Skip to main content

White Darwin wasp (Protoleptops nyeupe), a new species and the fifth in genus since Heinrich's description in 1967

White Darwin wasp (Protoleptops nyeupe) species baru dan kelima dalam genus sejak dideskripsikan Heinrich pada 1967

NEWS - Researchers established a new species, white darwin wasp (Protoleptops nyeupe) marking the first occurrence of an Ichneumoninae species in Burundi, first described a female P. farquharsoni Heinrich 1967 from KwaZulu-Natal, documented P. magnificus from Mpumalanga, South Africa, and P. angolae Heinrich 1967 from Uganda,

P. nyeupe can be easily distinguished from all other known species of the genus by the combination of characters of incomplete carination of the propodeum, absence of costulae and fused dentiparous area with area externa and area spiracularis.

The temples are straight and fused (P. farquharsoni, P. heinrichi and P. magnificus are prominent and not fused). The hind tarsus is white (P. farquharsoni, P. heinrichi and P. magnificus are fused). The presence of scopa that occupies 1/3 of the ventral part of the coxa (P. heinrichi does not have it, P. angolae and P. farquharsoni are small, P. magnificus occupies 2/3 of the ventral side of the coxa).

Mesocutellum is white (P. farquharsoni and P. angolae are reddish orange, P. heinrichi and P. magnificus have lateral white markings). T2 is striped longitudinally in the middle (P. angolae and P. farquharsoni are densely spotted). Petiolar area is sharply demarcated (P. angolae is not sharply demarcated). Mesopleuron is spotted on the surface and is sparse (P. angolae is densely and strongly spotted).

The specific epithet nyeupe is a noun in apposition derived from the Swahili word “nyeupe” for white. This name refers to the extensive white color of the mesoscutum and mesoscutellum which contrasts sharply with the dark color of the rest of the body.

This study presents a comprehensive revision of Protoleptops Heinrich, 1967, and extends its range. A specimen of P. nyeupe in a bush on the edge of a dirt road was collected together with several unidentified females of Cryptini (Ichneumonidae, Cryptinae) that had the exact same coloration pattern as the new species.

P. nyeupe and the Cryptinae stood out from the background as small whitish moving balls. Researchers scoured museums and collections for species and genera of Ichneumoninae and Cryptinae that have this distinctive coloration pattern in the Afrotropics.

The discovery of this surprising new species also marks the first record of the Ichneumoninae subfamily for Burundi, coupled with the first record of P. angolae in East Africa, demonstrating that knowledge of the diversity and distribution of Darwin's wasps in the Afrotropics is still lacking.

Original research

Dal Pos D, De Ketelaere A, Di Giovanni F (2024). Revision of the Afrotropical genus Protoleptops Heinrich, 1967 (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae, Ichneumoninae), with description of a new species from Burundi. ZooKeys 1214: 197-216, DOI:10.3897/zookeys.1214.131071

Dlium theDlium
Labels:

Popular Posts

Bugang (Clerodendrum calamitosum)

Bugang ( Clerodendrum calamitosum ) is a species of plant in the Lamiaceae family. It is an erect shrub, growing up to 1 meter tall, with cylindrical, green stems and white hairs. The leaves are opposite. The leaf blade is oval, wavy, with a central main vein with numerous pinnate minor veins, and serrated margins. The leaves are up to 9 cm long and 7 cm wide. The petiole is up to 2 cm long. The flowers are star-shaped, white, up to 3 cm in diameter and up to 6 cm in total length. The fruit is round, dark green, turning black when ripe. TAXON Kingdom: Plantae Phylum: Tracheophyta Subphylum: Angiospermae Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Lamiales Family: Lamiaceae Subfamily: Ajugoideae Genus: Clerodendrum L. in Sp. Pl.: 637 (1753) Species: Clerodendrum calamitosum L. in Mant. Pl. 1: 90 (1767) HETEROTYPIC SYNONYMS Clerodendrum fastigiatum (W.Hunter ex Ridl.) H.J.Lam in Verben. Malay. Archip.: 317 (1919) Volkameria alternifolia Burm.f. in Fl. Indica: 137 (1768) Volkameria fastigiata W.Hunter...
Read more

Common sun skink (Eutropis multifasciata)

Kadal kebun or bengkarung or Mabuya multifasciata or common sun skink ( Eutropis multifasciata ) is a species of lizard in Scincidae, has a pattern of faint lines extending to the sides of the body, measuring 18 to 22 cm in length with a tail length of about 60% of the overall body and more many live on the ground. E. multifasciata has a sharp head with a very short neck and a square cross section. The upper part is dark brown or shiny grayish brown with a golden body side especially near the neck. Sometimes also decorated with small pale spots on the back. The lower neck is light brown and the abdomen to the anus is pale brown. The muzzle is reddish, the tail is the same color as the body, decorated with a faint dark line on the sides. The arms are also the same color as the upper body. Common sun skinks usually live on the edge of forests, gardens, rice fields and human settlements. They spend most of their time on the ground, usually in crevices and rocky cliffs as a place t...
Read more

Durian (Durio zibethinus)

Durian ( Durio zibethinus ) is a species of tropical plant in Malvaceae, an annual tree, everlasting green but there are certain times to grow new leaves after the fruiting period is over, popularly called "king of fruit" and considered a controversial fruit where many people like, but some others are even fed up with the scent. D. zibethinus grows to 25-50 m, reddish brown bark and irregular peeling, leafy and stretched canopy. The leaves are oval shaped to lanceolate, 10-15x3-4.5 cm, sitting alternately, stemmed, taper or blunt base and taper-pointed sloping, bright green upper side, the lower side covered with silver or golden scales. Flowers and fruit Flowers appear directly on the trunk or old branches at the proximal, clustered in panicles containing 3-10 florets or flat-shaped florets. Rounded flower buds, 2 cm in diameter and long stem. Tubular petals, 3 cm long, additional petals split into 2-3 round lobes. Crown shaped spatula with a length of 2 times the ...
Read more