Norbanus tenuicornis Bouček, 1970

Norbanus tenuicornis Bouček View in CoL

( Figs 195–200 View FIGURES 195–200 )

Norbanus tenuicornis Bouček, 1970: 60 View in CoL .

Diagnosis. BOTH SEXES. Head and mesosoma blue-green ( Figs 195–197, 200 View FIGURES 195–200 ); antenna mostly uniformly brown except paler proximal part of scape, anelli and distal part of clava ( Figs 197, 198 View FIGURES 195–200 ). Femora dark brown, with metallic reflections; mid and hind tibiae medially dark ( Figs 195, 200 View FIGURES 195–200 ). Head without distinct elevation between eye and posterior ocellus ( Fig. 197 View FIGURES 195–200 ). Clypeal margin very slightly emarginate, but appearing virtually straight or even slightly curved in frontal view of the head ( Fig. 197 View FIGURES 195–200 ). POL about 1.7× OOL. Temple about 0.3–0.4× eye length in dorsal view. Eye height about 1.2–1.3× length, height about 1.2–1.4×malar space; anterior and posterior eye margins not sinuous ( Fig. 195 View FIGURES 195–200 ). Mesoscutum width about 1.3× length ( Fig. 196 View FIGURES 195–200 ). Upper mesepimeron smooth ( Fig. 195 View FIGURES 195–200 ). series slightly convex, not globose ( Fig. 195 View FIGURES 195–200 ). Propodeum inclined ( Fig. 195 View FIGURES 195–200 ), spiracular sulci absent. Fore wing ( Fig. 199 View FIGURES 195–200 ) length about 2.2–2.5× width; speculum large, reaching stigmal vein; marginal vein about 2.0– 2.4× as long as stigmal vein.

FEMALE. Metasoma blackish, with conspicuous metallic reflections ( Figs 195, 196 View FIGURES 195–200 ). Antennae inserted above lower margins of eyes ( Fig. 197 View FIGURES 195–200 ); scape exceeding vertex; second anellus transverse; clava slightly wider than distal funicular segments ( Fig. 198 View FIGURES 195–200 ). Metasoma about as long as head plus mesosoma ( Figs 195, 196 View FIGURES 195–200 ); posterior margin of gt1 virtually straight ( Fig. 196 View FIGURES 195–200 ).

MALE. Each funicular segment widened both proximally and distally, with two whorls of long setae each, and separated from each other mostly by long tubular connections ( Fig. 200 View FIGURES 195–200 ).

Material examined. Holotype ♀ ( BMNH). ITALY: “Italia: Ortovero nr. Albenga, 5.X.69 Bouček”, “ Holotypus ♀ Norbanus tenuicornis Bouček 1970 ”, “Presented to BMNH 1974, Z. Bouček ”, “B.M. TYPE HYM 5.2329” [on rectangular card].

Other material (Afrotropical). D. R. CONGO: 1 ♀ “ Congo Belge, P. N.G., Miss H. De Saeger, Napukumweli , 6-ix-1950, Réc. G. Demoulin. 806” ( MRAC) ; 1 ♂ “ Congo Belge, P. N.G., Miss H. De Saeger, II/gd/4, 25-viii-52, H. De Saeger. 3978” ( MRAC) ; 1 ♂ “ Congo Belge, P.N.A., 15-x-1952, P. Vanschuytbroeck & J. Kekenbosch 1314”, “Massif Ruwenzori, Bomboka près Kyandolire 1.650 m ” ( MRAC) . MADAGASCAR: 1 ♀ “ Soavina ”, “Institut Scientifique Madagascar”, “Muséum Paris Collection ORSTOM” ( MNHN) . SOUTH AFRICA: 1 ♀ “SOUTH AFRICA, Barberton Tvl. xii. 1978, G.L. Prinsloo ”, “NATIONAL COLL OF INSECTS ( SANC), Pretoria, South Africa ” ( SANC) ; 1 ♀ “SOUTH AFRICA, Letsitele Tvl. xi. 1978, GL Prinsloo”, “NATIONAL COLL OF INSECTS ( SANC), Pretoria, South Africa ” ( SANC) ; 1 ♀ “SOUTH AFRICA, Blyderivier Tvl. ii. 1977, G.L. Prinsloo ”, “NATIONAL COLL. OF INSECTS ( SANC), Pretoria, South Africa ” ( SANC) ; 2 ♂ “SOUTH AFRICA: Transvaal, near God’s Window , 15.XII.1985, M. Sanborne ” ( CNC) ; 1 ♂ “SOUTH AFRICA, Hekpoort (i)74, A. Watsham ” ( BMNH) . ZIMBABWE: 1 ♀ “RHODESIA, Salisbury, A. Watsham / WF.147, iv.75” ( BMNH) ; 1 ♀ “RHODESIA, Salisbury, A. Watsham / WFU23, iii.74” ( BMNH) ; 1 ♀ “RHODESIA, Salisbury, A. Watsham / WFU42, (v)74” ( BMNH) ; 1 ♂ “RHODESIA, Salisbury, A. Watsham / WFU68, ix74” ( BMNH) ; 1 ♂ “RHODESIA, Salisbury, A. Watsham / WFU20, iii74” ( BMNH) .

Redescription. FEMALE (based on Afrotropical material). Colour. Head and mesosoma blue-green ( Figs 195–197 View FIGURES 195–200 ). Metasoma dark brown to black, with distinct metallic reflections ( Figs 195, 196 View FIGURES 195–200 ). Body pilosity short whitish ( Figs 196, 197 View FIGURES 195–200 ). Eyes dark red; ocelli light reddish-brown ( Figs 196, 197 View FIGURES 195–200 ). Mandibles brown, teeth darker ( Fig. 197 View FIGURES 195–200 ). Antenna mostly uniformly brown to dark brown except lighter anelli and proximal part of scape ( Figs 197, 198 View FIGURES 195–200 ). Wings hyaline, tegulae and venation light brown, wing pilosity pale ( Fig. 199 View FIGURES 195–200 ). Legs ( Fig. 195 View FIGURES 195–200 ) with all coxae as mesosoma; trochanters light brown; femora dark brown, with distinct metallic reflections, distally yellow; fore tibia yellowish-brown, mid and hind tibiae medially brown with yellow apices; tarsi except last segment yellow; last segment, arolia and claws brown.

Body length. 1.9–2.5 mm.

Head without distinct elevation between eye and posterior ocellus, coarsely reticulate except lower face finely striated, striation not reaching toruli ( Fig. 197 View FIGURES 195–200 ). Head width about 1.7× length and about 1.2× height. Clypeal margin very shallowly emarginate, but appearing virtually straight or even slightly curved in frontal view of the head ( Fig. 197 View FIGURES 195–200 ). Eye ovate, anterior and posterior margins not sinuous ( Fig. 195 View FIGURES 195–200 ), height about 1.2–1.3× length. Eye height about 1.2–1.4× malar space. Gena with a weak lamina near mouth corner. Temple about 0.3–0.4× eye length in dorsal view. Scrobes very shallow, almost indistinct in dorsal view of the head. POL about 1.7× as long as OOL. Toruli with lower margins slightly to distinctly above lower margins of eyes ( Fig. 197 View FIGURES 195–200 ). Antenna ( Fig. 198 View FIGURES 195–200 ) with scape reaching slightly to distinctly above level of vertex ( Fig. 197 View FIGURES 195–200 ), slightly to distinctly longer than eye height; pedicel length about twice width; length of pedicel plus flagellum about 1.3× head width; both anelli transverse, about equal in length; funicular segments longer than wide, gradually but strongly widening and shortening towards clava; fu1 length about 2.2–2.8× width; fu6 about 1.3× longer than wide; clava length about 2.7× width, ventrally abruptly narrowing before spicula, sutures hardly visible, oblique; micropilosity area occupying more than 1/3 length of claval body.

Mesosoma dorsally coarsely reticulate ( Fig. 196 View FIGURES 195–200 ), length about 1.8× width, width about equal to height. Mesoscutum width about 1.3× length; notauli reaching slightly more than half length of mesoscutum ( Fig. 196 View FIGURES 195–200 ). Scutellum very slightly arched ( Fig. 195 View FIGURES 195–200 ), about as long as broad, frenal line absent, but frenal area with finer reticulation than rest of scutellum. Upper mesepimeron smooth ( Fig. 195 View FIGURES 195–200 ). Metapleuron and dorsellum uniformly reticulate. Propodeum inclined ( Fig. 195 View FIGURES 195–200 ), about 0.6× length of scutellum, uniformly reticulate except two well impressed depressions near its anterior margin submedially; spiracles oval, spiracular sulci absent (cf. Fig. 11 View FIGURES 7–12 ). Fore wing ( Fig. 199 View FIGURES 195–200 ) length about 2.2–2.5× width; basal cell and basal fold glabrous; costal cell with a row of setae on ventral surface and several additional ones distally; speculum large, extending to stigmal vein; marginal vein about 2.0–2.4× as long as stigmal vein and about 1.5× as long as postmarginal vein; stigma moderately capitate; wing pilosity including marginal fringe short.

Metasoma ovate, with almost parallel margins or slightly widening distally, length about 2.1–2.4× width, from about as long as head plus mesosoma to slightly shorter, dorsally mostly reticulate-imbricate (alveolae wider than long) except gt1, which is mainly smooth ( Figs 195, 196 View FIGURES 195–200 ). Posterior margin of gt1 virtually straight, not incised ( Fig. 196 View FIGURES 195–200 ); gt1 length about 0.2× length of metasoma; gt7 width about 2.4–2.7× length. Ovipositor sheaths short, not visible in dorsal view ( Fig. 196 View FIGURES 195–200 ).

Description. MALE. Differs from the female holotype mainly as follows. Head and mesosoma occasionally green, with some golden-coppery reflections. Body length: 1.75–2.50 mm. Metasoma brownish-black, with distinct metallic reflections, except extensively whitish to yellowish dorsally and ventrally in proximal half or slightly less; base of gt1 brownish ( Fig. 200 View FIGURES 195–200 ). Scape and pedicel brown to dark brown, mostly with metallic reflections; flagellum brown to dark brown ( Fig. 200 View FIGURES 195–200 ). Toruli much closer to median ocellus than to clypeal margin ( Fig. 200 View FIGURES 195–200 ). Scape exceeding level of vertex by about 1/3 or slightly more scape length (cf. Fig. 50 View FIGURES 43–50 ); funicular segments widened both proximally and distally, with two whorls of long setae each, and separated from each other by long tubular connections; setae on funicular segments emerging at an acute angle to segment ( Fig. 200 View FIGURES 195–200 ); length of pedicel plus flagellum about 1.7–2.1× head width. Metasoma oval, length about 2.6–3.0× width, slightly shorter than head plus mesosoma and narrower than mesosoma ( Fig. 200 View FIGURES 195–200 ).

Comments. Norbanus tenuicornis was previously recorded only from the Mediterranean basin ( Italy and Spain, including the Canary Islands). The male is described here for the first time. The species differs from N. seyrigi mainly in the dark mid and hind tibiae, smaller eyes, larger temples, and wider fore wings, with marginal vein shorter relative to stigmal vein. It is possible that N. tenuicornis is only a darker colour morph of N. seyrigi , but until more specimens (including from the Palaearctic) are examined, I prefer to keep the two species separate. Another possibility is that these specimens belong to a different species from both N. tenuicornis and N. seyrigi , but probably only molecular data could clarify this.

Distribution. D. R. Congo, Madagascar, South Africa, Zimbabwe (Map 13); for Palaearctic records see Rizzo & Mitroiu (2010).

Hosts. Unknown; “probably a grass inhabitant”, according to Bouček (1970: 61).

Extralimital species of Norbanus (North Africa)

The three species that follow are recorded from North Africa, with Norbanus guyoni being endemic to that region. The two other species are widely distributed in the Palaearctic region. They are included in the key to the Afrotropical species in case they will be introduced to or encountered at the border of the Afrotropical region.