Eusterinx ( Ischyracis ) kirkwoodi Humala & van Noort, 2025

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

Figs 7 View Figure 7 , 8 View Figure 8

Material examined.

Holotype: South Africa • ♀; E. Cape, Mannetjie Farm ( 31.9 km 262 ° W Kirkwood); 33°32.724'S, 25°08.795'E; 14–16 Feb. 2001; S. van Noort leg.; Malaise trap, VB 01-R 3 N-M 50, Valley Bushveld (non-trashed), Eusterinx ( Ischyracis) det. G. Broad 2016, IMAGED WaspWeb LAS 4.9 SAMC 2024 ; SAM-HYM-P 041737 ( SAMC) GoogleMaps .

Paratype: South Africa • ♀; E. Cape, Blauwe Krans Farm ( 12.8 km 216 ° SW Kirkwood); 33°30.747'S, 25°24.644'E; 9–16 Feb. 2001; S. van Noort leg.; Yellow pan trap, VB 01-A 3 N-Y 55; Valley Bushveld (non-trashed); Eusterinx ( Ischyracis) det. G. Broad 2016; SAM-HYM-P 041738 ( SAMC) GoogleMaps .

Description.

Female ( holotype). Body length 4.4 mm, fore wing length 3.0 mm (Fig. 7 A View Figure 7 ).

Head. Head 1.33 × as wide as high in anterior view; eyes glabrous, large; inner orbits somewhat convergent downwards; face nearly polished with sparse setae; maximum face width at level of antennal sockets 1.3 × as high, 0.4 × as wide as head (Fig. 7 C View Figure 7 ). Antenna with 24 flagellomeres, all flagellomeres longer than wide; first flagellomere 5.3 × as long as wide; second flagellomere 0.85 × as long as first flagellomere. Malar space about 2.0 × as long as basal width of mandible, subocular sulcus indistinct; anterior tentorial pits open; clypeus convex, small, narrow, 0.65 × as high as wide, apical margin nearly straight. Mandibles slender, strongly twisted inwards and tapered apically, lower tooth strongly reduced and invisible in front view. Maxillary palps very long, almost reaching middle coxa. Occiput polished; occipital carina present dorsally. Ocelli of moderate size; ratio of OOL: maximum diameter of lateral ocellus: POL as 19: 22: 23 (Fig. 7 B View Figure 7 ). Head distinctly narrowed behind eyes, temple short, 0.25 × as long as eye width.

Mesosoma. Mesosoma 1.35 × as long as maximum high; pronotum polished with strong epomia; mesoscutum finely punctured, covered with dense setae; notauli well developed as crenulated furrows, meeting in center of mesoscutum and continuing as a fine median longitudinal carina not reaching scutellum (Fig. 8 B View Figure 8 ). Epicnemial carina complete ventrally, reaching half height of mesopleuron; mesopleuron polished and mostly glabrous with short sternaulus; metapleuron granulate. Propodeum nearly smooth with all carinae developed except for anterior portions of dorsal longitudinal carinae, with a pair of strong apophyses flattened dorsoventrally formed by posterior transverse carina and lateral carinae (Figs 7 E View Figure 7 , 8 A View Figure 8 ); area basalis not developed; area superomedia 1.3 × as long as maximum width and slightly narrowing posteriorly (Fig. 8 C View Figure 8 ). Spiracles small and rounded.

Legs. Legs slender, hind coxa granulate, hind femur 5.0 × as long as wide, tibial spurs short, hind basitarsus 0.4 × as long as hind tibia; ratio of hind tarsomeres as 35: 20: 14: 9: 13; claws simple.

Wings. Fore wing without areolet (vein 3 rs-m absent), radius (vein 2 r & Rs) originates from middle of stigma, nervulus (vein 1 cu-a) interstitial (Fig. 8 D View Figure 8 ); postnervulus intercepted nearly in middle; in hind wing nervellus strongly reclivous, not intercepted, discoidella lacking.

Metasoma. T 1 slender, 4.1 × as long as maximum width posteriorly, with longitudinal striae; dorsal carina lacking; small spiracle at 0.5 of tergite, sternite fused with tergite, reaching 0.67 of tergite; T 2 coriaceous, 1.4 × as long as maximum width posteriorly, with irregular longitudinal striae in anterior 0.8, and weak small thyridium in dorsolateral corner (Fig. 8 E View Figure 8 ); T 3 weakly coriaceous to granulate, T 4 granulate, T 5 & T 6 granulate to subpolished. Ovipositor nearly straight, tapered at apical quarter; ovipositor sheath about 0.5 × as long as hind tibia.

Colour. Dark-brown; palps pale, basal antennomeres and wing bases yellowish; mandible, tegula, propleuron, lower pronotum and epicnemium reddish-brown; metasoma mostly dark brown, posterior margins of T 2 – T 3 light brown (Fig. 7 A View Figure 7 ). Fore and mid legs and hind trochanters yellowish, hind leg predominantly dark brown, excluding yellowish-brown trochanters and distal third of hind tibia; ovipositor sheaths yellowish, darkened in apical half. Wings hyaline, veins including pterostigma brown.

Male. Unknown.

Variation.

There is no variation between the two known specimens. The paratype matches the holotype with respect to size and character states.

Comparison.

The new species E. kirkwoodi sp. nov. differs from the closely related E. africana by its larger size – body length 4.4 mm, fore wing length 3.0 mm (vs. 3.6 mm and 2.7 mm, respectively, in E. africana ), OOL shorter than maximum diameter of lateral ocellus ( OOL longer in E. africana ), shorter mesosoma – 1.35 × as long as high (vs. 1.55 × in E. africana ), lower degree of convergence of inner orbits (strongly convergent to clypeus in E. africana ), wider area superomedia – 1.3 × as long as maximum width (vs. 2.4 × in E. africana ), hind tarsus nearly as long as hind tibia (distinctly longer in E. africana ).

Distribution.

Currently only known from South Africa ( Eastern Cape province).

Etymology.

The species is named after the closest town to the type localities of both specimens. Noun in apposition.