Eusterinx ( Ischyracis ) kibale van Noort & Humala, 2025

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

Figs 5 View Figure 5 , 6 View Figure 6

Material examined.

Holotype: Uganda • ♀; Kibale National Park, Kanyawara, Makerere University Biological Field Station ; 1495 m; 0°33.996'N, 30°21.262'E; 5–12. viii. 2005; S. van Noort; UG 05-M 15; Malaise trap; secondary mid-altitude rainforest; Eusterinx ( Ischyracis) det. G. Broad 2015; IMAGED WaspWeb LAS 4.9 SAMC 2025 ; SAM-HYM-P 061158 ( SAMC). GoogleMaps

Description.

Female ( holotype). Body length 3.5 mm, fore wing length 2.7 mm (Fig. 5 A View Figure 5 ).

Head. Head 1.38 × 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 1.12 × as high, 0.41 × as wide as head (Fig. 5 E View Figure 5 ). Antenna with 22 elongate flagellomeres; first flagellomere ca. 7.0 × as long as wide; second flagellomere 0.85 × as long as first flagellomere. Malar space coriaceous, about 1.33 × as long as basal width of mandible, subocular sulcus indistinct; anterior tentorial pits open; clypeus convex, 0.67 × as high as wide. Mandibles slender, strongly twisted inwards and strongly tapered apically, lower tooth small (Fig. 5 E View Figure 5 ). Maxillary palps very long, almost reaching hind coxa. Occiput weakly coriaceous to polished; occipital carina present dorsally, absent laterally. Ocelli of moderate size; ratio of OOL: maximum diameter of lateral ocellus: POL as 19: 25: 20 (Fig. 5 C View Figure 5 ). Head distinctly narrowed behind eyes, temple short, 0.27 × as long as eye width.

Mesosoma. Mesosoma 1.7 × as long as maximum height; pronotum polished with distinct epomia; mesoscutum subpolished, covered with dense setae; notauli well developed, meeting in the centre of mesoscutum (Fig. 5 C View Figure 5 ) and continuing as a short, median longitudinal carina not reaching scuto-scutellar groove. Notauli anteriorly with small protrusion to the outside of the base (Fig. 6 B View Figure 6 ); epicnemial carina complete ventrally, almost reaching upper part of the mesopleuron; mesopleuron polished and centrally glabrous with setae dorsally and antero-ventrally; short sternaulus anteriorly; metapleuron polished (Fig. 6 B View Figure 6 ). Propodeum nearly smooth with all carinae developed and with a pair of strong apophyses formed at the junction of lateral longitudinal carina and posterior transverse carina (Fig. 6 B, C View Figure 6 ). Apophyses somewhat flattened dorsoventrally and rounded apically, as long as hind femur width. Anterior transverse carina forming a crest; area basalis not closed anteriorly, area superomedia elongate, narrowing posteriorly, 2.0 × as long as maximum wide (Fig. 6 C View Figure 6 ). Spiracles round and small (Fig. 6 B View Figure 6 ).

Legs. Legs very slender, hind coxa granulate, hind femur 5.7 × as long as wide, tibial spurs short and slender, hind basitarsus 0.4 × as long as hind tibia; ratio of hind tarsomeres as 39: 23: 18: 11: 19 (Fig. 5 A View Figure 5 ); claws simple.

Wings. Wings comparatively narrow (Fig. 6 D View Figure 6 ). 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, 4.2 × as long as maximum width posteriorly, petiole with narrow smooth dorsal area, laterally in postpetiole with longitudinal striae; dorsal carina lacking; small spiracle at 0.47 of tergite, sternite fused with tergite, reaching 0.73 of tergite; T 2 coriaceous, 1.5 × as long as maximum width, with irregular longitudinal striae anterolaterally, remaining portion weakly coriaceous with polished medial dorsal section; oval thyridium offset from the base by its length and a half (Fig. 6 E View Figure 6 ); T 3 almost parallel-sided, weakly coriaceous to polished medially; other tergites subpolished. Ovipositor nearly straight, tapered at apical fifth; ovipositor sheath about 0.4 × as long as hind tibia.

Colour. Head and mesosoma black; palps pale; apical part of clypeus, mandible orange brown; basal antennomeres, and wing bases yellowish-brown; flagellum mostly brown, with flagellomeres 11–14 pale; metasoma predominantly brown, T 1 black, T 2 dark-brown, posterior margins of T 3 yellowish. Fore and mid legs, hind trochanter and trochantellus yellowish, hind coxa in proximal half dark-brown, yellowish-brown distally, hind femur brown, infuscate with yellow in distal half, distal third of hind tibia and hind tarsus brown; ovipositor sheaths brown, darkened in apical two-fifths. 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, but short pale band on flagellum (segments 11–14).

Allied to E. dzanga sp. nov. which differs in larger size – body length 5.2 mm, fore wing length 3.3 mm (vs. 3.5 mm and 2.7 mm respectively in E. kibale ); T 2 1.5 × as long as wide posteriorly (vs. 2.15 × in E. dzanga ; 1.35 × in E. africana ), and hind femur 5.7 × as long as wide (vs. 6.3 × in E. dzanga ; 5.3 × in E. africana ). Propodeal apophyses are as long as E. dzanga , short in E. africana , E. gamka and E. kirkwoodi .

Distribution.

Currently only known from Uganda.

Etymology.

The species is named after the type locality, Kibale National Park. Noun in apposition.