Norbanus pilosus, Mitroiu, 2015

Norbanus pilosus View in CoL sp. nov.

( Figs 145–150 View FIGURES 145–150 )

Diagnosis. FEMALE. Head and mesosoma green except blue-green propodeum; metasoma light brown, ovipositor sheaths black ( Figs 145, 146, 150 View FIGURES 145–150 ); clava darker than funicle ( Fig. 148 View FIGURES 145–150 ); hind tibia yellow ( Fig. 145 View FIGURES 145–150 ). Setae on head and mesosoma dense, long, thick and white ( Figs 146, 147 View FIGURES 145–150 ). Head without distinct elevation between eye and posterior ocellus ( Fig. 147 View FIGURES 145–150 ). Clypeal margin slightly emarginate ( Fig. 147 View FIGURES 145–150 ). POL about 1.8× as long as OOL. Eye height about 1.5× length. Antennae inserted about level with lower margins of eyes ( Fig. 147 View FIGURES 145–150 ); scape not exceeding median ocellus; second anellus transverse; clava wider than funicular segments, ventrally abruptly narrowing before spicula ( Fig. 148 View FIGURES 145–150 ). Upper mesepimeron smooth. Scutellum moderately convex, not globose ( Fig. 145 View FIGURES 145–150 ). Propodeum inclined ( Fig. 145 View FIGURES 145–150 ), spiracular sulci absent (cf. Fig. 11 View FIGURES 7–12 ). Fore wing length at most about 2.4× width; postmarginal vein about as long as stigmal vein; speculum large, reaching to stigmal vein; fore wing pilosity, including marginal fringe, reduced to dots, only setae on marginal and postmarginal veins present ( Fig. 149 View FIGURES 145–150 ). Metasoma about as long as head plus mesosoma, about twice as long as wide ( Figs 145, 146 View FIGURES 145–150 ). Posterior margin of gt1 strongly sinuous, median part strongly produced posteriorly; posterior margins of gt2 and gt3 also sinuous, although less strongly so ( Fig. 150 View FIGURES 145–150 ).

Material examined. Holotype ♀ ( BMNH). GAMBIA: “W. AFR., GAMBIA, Fajara, 24./I. 1978. L. Huggert ”.

Paratypes. GAMBIA: 3 ♀, same information as holotype ( BMNH) .

Description. FEMALE (holotype). Colour. Head and most mesosoma bright green, but colour partly confined because of dense pilosity; propodeum blue-green ( Figs 145, 146 View FIGURES 145–150 ). Metasoma light brown, ovipositor sheaths black ( Figs 145, 146, 150 View FIGURES 145–150 ). Body pilosity dense, long, thick and white ( Figs 146, 147, 150 View FIGURES 145–150 ). Eyes red, ocelli pale red (cf. Fig. 147 View FIGURES 145–150 ). Mandibles yellow, teeth reddish-brown. Antenna ( Fig. 148 View FIGURES 145–150 ) with scape yellow, brownish in distal half; pedicel light brown; flagellum except light brown clava yellow. Wings hyaline (cf. Fig. 149 View FIGURES 145–150 ), tegulae light brown, venation yellowish. Legs ( Fig. 145 View FIGURES 145–150 ) with coxae as mesosoma; trochanters yellowish-brown; femora brown, with pale yellow distal extremities; tibiae and tarsi pale yellow, arolia and claws brown.

Body length. 3.5 mm.

Head without distinct elevation between eye and posterior ocellus, finely reticulate except lower face finely striated, striation almost reaching toruli (cf. Fig. 147 View FIGURES 145–150 ). Clypeal margin very shallowly emarginate (cf. Fig. 147 View FIGURES 145–150 ). Eye ovate, anterior and posterior margins not sinuous (fig. 145). Gena with a weak lamina near mouth corner. Scrobes shallow, slightly visible in dorsal view of the head. Lower margins of toruli about level with lower margins of eyes (cf. Fig. 147 View FIGURES 145–150 ). Antenna ( Fig. 148 View FIGURES 145–150 ) with scape reaching about middle of median ocellus; both anelli transverse, about the same size; funicular segments longer than wide; clava ventrally abruptly narrowing before spicula, sutures hardly visible, oblique; micropilosity area occupying less than 1/4 length of claval body. Relative measurements—head length: 32, width: 62, height: 58; POL: 13; OOL: 7; eye height: 34, length: 23; IOD: 35; eye length dorsally: 23.5; temple length dorsally: 4.5; distance between clypeal margin and toruli: 25; scape length: 32; pedicel length: 6, width: 3.5; pedicel plus flagellum: 70; fu1 length: 9, width: 3; fu6 length: 6, width: 4.5; clava length: 16, width: 5.5.

Mesosoma dorsally quite finely reticulate, hence appearing shiny among dense pilosity ( Fig. 146 View FIGURES 145–150 ). Notauli hardly visible under dense pilosity, reaching about middle of mesoscutum ( Fig. 146 View FIGURES 145–150 ). Scutellum moderately convex ( Fig. 145 View FIGURES 145–150 ), 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 (cf. Fig. 163 View FIGURES 159–166 ). Metapleuron and dorsellum uniformly reticulate. Propodeum inclined ( Fig. 145 View FIGURES 145–150 ), 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 (cf. Fig. 149 View FIGURES 145–150 ) with basal cell and basal fold glabrous; speculum large, extending to stigmal vein; setae on costal cell and disc, and marginal fringe reduced to dots; only setae on parastigma, marginal vein and postmarginal vein present; stigma hardly capitate. Relative measurements—mesosomal length: 70, width: 50, height: 47; mesoscutum length: 28; scutellum length: 25, width: 28; propodeum length: 11; fore wing length: 125, width: 52; M: 20; S: 10.5; P: 11.

Metasoma ovate, its lateral margins almost parallel, about as long as head plus mesosoma ( Figs 145, 146 View FIGURES 145–150 ), dorsally mostly reticulate-imbricate (alveolae wider than long) except for gt1 which is mainly smooth ( Fig. 150 View FIGURES 145–150 ). Posterior margin of gt1 strongly sinuous, not incised, with median part strongly produced posteriorly; posterior margins of gt2 and gt3 conspicuously to slightly sinuous respectively ( Fig. 150 View FIGURES 145–150 ). Ovipositor sheaths short, barely visible in dorsal view ( Fig. 146 View FIGURES 145–150 ). Relative measurements—metasomal length: 103, width: 50; gt1 length: 26; gt7 length: 8, width: 20.

MALE. Unknown (see comments below).

Variation. FEMALES. Body length: 3.20–3.75 mm. Setae on head and mesosoma sometimes lost in many areas, but usually present at least on pronotum, anterior corners of mesoscutum, temples and genae, frenal area and lateral surfaces of propodeum.

Comments. The species most closely resembles N. prinslooi because of the strongly sinuous posterior margin of gt1 and habitus. It differs from this species mainly in the shorter postmarginal vein, completely reduced setae on fore wing and more conspicuous body setae. The malar space cannot be accurately measured in the holotype because of the head position; in a female paratype it is about half as long as eye height. A male from Namibia has similar fore wing structure as the females, i.e. short postmarginal vein and reduced setae, but the setae on the head and mesosoma are thinner and less dense. It has the funicular segments of uniform width except small bumps where setae emerge, fu1–2 bear several rows of long setae, fu3–6 only two rows, and the funicular segments are separated from each other by short but distinct tubular connections; metasoma has a large subbasal pale spot and the extreme base of gt1 is dark. However, until more material is examined, the male is not formally described.

Etymology. The name refers to the abundant pilosity that characterizes at least the females of this species.

Distribution. Gambia (Map 10).

Hosts. Unknown.