NEWS - Centistidea Rohwer 1914 revised for Afrotropical with 4 new: areolate parasitoid wasp (Centistidea areolaris), fine wrinkles parasitoid wasp (Centistidea linearis), long legs parasitoid wasp (Centistidea longipedes) and R.E. Turner parasitoid wasp (Centistidea turneri) based on specimens from the Natural History Museum, United Kingdom, and the Royal Museum for Central Africa, Belgium.
Miracinae (Hymenoptera, Braconidae) are quite rare in all collections worldwide with only 70 species in 3 genera: Mirax Haliday 1833, Centistidea Rohwer 1914 and Rugosimirax Ranjith & van Achterberg 2023. The Afrotropical region is based on reports of only 4 species in Centistidea: C. africana (Brues, 1926), C. leucopterae (Wilkinson, 1936), C. mubilibana (de Saeger, 1944) and C. tihamica Ahmad & Pandey, 2019.
C. areolaris has a South African distribution. The specific name “areolaris” refers to the propodeum with carinate-areolate elements in the mid-apical part. Body length 2.0 mm, light red-brown; eyes 1.8 × longer than temple in dorsal view; temple smooth, superficially punctate, indistinctly constricted behind eyes in dorsal view.
Hind ocelli in a shallow depression, distance between fore and a hind ocellus 1.2 × longer than minor axis of a hind ocellus, POL:OD:OOL = 1.3:1.0:2.9; vertex between eye and hind ocellus nearly smooth except some extremely fine transverse wrinkles; face nearly polished except some punctures along eyes, not convex medially, 1.5 × wider than high.
Antenna nearly as long as body length, with 1st, 2nd, penultimate and ultimate flagellomeres 4.9, 5.5, 2.7 and 3.0 × longer than wide, 1st indistinctly longer than 2nd; mesoscutum with superficial and weakly-defined punctures anteriorly and laterally, largely smooth dorsally, notauli less obvious, weakly crenulated near to anterior 1/3; scutellar sulcus concave but not crenulated.
Medio-posterior depressions of scutellum large and oblong, both enclosed by a margined line; propodeum with distinct median carina and carinate-areolate elements medio-apically; pterostigma narrow, 2.9 × as long as its widest part; vein 1-R1 attenuated to 0.3 of length of pterostigma; T1 3.9 × longer than its maximum width, radially striate at lateral membranous area; T2 triangular part 1.3 × wider than median length; T3 1.9 × longer than T2.
The unique propodeum is very rare in Miracinae with a median carina and areola present similar to C. vertus (Papp, 2013). But differs in that the antennae are slightly shorter than the body length, with the penultimate flagellomere 2.7 × longer than the width (vs. antennae 1.2 × longer than the body length, with the penultimate flagellomere 4.0 × longer than the width in C. vertus). The median-posterior notch on the scutellum is clearly visible in a closed oval outline (vs. absent); and T2 is gradually wider basally (vs. narrow parallel sides basally).
C. linearis has a Cameroonian distribution. The specific name “linearis” is derived from Latin, referring to the fine wrinkles on the head and mesosoma. Body length 2.6 mm, dark brown; head 1.7 × as wide as long, 1.5 × wider than mesoscutum; eyes 2.0 × longer than temple in dorsal view; temple slightly shiny, small setose punctures with transverse wrinkles in between, not constricted behind eyes in dorsal view.
Distance between fore and a hind ocellus 1.5 × longer than minor axis of a hind ocellus, POL:OD:OOL = 1.3:1.0:3.1; clypeus 1.6 × wider than medial length, weakly defined punctate; antenna 1.2 × longer than body length, with 1st, 2nd, penultimate and ultimate flagellomeres 5.2, 4.9, 4.1 and 4.3 × longer than wide, 1st about as long as 2nd.
Mesoscutum with superficial and extremely small punctures, intervals with extremely fine wrinkles, notauli obvious, crenulated near to anterior 1/2; scutellar sulcus slightly curved, indistinctly crenulated; medio-posterior depressions of scutellum large and oblong, interval 3/4 of depression diameter.
Propodeum with distinct median carinae reaching beyond weak defined costulae, anterior parts with indistinct punctures anteriorly except wrinkles elsewhere as posterior parts, anterior part 2.8 × longer than median length of metanotum; vein 1-R1 0.3 of length of pterostigma; T1 2.8 × longer than its maximum width; T2 2.6 × wider than median length; T3 1.7 × longer than T2.
This species is similar to C. africana but differs in that the antennae are 1.3 × longer than the body (vs. antennae shorter than the body in C. africana). The medio-posterior grooves on the scutellum are oblong, widely spaced, at intervals of 3/4 of the groove diameter (vs. oval and closely spaced); and the scutellar sulcus is faintly notched (vs. not notched or concave).
C. longipedes has a distribution in Cameroon and Uganda. The specific name “longipedes” is derived from Latin, referring to the very long hind legs. Body length 2.2 mm, dark brown; head 1.7 × as wide as long, 1.3 × wider than mesoscutum; eyes 1.5 × longer than temple in dorsal view; temple with transverse wrinkles in between, not constricted behind eyes in dorsal view.
Distance between fore and a hind ocellus 1.2 × longer than minor axis of a hind ocellus, POL:OD:OOL = 1.2:1.0:3.2; frons flat and nearly polished except extremely fine transverse wrinkles; vertex between eye and hind ocellus shiny and sculptured as temple; face shiny, with extremely fine setose punctures, indistinctly convex medially, transverse, 1.4 × wider than high; clypeus 2.2 × wider than medial length, nearly polished.
Antenna 1.2 × longer than body length, with 1st, 2nd, penultimate and ultimate flagellomeres 6.3, 6.7, 3.8, and 4.6 × longer than wide, 1st 1.1 × longer than 2nd; mesoscutum with superficial and extremely small punctures, intervals with extremely fine wrinkles, notauli obvious, crenulated to anterior 1/3; scutellar sulcus straight and crenulated.
Medio-posterior depressions on scutellum large and oblong, virtually touching each other; propodeum with distinct median carinae just reach costulae, anterior parts with indistinct punctures and several short rugae alongside median carinae, 2.5 × longer than median length of metanotum, posterior parts polished.
Hind leg extremely long, 2.6 × than metasoma; pterostigma narrow, 3.7 × as long as its widest part; vein 1-R1 0.3 of length of pterostigma; T1 poorly defined, 2.8 × longer than its maximum width; T2 1.2 × wider than median length; T3 0.9 × length of T2, not longitudinally striate.
This species is similar to C. leucopterae (Wilkinson, 1936) but differs in that the temples are not narrowed behind the eyes in dorsal view (vs. greatly narrowed in C. leucopterae); T2 is 1.2 × wider than the median length (vs. 3.3 × wider); and T3 is polished (vs. longitudinally streaked).
C. turneri has a distribution in South Africa and Uganda. The specific name “turneri” is an expression of our gratitude to the late R.E. Turner for the large number of species collected in South Africa. Body length 1.7 mm, light red-brown; eyes 1.8 × longer than temple in dorsal view; temple smooth, superficially punctate, a little constricted behind eyes in dorsal view.
Hind ocelli in a shallow depression, distance between fore and a hind ocellus 1.3 × longer than minor axis of a hind ocellus, POL:OD:OOL = 1.5:1.0:2.5; vertex between eye and hind ocellus shiny and polished; face polished, 1.4 × wider than high; antenna slightly shorter than body length, with penultimate and ultimate flagellomeres 2.2 and 2.5 × longer than wide, 1st slightly longer (1.1 ×) than 2nd.
Mesoscutum with superficial and fine dense punctures anteriorly and laterally, more shallow and sparser dorsally, notauli hardly visible, only slightly depressed at anterior extremity; scutellar sulcus slightly curved, shallowly concave without crenulation; medio-posterior depressions of scutellum oblong, touching each other.
Propodeum with median carina reaching half way to hind margin, and bifurcated to two-thirds of lateral margin, largely polished elsewhere; pterostigma 2.8 × as long as its widest part, vein 1-R1 virtually absent; T1 polished, 2.5 × longer than its maximum width, strongly narrowed anterior-medially; T2 1.9 × wider than median length, not longitudinally striate at lateral membranous area; T3 1.4 × longer than T2, weakly longitudinally striate.
The apical extension of the pterostigma is short to longer and equal in length to the pterostigma, vein 1-R1 often present in Centistidea. This vein is similar to C. mubilibana (de Saeger, 1944) for the carination of the propodeum but differs in that the length of the ocellar triangle is almost half the distance separating it from each eye (vs. approximately the same in C. mubilibana); vein 1-SR is present (vs. almost absent); and T1 is glossy (vs. streaked or rugose).
Original research
Liu Z, Polaszek A (2024). Afrotropical Centistidea Rohwer, 1914 (Hymenoptera, Braconidae) with description of four new species. ZooKeys 1216: 83-100, DOI:10.3897/zookeys.1216.133127
Dlium theDlium