Norbanus aequus, Mitroiu, 2015

Norbanus aequus View in CoL sp. nov.

( Figs 7–12 View FIGURES 7–12 )

Diagnosis. FEMALE. Head and mesosoma blackish, with olive green reflections ( Figs 7–9, 11 View FIGURES 7–12 ). Head without distinct elevation between eye and posterior ocellus ( Fig. 9 View FIGURES 7–12 ). Clypeal margin slightly emarginate ( Fig. 9 View FIGURES 7–12 ). POL about 1.0–1.2× OOL. Scape very slightly exceeding level of vertex ( Fig. 9 View FIGURES 7–12 ); second anellus transverse ( Fig. 10 View FIGURES 7–12 ). Scutellum moderately convex ( Fig. 7 View FIGURES 7–12 ). Propodeum virtually horizontal ( Fig. 7 View FIGURES 7–12 ); spiracular sulci absent ( Fig. 11 View FIGURES 7–12 ). Fore wing length about 2.8–2.9× width ( Fig. 12 View FIGURES 7–12 ). Metasoma much longer than head plus mesosoma; posterior margin of gt1 almost straight ( Figs 7, 8 View FIGURES 7–12 ).

Material examined. Holotype ♀ ( RMNH). BENIN: “BENIN Calavi, Ferme F.S.A. U.N.B., 24.I–6.II.2001, Piège malaise, Leg. Y. Jongema ” [on rectangular card].

Paratypes. TANZANIA: 1 ♀ “ Tanzania-Kilombero distr. Namawaie, 6-I-1991, leg. J.D. Charlwood ” ( RMNH) .

Other material. BENIN: 1 ♀ “BENIN Calavi, Ferme F.S.A. U.N.B., 13.II.2001, Piège malaise, Leg. Y. Jongema ” ( RMNH) .

Description. FEMALE (holotype). Colour. Head and mesosoma blackish, with extensive olive green reflections mainly on mesosoma ( Figs 7–9, 11 View FIGURES 7–12 ). Metasoma dark brown ( Figs 7, 8 View FIGURES 7–12 ). Body pilosity short whitish ( Fig. 9 View FIGURES 7–12 ). Eyes dark red, ocelli reddish ( Fig. 9 View FIGURES 7–12 ). Mandibles reddish-yellow, teeth reddish-brown ( Fig. 9 View FIGURES 7–12 ). Antenna ( Fig. 10 View FIGURES 7–12 ) with scape brown, paler proximally; pedicel brown; flagellum, including anelli and clava, almost black. Wings hyaline, tegulae, venation and pilosity brown ( Fig. 12 View FIGURES 7–12 ). Legs ( Fig. 7 View FIGURES 7–12 ) with coxae as mesosoma; trochanters brown; femora dark brown, with metallic reflections, paler at apices; fore tibia brown with paler knee and a pale strip on kickface; mid tibia with yellow knee and an extensive brown band medially, the rest yellow; hind tibia similar to mid tibia, but brown band narrower; all tarsi light brown, claws and arolia darker.

Body length. 6 mm.

Head without distinct elevation between eye and posterior ocellus, reticulate except lower face finely striated, striation not reaching toruli ( Fig. 9 View FIGURES 7–12 ). Clypeal margin very shallowly emarginate ( Fig. 9 View FIGURES 7–12 ). Eye ovate, anterior and posterior margins not sinuous ( Fig. 7 View FIGURES 7–12 ). Gena with a conspicuous lamina near mouth corner. Scrobes shallow, almost invisible in dorsal view of the head ( Fig. 8 View FIGURES 7–12 ). Toruli with lower margins below lower margins of eyes ( Fig. 9 View FIGURES 7–12 ). Antenna with scape slightly exceeding level of vertex ( Fig. 9 View FIGURES 7–12 ); both anelli transverse, the second slightly longer than the first; funicular segments longer than wide; clava ventrally gradually narrowing before spicula, sutures hardly visible, oblique; micropilosity area occupying slightly less than half the claval body ( Fig. 10 View FIGURES 7–12 ). Relative measurements—head length: 32, width: 73, height: 58; POL: 12; OOL: 12; eye height: 31, length: 22; IOD: 45; eye length dorsally: 21; temple length dorsally: 6; malar space: 23; mouth width: 30; distance between clypeal margin and toruli: 21; scape length: 37; pedicel length: 7, width: 3.5; pedicel plus flagellum: 70; fu1 length: 10, width: 3.5; fu6 length: 6, width: 4.5; clava length: 13.5, width: 5.

Mesosoma dorsally coarsely reticulate ( Fig. 8 View FIGURES 7–12 ). Notauli reaching about 2/3 of mesoscutum ( Fig. 8 View FIGURES 7–12 ). Scutellum moderately convex, frenal line absent, but frenal area with finer reticulation than rest of scutellum ( Figs 7, 8 View FIGURES 7–12 ). Upper mesepimeron smooth ( Fig. 7 View FIGURES 7–12 ). Metapleuron and dorsellum uniformly reticulate ( Fig. 11 View FIGURES 7–12 ). Propodeum horizontal ( Fig. 7 View FIGURES 7–12 ), uniformly reticulate except two small depressions near its anterior margin submedially; spiracles oval, spiracular sulci absent ( Fig. 11 View FIGURES 7–12 ). Fore wing with basal cell and basal fold glabrous; costal cell with several rows of setae on ventral surface; speculum small, not extending beyond parastigma, except in the middle for a short distance; wing pilosity including marginal fringe short; stigma hardly capitate ( Fig. 12 View FIGURES 7–12 ). Relative measurements—mesosomal length: 75, width: 58, height: 55; mesoscutum length: 29; scutellum length: 27, width: 30; propodeum length: 14; fore wing length: 155, width: 53; M: 31; S: 12; P: 25.5.

Metasoma elongate-acuminate, much longer than head plus mesosoma, reticulate dorsally (alveolae isodiametric to slightly wider than long) except for gt1, which is mainly smooth ( Figs 7, 8 View FIGURES 7–12 ). Posterior margin of gt1 almost straight, not incised ( Fig. 8 View FIGURES 7–12 ). Ovipositor sheaths short, but clearly visible in dorsal view ( Fig. 8 View FIGURES 7–12 ). Relative measurements—metasomal length: 150, width: 56; gt1 length: 20; gt7 length: 14, width: 20.

MALE. Unknown.

Variation. FEMALES. Body length: 5–6 mm. The female from Tanzania has the gold bronze reflections on the mesosoma less strong, visible at most on the scutellum, the antenna has fu1–4 brown instead of blackish, the POL is slightly longer than the OOL, and the scape is shorter, extending to the upper margin of the median ocellus. One female from Benin (body length: 4.25 mm) is not included among the type specimens because it has the bluish metallic reflections on the head and mesosoma much stronger, the mid and hind tibiae almost entirely brown, and the sculpture of the gastral tergites mostly striate-reticulate, with alveolae much wider than long .

Comments. Due to the long metasoma, the females most closely resemble N. longissimus and N. mustatai ; from both species N. aequus differs mainly in the horizontal propodeum and small speculum.

Etymology. From the Latin adjective aequus , horizontal, with reference to the characteristic position of the propodeum.

Distribution. Benin, Tanzania (Map 1).

Hosts. Unknown.