Norbanus pleuralis, Mitroiu, 2015

Norbanus pleuralis View in CoL sp. nov.

( Figs 151–158 View FIGURES 151–158 )

Diagnosis. BOTH SEXES. Head and mesosoma mainly blue-green; hind tibiae medially dark ( Figs 151–153, 157 View FIGURES 151–158 ). Head without distinct elevation between eye and posterior ocellus ( Fig. 153 View FIGURES 151–158 ). Clypeal margin slightly emarginate ( Fig. 153 View FIGURES 151–158 ). POL about 1.3× as long as OOL. Scutellum moderately convex, not globose ( Figs 151, 157 View FIGURES 151–158 ). Upper mesepimeron entirely reticulate ( Fig. 155 View FIGURES 151–158 ). Propodeum inclined ( Figs 151, 157 View FIGURES 151–158 ); spiracular sulci absent (cf. Fig. 11 View FIGURES 7–12 ). Fore wing length about 2.6× width ( Fig. 156 View FIGURES 151–158 ).

FEMALE. Metasoma reddish-brown, apex dorsally pale; ovipositor sheaths black ( Figs 151, 152 View FIGURES 151–158 ); fu5–6 and clava except tip darker than rest of the flagellum ( Fig. 154 View FIGURES 151–158 ). Antennae inserted slightly above lower margins of eyes ( Fig. 153 View FIGURES 151–158 ). Second anellus transverse ( Fig. 154 View FIGURES 151–158 ). Metasoma longer than head plus mesosoma ( Figs 151, 152 View FIGURES 151–158 ), posterior margin of gt1 slightly sinuous ( Fig. 152 View FIGURES 151–158 ).

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. 158 View FIGURES 151–158 ).

Material examined. Holotype ♀ ( MRAC). D. R. CONGO: “ Congo Belge, P. N.G., Miss. H. De Saeger, II/fc/ 4, 30-VIII-1952, H. De Saeger. 3997” [on triangular card].

Allotype ♂. ZIMBABWE: “ZIMBABWE, nr. Harare, i. 1982, A. Watsham ” ( BMNH).

Additional paratypes. D. R. CONGO: 1 ♀, “ Congo Belge, P. N.G., Miss. H. De Saeger, II/gd/6, 2-ix-1952, H. De Saeger. 4023” ( MRAC) ; 1 ♀, “ Congo Belge, P. N.G., Miss. H. De Saeger, II/gd/14s, 9-viii-1951, Réc. H. De Saeger. 2236” ( MRAC) .

Description. FEMALE (holotype). Colour. Head dark blue, vertex and occiput almost black ( Figs 152, 153 View FIGURES 151–158 ). Mesosoma blue-green, with some dark violet reflections ( Fig. 155 View FIGURES 151–158 ). Metasoma reddish-brown, apex dorsally pale; ovipositor sheaths black ( Figs 151, 152 View FIGURES 151–158 ). Body pilosity short whitish ( Figs 153, 155 View FIGURES 151–158 ). Eyes red, ocelli light brown ( Fig. 153 View FIGURES 151–158 ). Mandibles brown, teeth darker ( Fig. 153 View FIGURES 151–158 ). Antenna ( Fig. 154 View FIGURES 151–158 ) with scape (except base), pedicel, anelli and fu1–4 brown, fu5–6 and clava (except tip) dark brown; base of scape, apex of clava and spicula light brown. Wings hyaline, tegulae light brown, venation darker ( Fig. 156 View FIGURES 151–158 ). Legs ( Figs 151, 152 View FIGURES 151–158 ) with coxae and hind femur as mesosoma; trochanters brown; fore and mid femora brown; fore tibia brown with light yellow knee and a strip of the same colour on kickface; mid and hind tibiae without yellowish strip, with an extensive brown band around middle of segment, leaving yellow extremities; fore tarsus light brown, mid and hind tarsi yellowish, the last segment and claws light brown; arolia dark brown.

Body length. 5 mm.

Head without distinct elevation between eye and posterior ocellus, reticulate except lower face extensively and finely striated, striation not reaching toruli ( Fig. 153 View FIGURES 151–158 ); area around posterior ocelli dull due to dense reticulation. Clypeal margin shallowly emarginate ( Fig. 153 View FIGURES 151–158 ). Eye ovate, anterior and posterior margins not sinuous ( Fig. 151 View FIGURES 151–158 ). Gena with a weak lamina near mouth corner. Scrobes shallow, hardly visible in dorsal view of the head. Toruli with lower margins slightly but distinctly above lower margins of eyes ( Fig. 153 View FIGURES 151–158 ). Antenna ( Fig. 154 View FIGURES 151–158 ) with scape slightly exceeding vertex; both anelli transverse; funicular segments except fu6, which is approximately quadrate, longer than wide; clava ventrally gradually narrowing before spicula, sutures hardly visible, oblique; micropilosity area occupying about 1/3 length of claval body. Relative measurements—head length: 27, width: 58, height: 47; POL: 12; OOL: 9; eye height: 26, length: 18.5; IOD: 35; eye length dorsally: 18; temple length dorsally: 5; malar space: 18; mouth width: 26.5; distance between clypeal margin and toruli: 22; scape length: 26; pedicel length: 6.5, width: 3; pedicel plus flagellum: 60; fu1 length: 10, width: 3.5; fu6 length: 4.5, width: 4.5; clava length: 11, width: 4.5.

Mesosoma dorsally coarsely reticulate ( Fig. 152 View FIGURES 151–158 ). Notauli hardly visible ( Fig. 152 View FIGURES 151–158 ). Scutellum moderately convex ( Fig. 151 View FIGURES 151–158 ), frenal line absent, but frenal area with finer reticulation than rest of scutellum. Upper mesepimeron entirely reticulate, the only smooth part of mesopleura being a narrow strip separating mesepimeron from mesepisternum ( Fig. 155 View FIGURES 151–158 ). Metapleuron and dorsellum uniformly reticulate. Propodeum inclined ( Fig. 151 View FIGURES 151–158 ), uniformly reticulate except two small elongated depressions near its anterior margin submedially; spiracles large and elongate, spiracular sulci absent (cf. Fig. 11 View FIGURES 7–12 ). Fore wing ( Fig. 156 View FIGURES 151–158 ) with basal cell and basal fold glabrous; costal cell with two rows of pilosity on ventral surface; speculum large, reaching stigmal vein; disc pilosity rather sparse, area between stigmal vein and postmarginal vein mostly bare; wing pilosity including marginal fringe short; stigma clearly capitate. Relative measurements—mesosomal length: 70, width: 50, height: 50; mesoscutum length: 27; scutellum length: 24, width: 28.5; propodeum length: 14; fore wing length: 132, width: 50; M: 24; S: 10; P: 16.

Metasoma elongate-acuminate, longer than head plus mesosoma ( Figs 151, 152 View FIGURES 151–158 ), dorsally mostly reticulate-imbricate (alveolae wider than long) except for gt1 which is mainly smooth ( Fig. 152 View FIGURES 151–158 ). Posterior margin of gt1 very slightly sinuous ( Fig. 152 View FIGURES 151–158 ). Ovipositor sheaths slightly visible in dorsal view ( Fig. 152 View FIGURES 151–158 ). Relative measurements— metasomal length: 133, width: 38; gt1 length: 17; gt7 length: 17, width: 15.5.

MALE (allotype). Differs from the female holotype mainly as follows. Body length: 3.25 mm. Colour of vertex and occiput lighter, dark blue-green. Metasoma brown except extensively whitish in proximal 1/2 (dorsally) or 2/3 (ventrally); base of gt1 brownish ( Fig. 157 View FIGURES 151–158 ). Flagellum dark brown ( Fig. 158 View FIGURES 151–158 ). Toruli much closer to median ocellus than to clypeal margin ( Fig. 157 View FIGURES 151–158 ). Scape exceeding level of vertex by about 1/3 scape length (cf. Fig. 50 View FIGURES 43–50 ); 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. 158 View FIGURES 151–158 ); length of pedicel plus flagellum about 1.7× head width. Metasoma ovate, length 1.85× width, slightly shorter than head plus mesosoma and about as wide as mesosoma ( Fig. 157 View FIGURES 151–158 ).

Variation. FEMALES. Body length: 5.0– 5.5 mm. Anelli equal in length or the second slightly longer than the first; clava length about 2.4–2.7× width. Mesoscutum width 1.65–1.85× length. Fore wing length about 2.6–2.8× width. Marginal vein about 2.4–2.6× as long as stigmal vein. Metasoma length about 3.3–3.5× width.

Comments. Both sexes of N. pleuralis can be easily separated from other species having a similar habitus (e.g. N. longissimus , N. mustatai , N. polaszeki ), mainly by the entirely reticulate mesopleura.

Etymology. The name indicates the most important diagnostic character for the species, i.e. the structure of the mesopleura.

Distribution. D. R. Congo, Zimbabwe (Map 10).

Hosts. Unknown.

MAP 10. Distribution of N. pilosus and N. pleuralis