view. 22, ♂, Malawi, antenna, lateral view.