Eusterinx ( Ischyracis ) dzanga Humala & van Noort, 2025

Eusterinx ( Ischyracis) dzanga Humala & van Noort sp. nov.

Figs 1 View Figure 1 , 2 View Figure 2

Material examined.

Holotype: Central African Republic • ♀; Prefecture Sangha-Mbaéré, Parc National de Dzanga-Ndoki, 38.6 km 173°S Lidjombo ; 2°21.60'N, 16°09.20'E; 350 m, 26–27 May 2001; S. van Noort leg.; Lowland rainforest, Malaise trap, CAR 01 - M 225, Eusterinx ( Ischyracis) det. G. Broad 2015; IMAGED WaspWeb LAS 4.9 SAMC 2024 ; SAM-HYM-P 046838 ( SAMC) GoogleMaps .

Description.

Female ( holotype). Body length 5.2 mm, fore wing length 3.3 mm (Fig. 1 A View Figure 1 ).

Head. Head 1.3 × as wide as high in anterior view; eyes glabrous, large and strongly convex; frons shagreen with sparse setae; inner orbits strongly convergent downwards; face nearly polished with sparse setae; maximum face width at level of antennal sockets, 1.1 × as high, 0.38 × as wide as head (Fig. 1 C View Figure 1 ). Antenna with 24 elongate flagellomeres, all flagellomeres at least twice as long as wide; first flagellomere ca. 7.0 × as long as wide; second flagellomere 0.8 × as long as first flagellomere. Malar space coriaceous, about 1.25 × as long as basal width of mandible, subocular sulcus distinct; anterior tentorial pits open; clypeus convex, narrow, 0.5 × as high as wide. Mandibles slender, strongly twisted inwards and tapered apically, lower tooth small and invisible in front view. Maxillary palps very long, reaching hind coxa. Occiput nearly polished; occipital carina present dorsally, absent laterally; temple 0.2 × as long as eye length. Ocelli of moderate size; ratio of OOL: maximum diameter of lateral ocellus: POL as 19: 22: 18 (Fig. 1 B View Figure 1 ). Head distinctly narrowed behind eyes, temple short, 0.24 × as long as eye width.

Mesosoma. Mesosoma 1.5 × as long as maximum height; pronotum polished with distinct epomia; mesoscutum granulate, covered with dense setae; notauli well developed, meeting in the center of mesoscutum and continuing as a median longitudinal carina not reaching scuto-scutellar groove (Fig. 2 B View Figure 2 ). Notauli anteriorly with small protrusion to the outside of the base (Figs 1 E View Figure 1 , 2 B View Figure 2 ); epicnemial carina complete ventrally, almost reaching upper part of the mesopleuron; mesopleuron polished and mostly glabrous with short sternaulus anteriorly; metapleuron coriaceous. Propodeum nearly smooth with all carinae developed and with a pair of strong apophyses formed at junction of lateral longitudinal carina and posterior transverse carina (Fig. 2 A, C View Figure 2 ). Apophyses somewhat flattened dorsoventrally and rounded apically, nearly as long as hind femur width. Anterior transverse carina forming a crest; area basalis not closed anteriorly, area superomedia elongate, narrowing posteriorly, 1.9 × as long as maximum wide (Fig. 2 C View Figure 2 ). Spiracles round and small (Fig. 1 E View Figure 1 ).

Legs. Legs very slender, hind coxa granulate, hind femur 6.3 × as long as wide, tibial spurs short and slender, hind basitarsus 0.4 × as long as hind tibia; ratio of hind tarsomeres as 35: 21: 14: 8: 12 (Fig. 1 A View Figure 1 ); claws simple.

Wings. Wings comparatively narrow (Fig. 2 D View Figure 2 ). Fore wing without areolet (vein 3 rs-m absent), radius (vein 2 r & Rs) originates from posterior 0.6 of stigma, nervulus (vein 1 cu-a) slightly antefurcal, postnervulus intercepted in lower third; in hind wing nervellus reclivous, straight, not intercepted, discoidella lacking.

Metasoma. T 1 slender, 4.8 × as long as maximum width posteriorly, petiole smooth dorsally in anterior third, posterior half and postpetiole with longitudinal striae; dorsal carina lacking; small spiracle at 0.55 of tergite, sternite fused with tergite, reaching 0.8 of tergite; T 2 coriaceous, 2.15 × as long as maximum width posteriorly with irregular longitudinal striae and oval thyridium offset from base by its length (Fig. 2 E View Figure 2 ); T 3 almost parallel-sided, with irregular longitudinal striae anteriorly; other tergites weakly granulate, with sparse setiferous punctures. Ovipositor nearly straight, tapered at apical quarter; ovipositor sheath about 0.27 × as long as hind tibia.

Colour. Dark-brown; palps pale; apical part of clypeus, mandible, basal antennomeres, tegula and wing bases yellowish-brown; flagellum mostly brown, with flagellomeres 7–14 pale; metasoma predominantly brown, T 1 and T 2 dark-brown, posterior margins of T 1 – T 3 and T 4 entirely yellowish (Fig. 1 A View Figure 1 ). Fore and mid legs, hind trochanter and trochantellus yellowish, hind coxa in proximal half dark-brown, yellowish-brown distally, hind femur yellowish-brown, infuscate in proximal half, distal third of hind tibia and hind tarsus infuscate; ovipositor sheaths yellowish, darkened in apical half. Wings hyaline, veins including pterostigma brown.

Male. Unknown.

Comparison.

Compared to other Ischyracis species that lack a closed areolet, the new species is characterized by strong apophyses (as long as hind femur width), slender hind legs, short ovipositor, and distinct light band on flagellum.

From allied E. africana and E. kibale , E. dzanga sp. nov. differs in larger size – body length 5.2 mm, fore wing length 3.3 mm (vs. 3.6 mm and 2.7 mm respectively in E. africana , and 3.5 mm and 2.7 mm respectively in E. kibale ), wider area superomedia 1.9 × as long as maximum width (vs. 2.4 × in E. africana ), slenderer T 2 – 2.15 × as long as wide posteriorly (vs. 1.35 × in E. africana ), and hind femur 6.3 × as long as wide (vs. 5.3 × in E. africana ). Propodeal apophyses are as long as E. kibale , short in E. africana , E. gamka and E. kirkwoodi .

Distribution.

Currently only known from Central African Republic.

Etymology.

The species is named after the Dzanga-Ndoki National Park. Noun in apposition.