Norbanus prinslooi, Mitroiu, 2015

Norbanus prinslooi View in CoL sp. nov.

( Figs 167–172 View FIGURES 167–172 )

Diagnosis. BOTH SEXES. Head and mesosoma blue-green; hind tibia yellow ( Figs 167–169, 172 View FIGURES 167–172 ). Setae on head and mesosoma not unusually thick ( Figs 168, 169 View FIGURES 167–172 ). Head without distinct elevation between eye and posterior ocellus ( Fig. 169 View FIGURES 167–172 ). Clypeal margin slightly emarginate ( Fig. 169 View FIGURES 167–172 ). POL about 1.9× as long as OOL. Eye height about 1.5× length. Upper mesepimeron smooth ( Fig. 167 View FIGURES 167–172 ). Scutellum moderately convex, not globose ( Figs 167, 172 View FIGURES 167–172 ). Propodeum inclined ( Figs 167, 172 View FIGURES 167–172 ), spiracular sulci absent (cf. Fig. 11 View FIGURES 7–12 ). Fore wing length at most about 2.5× width; postmarginal vein about 1.7× as long as stigmal vein; speculum large, reaching to stigmal vein; fore wing pilosity, including marginal fringe, very short, only setae on marginal vein and postmarginal vein longer ( Fig. 171 View FIGURES 167–172 ).

FEMALE. Metasoma including ovipositor sheaths brown ( Figs 167, 168 View FIGURES 167–172 ). Clava darker than funicle ( Fig. 170 View FIGURES 167–172 ). Antennae inserted about level with lower margins of eyes; scape not exceeding median ocellus; second anellus transverse; clava wider than funicular segments, abruptly narrowing before spicula ( Fig. 169 View FIGURES 167–172 ). Metasoma about as long as head plus mesosoma, almost twice as long as wide ( Figs 167, 168 View FIGURES 167–172 ). Posterior margin of gt1 strongly sinuous, median part strongly produced posteriorly; posterior margins of gt2 and gt3 also sinuous, although less strongly so ( Fig. 168 View FIGURES 167–172 , cf. Fig. 150 View FIGURES 145–150 ).

MALE. Scape and pedicel dark brown, with slight metallic reflections and hence not contrasting with flagellum ( Fig. 172 View FIGURES 167–172 ). POL about 1.8× as long as OOL. Scape exceeding level of vertex by about half scape length (cf. Fig. 21 View FIGURES 19–22 ); funicular segments widened both proximally and distally, with two whorls of long setae each, and separated from each other by long tubular connections ( Fig. 172 View FIGURES 167–172 ); length of pedicel plus flagellum about 1.8× head width. Mesoscutum width about 1.6× length.

Material examined. Holotype ♀ ( SANC). SOUTH AFRICA: “SOUTH AFRICA, O. F. S. Tussen Die Riviere Res. nr. Bethulie, 30.30S 26.12E, 30.iii.–3.iv.1987, G. L. Prinsloo ”, “NATIONAL COLL. OF INSECTS ( SANC), Pretoria, South Africa ” [on rectangular card]. GoogleMaps

Allotype ♂. NAMIBIA: “SOUTH WEST AFRICA, Gobabis: 11:73, A. Watsham ” ( BMNH).

Additional paratypes. NAMIBIA: 2 ♀, same information as allotype ( BMNH). SOUTH AFRICA : 1 ♀ same information as holotype ( SANC) ; 1 ♀ “SOUTH AFRICA, Tvl. , D’Nyala Nat. Res. , Ellisras District ”, “ 23.45S 27.49E, 850m 24–26.ix.1990, N. C. Pienaar ”, “Collected by sweeping”, “ Norbanus ”, “NATIONAL COLL. OF INSECTS ( SANC), Pretoria, South Africa ” ( SANC) GoogleMaps . ZIMBABWE: 1 ♀ “RHODESIA, Salisbury, A. Watsham / WFU16, 9iii74” ( BMNH) .

Description. FEMALE (holotype). Head and most of mesosoma dark blue-green ( Figs 167, 168 View FIGURES 167–172 , cf. Fig. 169 View FIGURES 167–172 ). Metasoma including ovipositor sheaths brown ( Figs 167, 168 View FIGURES 167–172 ). Body pilosity whitish, moderately long and thin ( Figs 168 View FIGURES 167–172 , cf. Fig. 169 View FIGURES 167–172 ). Eyes red, ocelli yellowish ( Figs 168 View FIGURES 167–172 , cf. Fig. 169 View FIGURES 167–172 ). Mandibles yellow, teeth reddish-brown (cf. Fig. 169 View FIGURES 167–172 ). Antenna ( Fig. 170 View FIGURES 167–172 , cf. Fig. 169 View FIGURES 167–172 ) with scape yellow, getting slightly darker in the distal half; pedicel light brown; flagellum except dark brown clava light brown. Wings hyaline, tegulae light brown, venation light brown ( Fig. 171 View FIGURES 167–172 ). Legs ( Figs 167, 168 View FIGURES 167–172 ) with coxae as mesosoma, but with less strong metallic reflections;

trochanters yellowish-brown; femora brown, distal ends pale yellow; hind femur with slight metallic reflections; tibiae and most part of tarsi pale yellow; last tarsal segment light brown, arolia and claws dark brown.

Body length. 3.25 mm.

Head without distinct elevation between eye and posterior ocellus, finely reticulate except lower face finely striated, striation almost reaching toruli (cf. Fig. 169 View FIGURES 167–172 ). Clypeal margin very shallowly emarginate (cf. Fig. 169 View FIGURES 167–172 ). Eye ovate, anterior and posterior margins not sinuous ( Fig. 167 View FIGURES 167–172 ). Gena with a weak lamina near mouth corner. Scrobes shallow, slightly visible in dorsal view of the head. Toruli with lower margins about level with lower margins of eyes (cf. Fig. 169 View FIGURES 167–172 ). Antenna ( Fig. 170 View FIGURES 167–172 ) with scape reaching about middle of median ocellus (cf. Fig. 169 View FIGURES 167–172 ); both anelli transverse, approximately equal in size; funicular segments longer than wide; clava ventrally abruptly narrowing before spicula, sutures hardly visible, oblique; micropilosity area occupying about 1/3 length of claval body. Relative measurements—head length: 28, width: 57, height: 50; POL: 13.5; OOL: 7; eye height: 29, length: 19; IOD: 34; eye length dorsally: 18; temple length dorsally: 4; malar space: 16.5; mouth width: 23; distance between clypeal margin and toruli: 20; scape length: 28; pedicel length: 5.5, width: 3; pedicel plus flagellum: 59; fu1 length: 8, width: 3; fu6 length: 5.5, width: 4; clava length: 14, width: 5.

Mesosoma dorsally reticulate ( Fig. 168 View FIGURES 167–172 ). Notauli reaching about 2/3 length of mesoscutum ( Fig. 168 View FIGURES 167–172 ). Scutellum moderately convex ( Fig. 167 View FIGURES 167–172 ), frenal line absent, but frenal area with finer reticulation than rest of scutellum and covered by denser pilosity than rest of scutellum. Upper mesepimeron smooth ( Fig. 167 View FIGURES 167–172 ). Metapleuron and dorsellum uniformly reticulate. Propodeum inclined ( Fig. 167 View FIGURES 167–172 ), uniformly reticulate except two small depressions near its anterior margin submedially; spiracles oval, spiracular sulci absent (cf. Fig. 11 View FIGURES 7–12 ). Fore wing ( Fig. 171 View FIGURES 167–172 ) with basal cell and basal fold glabrous; costal cell with one row of setae, and a few additional ones distally; speculum large, extending to stigmal vein; disc pilosity and marginal fringe extremely short, the latter barely visible on apical margin of wing; stigma hardly capitate. Relative measurements—mesosomal length: 65, width: 44, height: 44; mesoscutum length: 26; scutellum length: 24, width: 25; propodeum length: 10; fore wing length: 120, width: 48; M: 22; S: 9; P: 15.

Metasoma ovate, about as long as head plus mesosoma, dorsally mostly reticulate-imbricate (alveolae wider than long) except for gt1 which is mainly smooth ( Figs 167, 168 View FIGURES 167–172 ). Posterior margin of gt1 strongly sinuous, not incised, with median part strongly produced posteriorly; posterior margins of gt2 and gt3 also slightly sinuous ( Fig. 168 View FIGURES 167–172 , cf. Fig. 150 View FIGURES 145–150 ). Ovipositor sheaths short, almost indistinct in dorsal view ( Fig. 168 View FIGURES 167–172 ). Relative measurements— metasomal length: 85, width: 47; gt1 length: 14; gt7 length: 6, width: 11.

MALE (allotype). Differs from the female holotype mainly as follows. Body length: 2.5 mm. Colour of head and mesosoma lighter ( Fig. 172 View FIGURES 167–172 ). Metasoma brown except extensively whitish dorsally and ventrally in proximal half; base of gt1 brownish ( Fig. 172 View FIGURES 167–172 ). Scape except lighter base brown, with slight metallic reflections; flagellum dark brown, connections between segments brown ( Fig. 172 View FIGURES 167–172 ). Toruli much closer to median ocellus than to clypeal margin ( Fig. 172 View FIGURES 167–172 ). Scape exceeding level of vertex by about half scape length (cf. Fig. 21 View FIGURES 19–22 ); funicular segments widened both proximally and distally, mostly 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. 172 View FIGURES 167–172 ); length of pedicel plus flagellum about 1.8× head width. Mesoscutum width about 1.6× length. Metasoma oval, length about twice width, shorter than head plus mesosoma and narrower than mesosoma ( Fig. 172 View FIGURES 167–172 ).

Variation. FEMALES. Body length: 3.25–3.75 mm. Head in frontal view from slightly wider than high to almost round. Funicle yellow to light brown. Marginal vein about 2.4–2.6× as long as stigmal vein, postmarginal vein about 1.5–1.7×as long as stigmal vein.

Comments. Similar to N. pilosus from which it differs mainly in having the postmarginal vein distinctly longer than the stigmal vein, the wing pilosity present, although very short, and the less conspicuous body pilosity. Because of the relatively long mesoscutum, the male somewhat resembles the males of N. seyrigi and N. tenuicornis ; it can be separated from the males of the latter two species mainly by the reduced disc pilosity and marginal fringe, and the more robust habitus.

Etymology. The new species is dedicated to Gerhard Prinsloo for his valuable contributions to the knowledge of the Afrotropical fauna of Hymenoptera .

Distribution. Namibia, South Africa, Zimbabwe (Map 11).

Hosts. Unknown.

MAP 11. Distribution of N. polaszeki and N. prinslooi