Stenarella aurea, Santos & Bordera, 2025

3.1.1. Stenarella aurea sp. nov.

Figures 1 H View Figure 1 , 3 View Figure 3 , 23 A View Figure 23 , 28 View Figure 28

Etymology.

From the Latin adjective aureus, - a, - um, meaning “ golden ”, in reference to the light orange, yellowish body color of this species.

Diagnosis.

Stenarella aurea sp. nov. can be distinguished from all other Stenarella species by the combination of the following characters: mesoscutum mostly smooth and shiny (Fig. 3 D View Figure 3 ); posterior area of propodeum transversely striate, striae regularly separated and reaching pleural sulcus (Fig. 1 H View Figure 1 ); face and eye orbits whitish (Fig. 3 B, C View Figure 3 ); antenna with white band on f 5 – f 14 (15); mesosoma mostly light orange.

Description.

FEMALE. Fore wing 5.1–6.2 mm long. — Head (Fig. 3 A – C View Figure 3 ): Mandible, clypeus and face moderately covered with very long setae. Mandible punctate, MLW 2.25–2.30. Malar space short, MSM 0.4–0.5. Clypeus smooth, CWL 2.8–3.0. Clypeus and face centrally mostly flat. Face with a small tubercle between antennal sockets, centrally weakly wrinkled, elsewhere smooth. Frons smooth and shiny, with incomplete faint longitudinal carina. Antenna with 28–34 flagellomeres. — Mesosoma (Figs 1 H View Figure 1 , 3 A, C – E View Figure 3 ): Pronotum with distinct striae along central concave part, elsewhere smooth. Epomia moderately strong, reaching pronotal depression. Mesoscutum almost entirely smooth and shiny. Notaulus reaching 0.75 of mesoscutum with short transverse striae. Mesopleuron and metapleuron moderately setose. Mesopleuron dorsally longitudinally striate, ventrally finely rugulose. Epicnemial carina distinct, reaching 0.7 of distance to subtegular ridge. Sternaulus deep evenly upcurved, reaching anterior 0.6 of mesopleuron. Metapleuron strigose punctate. Propodeum relatively long, dorsal profile in lateral view evenly convex and sloped. Anterior area of propodeum rugulose punctate. Propodeal spiracle elliptic, SLW 2.0–2.25. Area posterior of propodeum covered by fine, more or less uniformly spaced transverse striae. Posterior transverse carina of propodeum present but weakly discernible from other transverse striae, distance to anterior transverse carina 1.8 times the distance from anterior carina to anterior margin of propodeum. Areolet small, closed distally by an unpigmented vein 3 rs-m, APH 0.4–0.45. Vein 2 m-cu antefurcal to vein 3 rs-m. Hind wing vein Cua distinctly longer than crossvein cu-a, HW 1 C 2.2–2.3. — Metasoma (Fig. 3 A, F View Figure 3 ): Posterior end of S 1 placed distinctly posterior to spiracle of T 1. T 1 LW 2.85–3.1; T 1 WW 2.25–2.3; T 2 LW 1.55–1.6; T 2 WW 2.15–2.2. Thyridium about 2.5 times as long as wide. T 2 anteriorly granulate, gradually transitioning to punctate reticulate on a granulate background. Dorsal valve of ovipositor with 5 teeth. Ventral valve with 10 teeth. OST 4.30–4.75. — Color (Figs 1 H View Figure 1 , 3 View Figure 3 ): Head black: labrum, clypeus, mandibles except apex, mouthparts, face and eye orbits whitish; facial tubercle and scapus and pedicel ventrally orange. Antenna dark brown, f 6–14 dorsally and f 5 and f 15 partially, white. Mesosoma mostly light orange; dorsal lateral part of pronotum, subtegular ridge, lateral parts of scutellum, and slightly posterior part of propodeum, yellowish; propodeum with a medial anterior dark brown spot. Legs mostly orange; hind trochantellus, proximal part of t 1 and t 5 entirely dark brown; distal part of t 1 and t 2 – t 4 whitish. Hind tibia something infuscate. Metasoma mostly orange: anterior part of T 2 – T 3, T 6 – T 8 dark brown. Posterior part of T 6 – T 7 white; rarely fine posterior band on T 1 – T 2 yellowish. Wing hyaline. — MALE. Unknown

Hosts.

Unknown.

Distribution.

Afrotropical. Known records from: Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Gabon, Ivory Coast and Sierra Leone (Fig. 23 A View Figure 23 ).

Material examined.

11 ♀♀. Holotype. SIERRA LEONE • ♀; Freetown Peninsula, Freetown ; III.1969; Denis Owen ( USUC). Dry pinned, complete . — Paratypes. ANGOLA • 1 ♀; Salazar; Instituto de Investigação Agronomica de Angola ; 9–15.III.1972; Southern African Exp. ( NHMUK) . CAMEROON • 1 ♀; Nkoemvom ; XII.1979 – I.1980; Ms. D. Jackson ( NHMUK) • 1 ♀; same data except 16.III–4.V.1980 ( NHMUK) • 2 ♀♀; same data except 30.III–19.IV.1980 ( NHMUK) • 1 ♀; same data except X–XI.1980; Ms. D. Jackson ( NHMUK) . CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC • 1 ♀; Sangha – Mbaéré, Dzanga – Ndoki National Park, 38.6 km 173°S Lidjombo ; 350 m; 2º21.60’N, 16º09.20’E; 22–23.V.2001; S. van Noort; Malaise; lowland rainforest / SAM–HYM–P 053035 / CAR 01 – M 186 ( SAMC) GoogleMaps . GABON • 1 ♀; 1919, Coll. J. De Gaulle ( MNHN) • 1 ♀; Haut – Ogooué, N’Kogo , 1901; J. Bouyssou ( MNHN) . IVORY COAST • 1 ♀; Odienné, Ranch de Sipilou ; 22.V.1973; V. Viltard Rec. ( MNHN) .