European Journal of Taxonomy 49: 1-38

http://dx.doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2013.49

ISSN 2118-9773

www. europeanj ournaloftaxonomy. eu

2013 • Rousse R, Villemant C. & Seyrig A.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

Research article

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:3710B2FF-ACC0-4D76-AC5A-F7A0B2D4BC63

Ichneumonid wasps from Madagascar. VI. The genus Pristomerm

(Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae: Cremastinae)

Pascal ROUSSE 1 , Claire VILLEMANT 2 & Andre SEYRIG 1

1 Iziko South African Museum, Natural History Department, PO Box 61, Cape Town 8000, South

Africa; Stellenbosch University, Department of Botany and Zoology, Evolutionary Genomics Group,

Private Bag XI, Stellenbosch 7602, South Africa

E-mail: [email protected] (corresponding author)

2 Museum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Dept. Systematique & Evolution, UMR7205 MNHN-CNRS,

CP50, 45 rue Buffon, 75005 Paris, France

E-mail: villeman@mnhn fr

' Deceased author

1 urn:lsid:zoobank.org:author:B06C2640-700A-429B-AA2F-lBE09251C845

2 urn:lsid:zoobank.org:author:E93C2DD0-5DA8-43F6-9A53-07FElF557BlA

t urn:lsid:zoobank.org:author:BE2CD298-C020-4860-8E27-772812C56DBE

Abstract. Pristomerus species of Madagascar are revised. We report 15 species, of which 12 are newly

described: P guinness sp. nov., P. hansoni sp. nov., P. kelikely sp. nov., P. keyka sp. nov., P. moramora

sp. nov., P. melissa sp. nov., P patator sp. nov., P ranomafana sp. nov., P roberti sp. nov., P. vahaza sp.

nov., P. veloma sp. nov. and P yago sp. nov. Pristomerus albescens (Morley) and P cunctator Tosquinet

are newly recorded from Madagascar and new host and/or distribution records are provided for this

species. A dichotomous key to all species is provided. The zoogeographical relation of the Malagasy

fauna of Pristomerus with respect to mainland Africa is discussed: only three of the 15 species are

reported to occur outside of Madagascar, suggesting a high level of endemism in Madagascar which

was not unexpected.

Keywords. Parasitic wasps, Indian Ocean, biodiversity hotspot, taxonomy, description.

Rousse R, Villemant C. & Seyrig A. 2013. Ichneumonid wasps from Madagascar. VI. The genus Pristomerus

(Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae: Cremastinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 49: 1-38. http://dx.doi.org/10.5852/

eit.2013.49

Introduction

Madagascar and the nearby islands of the Western Indian Ocean have been classified as a “Biodiversity

hotspot” (Myers et al. 2000). Its endemism rate is exceptionally high (Goodman & Benstead 2003)

and it remains one of the least investigated biogeographic areas on the planet. It is unfortunately also

characterized by a rapid loss of natural habitats, mainly due to large-scale deforestation. The inventory

of Malagasy biodiversity is therefore a priority for conservation purposes. Andre Seyrig (1897-1945)

was a pioneer by collecting and inventorying the local entomofauna. He mainly focused on the huge

European Journal of Taxonomy 49: 1-38 (2013)

family of Ichneumonidae. This family is expected to exceed 100,000 species (Gauld 1991), of which

only 25,000 have been described (Yu et al. 2012).

Andre Seyrig was murdered before completing his tremendous task, and a large part of his work was

left unpublished. His collections and manuscripts are kept at the Museum National d’Histoire Naturelle,

Paris (MNHN). Given the large interest of their content, we started to complete Seyrig’s work by

publishing a revision of Cremastinae of Madagascar (Rousse, Villemant & Seyrig 2011). This large

revision was, however, unfinished, since we could not include the genus Pristomerus Curtis, 1836. We

thus complete here the full overview of the subfamily. Pristomerus are parasitoids of small Tepidoptera.

They are firstly characterized (like some South American Xiphosomella) by the presence of thyridiae on

the second metasomal tergite and of a tooth on the ventral edge of the hind femur, this latter character

being, however, often absent or hardly visible in females. To date, only eight species of Pristomerus

have been described from the entire Afrotropical region: our present revision shows that many are still

to be described.

Material and Methods

Material examined

Seyrig collected specimens throughout Madagascar from 1921 to 1944. This material was re-identified

to generic level using Townes’s (1971) key, as well as unidentified specimens collected by Seyrig and

others, including specimens collected from 2000 to 2003 during the “Terrestrial Arthropod Inventory

of Madagascar”, a project led by Brian Fisher and Charles Griswold (California Academy of Sciences).

Seyrig (1932) and Heinrich (1938) found that less than 10% of the species ofPimplinae and Ichneumoninae

known from Madagascar have a non-African origin. Despite high levels of endemicity, a Gondwanan

origin of some ichneumonid groups in Madagascar was hypothesized to explain certain distribution

patterns in the Southern Hemisphere (Gauld & Wahl 2002). The specimens examined in this study

were thus compared with the descriptions and holotypes of species reported in the Taxapad database

of Ichneumonidae (Yu et al. 2012) that occur throughout Africa, the Indian subcontinent and among

the Indian Ocean islands. Finally, the collections of the Izilco South African Museum were examined to

check the potential distribution of the Malagasy species in mainland Africa.

Abbreviations

Fortunately, as several species were collected in large numbers by Seyrig, we were able to designate

many paratypes and donate, as far as possible, one or two of them to the following institutions:

AMNH

BMNH

CAS

ISAM

MNHU

MRAC

IZPAN

NHRS

American Museum of Natural History, New York, USA

Natural History Museum, London, UK

California Academy of Science, USA

Izilco South African Museum, Cape Town, South Africa

Museum fiir Naturlcunde der Humboldt Universitat, Berlin, Germany

Museum Royal de l’Afrique Centrale, Tervueren, Belgium

Instytut Zoologiczny Polska Adademia Nauk, Warsaw, Poland

Naturhistoriska Riksmuseet, Stockholm, Sweden

Terminology and indices

The morphological terminology and wing venation follows Wahl & Sharkey (1993) and Gauld (1991),

respectively (Fig. 1). The micro-sculpture was described following Fitton et al. (1988). With most of

the examined insects being air dried for more than 70 years, the color indications should be considered

with caution. The typology of the propodeal area basalis and the density of punctation follow Rousse et

al. (2011).

ROUSSE R, VILLEMANT C. & SEYRIG A., Pristomerus (Hymenoptera) in Madagascar

The measurements used in the study are as follows:

L: fore wing maximal length (mm). These are successively given as the holotype length, and the length

mean and range calculated on an indicated number of individuals (indicated in brackets, maximum 10).

CT: Clypeal transversality index

maximal width of clypeus

central height of clypeus

\ u t ■ a shortest distance between eye and lateral ocellus

OOE: Oculo-Ocellar Erne index = - -— —r. - - - ~ J - r. -

greatest diameter ot median ocellus

POL: Posterior Ocellar Line index =

shortest distance between lateral ocelli

greatest diameter of median ocellus

ML: Malar Line index

shortest distance between eye and mandible

basal width of mandible

OT: Ovipositor sheath-hind Tibia index =

length of ovipositor sheath

length of hind tibia

FFT: Female Femoral Tooth index estimates stoutness of the tooth on ventral face of femur for females

(Fig. 2).

Results

The present study recognizes 15 Pristomerus Curtis, 1836 (Arthropoda: Hexapoda: Insecta: Hymenoptera:

Ichneumonidae: Cremastinae) species in Madagascar, 12 of which are considered as new:

P. albescens (Morley, 1917)

P caris Fitton, 1994

P. cunctator Tosquinet, 1896

P. guinness sp. nov.

P. hansoni sp. nov.

Fig. 1. Wing venation nomenclature (Gauld 1991).

European Journal of Taxonomy 49 : 1-38 ( 2013 )

P. kelikely sp. nov.

P. kekya sp. nov.

P. melissa sp. nov.

P. moramora sp. nov.

P. patator sp. nov.

P. ranomafana sp. nov.

P. roberti sp. nov.

P. vahaza sp. nov.

P. veloma sp. nov.

P. yago sp. nov.

The key provided allows for the identification of these species. The reader may also refer to Table

1, though correct identification of isolated male specimens of this genus may be not achievable. The

species are presented in alphabetical order and new taxa are described. The examined specimens were

collected by A. Seyrig unless otherwise stated. Except for P. keyka sp. nov. and P. ranomafana sp. nov.

(deposited in the CAS collection), all holotypes are housed in the MNHN collection.

Taxonomic descriptions

Phylum Arthropoda Latreille, 1829

Class Insecta Linnaeus, 1758

Order Hymenoptera Linnaeus, 1758

Lamily Ichneumonidae Latreille, 1802

Subfamily Cremastinae Forster, 1869

Genus Pristomerus Curtis, 1836 (definition after Townes 1971)

Diagnosis

Body moderately slender, metasoma moderately to strongly compressed. Occipital carina usually

complete. Lemales (often) and males (nearly always) with hind femur swollen and bearing a tooth on

lower side. Porewing with areolet open (3rs-m absent), vein Rs&M opposite or a little basal to vein

cu-a, and 2rs-m basal to 2m-cu by at least 2rs-m length. Hindwing with vein Cul spectral. Tergite 1

moderately slender, glymma hardly distinct. Lower edges of tergite 1 separated and parallel. Epipleura

of tergite 2 narrow, separated by a crease and turned under. Thyridium present, transverse or subcircular,

located in basal 0.2 of tergite 2. Ovipositor tip most often sinuate. Apex of male gonosquama rounded.

Fig. 2. Female Femoral Tooth index. A. Tooth absent (FFT = 0). B. Tooth distinct, but wider than high

(FFT = 1). C. Tooth higher than wide (FFT = 2).

ROUSSE R, VILLEMANT C. & SEYRIG A., Pristomerus (Hymenoptera) in Madagascar

Table 1. Synoptic table for Pristomerus species of Madagascar. - Face (ground color). 0: yellowish

to orage; 1: withish; 2: black brown. - Female. Wing (length), 0: < 3.6; 1: 3.6 - 5.5; 2: > 5.5. Flag

(number of flagellomeres), 0: < 25; 1: 25 - 33; 2: > 33. OOL (oculo-ocellar index), 0: < 1; 1: 1.0 - 1.1;

2 > 1.1. ML (Malar index), 0: < 0.5; 1: 0.6 - 0.7; 2:> 0.8. CL (clypeal index), 0: < 1.7; 1: 1.8-2; 2 > 2.

Meso (mesosoma), 0: < 1.8 x; 1: 1.8 - 2 x; 2: > 2 x as long as wide. ASM (area superomedia), 0: lateral

carinae lacking; l<2.5x, 1: > 2.5 x as long as wide. FFT (Female femoral tooth index), see Fig. 2. OT

(Ovipositor-hind tibia index), 0: < 1.5; 1: 1.5 - 1.9; 2: 2.0 - 2.5; 3: > 2.5. - Male. OO (oculo-ocellar

index), 0: < 0.4; 1: 0.4 - 0.8; 2:> 0.8.

Species

Face

Wing

Flag

OOL

Female

Meso

ASM

FFT

Male

P. albescens

P. caris

0-1

P. cunctator

1-2

0-1

P. guinness

1-2

0-1

P. hansoni

P. kelikely

0-1

P. keyka

P. melissa

P. moramora

P. patator

P. ranomafana

P. roberti

P. vahaza

P. veloma

P yet go

1-2

Remarks

Pristomerus is a large genus of 100 species worldwide (Yu et al. 2012). Most species are tropical. Hosts

include various small Lepidoptera living in tunnels, leaf rolls, buds and other shelters. This genus is

usually well differentiated from the New World genus Xiphosomella Szepligeti by the position of the

thyridiae on tergite 2, which in Pristomerus are separated from the anterior margin by at most their

own diameter, and most usually further back in Xiphosomella. Additionally, the forewing areolet is

always open and the ovipositor tip nearly always sinuate in Pristomerus. As stated by Gauld (2000) this

combination of features sometimes fails to unambiguously differentiate from Pristomerus some species

in the extreme end of the variation range of Xiphosomella. Subsequently, both genera are susceptible to

be eventually merged in absence of clearer autapomorphies.

European Journal of Taxonomy 49: 1-38 (2013)

Key to Pristomerus species of Madagascar

1 Face and inner orbits dark brown, clypeus white (Fig. 10C); area superomedia hardly delimited

laterally (male unknown). P. melissa sp. nov.

- Face differently colored, white to orange, if medially dark then inner orbits strikingly paler;

area superomedia almost always laterally delimited .2

2 Ground color of face white (e.g., Fig. 6C), sometimes with a more or less large dark mid¬

longitudinal marking (e.g., Figs 4B, 13B).3

- Ground color of face yellowish to orange (e.g., Figs 5B, 16B).7

3 Metasomal tergites dark brown with wide white apical margin; female femoral tooth small but

distinct (FFT = 1); male with lateral ocellus nearly contiguous with eye (OOL = 0.1) .

. P. guinness sp. nov.

- Metasoma differently colored; female femoral tooth absent or hardly present as a weak

angulation (FFT = 0); male with lateral ocellus more distant from eye (OOL >0.1) (male of

P. ranomafana unknown).4

4 Mesosoma elongate, more than 2 x as long as wide; ovipositor relatively short (OT < 1.5);

male with lateral ocellus relatively far from eye (OOL = 0.6) . P. vahaza sp. nov.

- Mesosoma at most 2 x as long as high; ovipositor longer (OT > 1.5); male with lateral

ocellus closer to eye (OOL = 0.2) (male of P. ranomafana unknown) .5

5 Ovipositor very long (OT >2.5), pterostigma orange. P. hansoni sp. nov.

- Ovipositor shorter (1.5 < OT < 2.3), pterostigma brown.6

6 Forewing with 2rs-m at least 0.5 x as long as 2m-cu; ovipositor moderately long (OT 1.5-1.8)

. P. caris Fitton

- Forewing with 2rs-m shorter, about 0.3 x as long as 2m-cu; ovipositor longer (OT > 2) (male

unknown). P. ranomafana sp. nov.

7 Female femoral tooth absent (FFT = 0); male with ocelli hardly enlarged, distant from eyes (OOL =

1.0)...8

- Female femoral tooth present, though sometimes reduced to a small tubercle (FFT 1 or 2);

male, where known, with ocelli enlarged and closer to eye (OOL < 1) .9

n.b. Males of P. albescens could key here because their lateral ocelli are distinctly removed from

eyes. They can however be distinguished by their transverse head with narrow clypeus (CT = 1.4).

8 Antenna with more than 30 flagellomeres; mesosoma about 2 x as long as wide, body uniformly

orange. P. kelikely sp. nov.

- Antenna with fewer than 30 flagellomeres; mesosoma stouter, body with dark brown markings

. P moramora sp. nov.

9 Face at least with yellow margins along inner orbits; female femoral tooth small (FFT = 1) ...

.10

- Face rufo-testaceous; female femoral tooth stronger (FFT = 2).14

10 Ovipositor relatively short (OT < 1.4), its tip straight; head transverse with clypeus narrow (CT

<1.5). P. albescens (Morley)

- Ovipositor longer (OT 1.5-2.5), apically sinuate; head not distinctly transverse, clypeus more

transverse (CT >1.5).11

ROUSSE R, VILLEMANT C. & SEYRIG A., Pristomerus (Hymenoptera) in Madagascar

11 Antenna with fewer than 25 flagellomeres; mesoscutum granulate with sparse punctures along

notaulus; small species (L < 3.2) (male unknown). P. keyka sp. nov.

- Antenna with more than 25 flagellomeres; mesoscutum moderately to densely punctate-

granulate; larger species (L > 3.5).12

12 Antenna with more than 36 flagellomeres; pterostigma orange; propodeum with area supero-

media hardly defined laterally; large species (L = 5.8) . P. patator sp. nov.

- Antenna with fewer than 36 flagellomeres; pterostigma brown; propodeum with area supero-

media complete; smaller species (L < 5.5).13

13 Clypeus strongly transverse (CT > 2.5); malar line short (ML = 0.4), mesonotum orange.

. P. roberti sp. nov.

- Clypeus narrower (CT < 2), malar line longer (ML = 0.7), notaulus and scutellum yellow.

. P. cunctator Tosquinet

14 Mesonotum densely punctate; face not distinctly transverse; large species (L > 7.0).

. P. veloma sp. nov.

- Mesonotum almost smooth; head distinctly transverse with clypeus narrow (CT = 1.5); smaller

species (L < 5.0). P. yago sp. nov.

Pristomerus albescens (Morley, 1917)

Fig. 3

Pristomeridia albescens Morley, 1917: 224.

Diagnosis

Small species; face pale yellow; head and mesosoma pale yellow with brown markings, metasoma

dark brown, tergite 4 and following lighter, more or less yellow maculated; head strongly constricted

behind eyes; face transverse and ventrally narrowed, densely punctate, clypeus smooth, narrow, convex

in profile; mesoscutum densely punctate, scutellum moderately punctate with posterior face striate; area

superomedia about 2 x longer than wide; female femoral tooth small, sometimes reduced to a small

angulation; ovipositor moderately short, its tip straight; POL 1.9; OOL 1.1; CT 1.4; ML 0.5; OT 1.3;

FFT 1.

Differential diagnosis

Closely related to P. moramora , but readily distinguishable by the straight tip of ovipositor, the transverse

head and the relatively narrow clypeus.

Etymology

Euphonic arrangement of letters.

Material examined

Lectotype

SOUTH AFRICA: $ (SAM-HYM-P001199), Mfongosi, 28°43’ S, 30°48’ E, verbatim label data:

“Mfongosi, Zulu L., W.E. Jones, April 1926”, metasoma, antennae and most of legs lacking.

Paralectotype

SOUTH AFRICA: $ (SAM-HYM-P001223), same label data.

European Journal of Taxonomy 49: 1-38 (2013)

Other material examined

MADAGASCAR: $ (MNHN EY3550), Ampandradava, 23°50’ S, 44°52’ E, verbatim label data:

“Madagascar, Bekily [Ampandrandava], reg. sud de Pile, VI.34”, complete; 5 $$, 9 ff (MNHN

EY3551, EY8671-8683), same locality, Apr. 1934, May, Sep.-Nov. 1936, Jan., Mar. and May 1937,

Sep. and Oct. 1938; 4 8 SS (MNHN EY8684-8695), Behara, Mar. and Apr. 1937, Feb. and Apr.

1938, Jan. 1941; 1 $ (MNHN 1 EY8696), Ankaratra, Feb. 1941; 8 Bekily, May, Sep.-Oct. 1936,

Sep. 1938 (one to each of the above mentioned institutions). - TANZANIA: 6 $$ (ISAM), Mkomazi

game reserve, Dec. 1995-Apr. 1996. - SOUTH AFRICA: 2 $$ (ISAM), Western Cape, Gamlcaberg

game reserve, Dec. 2008-Jan. 2009.

Description

Female

Length. 3.5, 3.4 (3.1-3.5) (10 specimens).

Head. Strongly constricted behind eyes. Temple short. Ocellar triangle anteriorly acute. Face distinctly

narrowed ventrally. Frons and vertex granulate, face densely but superficially punctate. Clypeus rounded

Fig. 3. Pristomerus albescens (Morley). A. §, habitus, profile. B. §, habitus, dorsal. C. §, head, facial.

D. 5, hind femur, profile. E. (J, hind femur, profile.

ROUSSE R, VILLEMANT C. & SEYRIG A., Pristomerus (Hymenoptera) in Madagascar

and convex, almost smooth. Mandible short and stout, teeth subequal. Malar line short. Antenna with

30-31 flagellomeres.

Mesosoma. Stout, about 1.6 x longer than high. Pronotum almost smooth with few punctures centrally.

Mesonotum matt, densely punctate-granulate, some punctures confluent. Scuto-scutellar groove

longitudinally striate. Scutellum moderately punctate, shining, its vertical posterior margin longitudinally

striate. Mesopleuron densely punctate and shining, metapleuron more granulate. Propodeum shining,

moderately punctate, area petiolaris transversally wrinkled. Area basalis opposite (sometimes petiolate

or truncate), area superomedia about 2 x longer than wide and slightly shorter than area petiolaris. Legs:

femoral tooth distinct but small, sometimes only present as a weak protuberance.

Metasoma. Post-petiole, tergite 2 and base of tergite 3 finely aciculate. Tergite 2 slightly shorter than

tergite 1, about 2.5 x longer than apically wide. Thyridia elongate-oval. Ovipositor moderately long, its

tip straight.

Color. Antenna brown, scape and pedicel ventrally orange. Head and mesosoma yellow with dark

maculae. Dark brown to brown: Irons, vertex, lobes of mesonotum, a transverse spot on mesopleuron

and metapleuron, scuto-scutellar groove, apex of scutellum and post-scutellum, metanotum and median

basal half of propodeum (in some individuals, the dark marking is faded on pleurae, scutellum and

propodeum). Legs yellow, front and mid coxae and all trochanters white, hind leg more orange with

tarsus and tibia basally and apically infuscate; dorsal margin of hind tibia white. Wings hyaline,

pterostigma light brown. Metasoma brown, tergites 1-3 dark brown, their apex more or less bordered

with yellow, lateral margins of tergite 2 sometimes bordered with yellow, other tergites brown orange.

Thyridia yellow. Ovipositor sheath brown.

Male

Length: 3.3. (3.1-3.4) (10 specimens). Posterior ocelli equally distant from each other as from eyes

(POL = OOL = 0.9). Hind femur swollen, femoral tooth long and sharp, followed by a row of small

denticles. Otherwise similar to female.

Distribution

Madagascar (Toliara province), Tanzania (new distribution records), South Africa.

Remarks

The straight ovipositor is a very rare feature in Pristomerus spp. mentioned by Townes (1971) in only

one undescribed Afrotropical species.

Pristomerus caris Litton, 1994

Pig. 4

Diagnosis

Moderately sized species; face ivory white, more or less dark maculated medially; head white and black,

mesosoma and metasoma brownish orange with tergites 1-3 blackish brown, mesosoma sometimes

with black spots dorsally; face sparsely punctate, clypeus smooth and transverse; mesoscutum densely

punctate-granulate, scutellum finely and sparsely punctate; area superomedia 1.9-2.7 x longer than

wide; female femoral tooth absent; ovipositor moderately long, apically sinuate; POL 0.7; OOL 1.1; CT

1.8; ML 0.5; OT 1.5-1.7; LET 0.

European Journal of Taxonomy 49: 1-38 (2013)

Differential diagnosis

Closely related to P. vahaza. Both share the same color pattern but may be distinguished by the shape of

mesosoma, distinctly elongate in P. vahaza , and by the scutellum which is flat in P. vahaza and convex

in P. carls.

Material examined

Holotype

MADAGASCAR: $ (BMNH), Lac Alaotra, Cala Station, 17°42’ S, 48°28’ E, verbatim label data:

“Madagascar: Lac Alaotra, Stn Cala, 12 Feb. 1988 (coll. R Bousses)”, complete.

Paratype

MADAGASCAR: $ (BMNH), same locality, same date.

Other material examined

MADAGASCAR: 5 $$ (MNHN), Mandreka forest, Dec. 1929 and Nov. 1936; 2 $$ (MNHN),

Antananarivo, Jan. 1930 and Dec. 1933 (coll Olsoufieff); 2 §? (MNHN), Lac Alotra, Aug. 1928; 1 $

(MNHN), Antsirabe, Jan. 1940; 1 $ (MNHN), Ambositra, Feb. 1934; 2 §? (MNHN), Andreba, Nov.

-Dec. 1934; 4 $$ (MNHN), Montagne d’Ambre, Jan. 1934; 1 $, 2 $$ (MNHN), Ranomafana, Oct.

1938; 3 ??, Rogez, Dec. 1930, Jun. 1937; 1 $ (MNHN), Ihosy, Dec. 1931; 5 $$, 1 Bekily, Jan.,

Mar.-Apr. 1933, Apr. 1934, Dec. 1936; 1 $ (MNHN), Tsingjoarivo, Mar. 1932; 14 ?$, 1 $ (MNHN),

Ankaratra (1800 m), Mar. 1940, Feb., Mar. and May 1941; 1 § (CAS), verbatim label data: “Province

Fianarantsoa, Parc Nat. Ranomafana, 14-21 January 2002, 21° 15.05’ S, 47° 24.43’ E (colls: M. Irwin,

R. Harin’Hala, malaise, radio tower at forest edge in mixed tropical forest, elev. 1130 m, MA-02-

09B-12)”; 1 $ (CAS), verbatim label data: “Toamasina Province, botanic garden near entrance to

Andasibe Nat. Park, 18° 55.58’ S, 48° 24.47’ E, 7-16 November 2001 (colls: M. Irwin, R. Harin’Hala,

malaise, in tropical forest, elev. 1025 m, MA-01-08B-19)”; 8 §§, Rogez, Sep. and Dec. 1930, Nov.

1931, Feb. and Jun. 1932, May 1936 (one to each of the above mentioned institutions). Males with small

ocelli (OOL = 0.5): 1 $ (MNHN), Rogez, Feb. 1938; 22 $$ (MNHN), Ankaratra (1800 m), Dec. 1931,

Feb. 1938 and 1941, Feb.-Mar. 1940.

Description

Female

Length. 4.1, 4.2 (3.3-4. 7) (10 specimens).

Head. Temple short, head distinctly constricted behind eyes. Vertex finely granulate. Face shining,

sparsely punctate. Clypeus smooth, shining, transverse. Malar line short. Mandible short and stout.

Ocellar triangle acute. Antenna with 29-32 flagellomeres.

Mesosoma. Stout, 1.5-1. 7 x longer than high. Pronotum smooth, shining, the antero-ventral part with

an irregular surface, epomia raising dorsally. Mesonotum densely punctate-granulate, its apical 1/5

smooth. Mesopleuron shining and densely punctate. Metapleuron punctate-granulate. Scuto-scutellar

groove smooth, sometimes with weak longitudinal wrinkles. Scutellum slightly convex, smooth with

sparse and fine punctures. Propodeum strongly carinated, moderately punctate and shining. Area basalis

short, petiolate, opposite or truncate. Area superomedia long, 1.9-2. 7 x longer than wide (usually about

2), area petiolaris wider and more or less wrinkled apically. Hind femur moderately slender, without

femoral tooth. Fore wing with 2rs-m basal to 2m-cu by 2 x its length.

Metasoma. Tergites 1-3 finely aciculate. Thyridia oval to subcircular. Ovipositor moderately long.

Color. Brownish orange overall. Head ivory white. Blackish brown: antennae, center of frons, vertex

and occiput. A pair of black spots generally extends from vertex through outer orbits. Face more or

ROUSSE R, VILLEMANT C. & SEYRIG A., Pristomerus (Hymenoptera) in Madagascar

less mid-longitudinally infiiscate. Darker specimens also bear black maculae on mesoscutum and

propodeum. Tergites 1-3 black-brown with base of tergite 1 lighter (yellow to orange). Thyridia yellow.

Hind tarsus infiiscate. Ovipositor sheath blackish. Wings hyaline, pterostigma dark brown to testaceous.

Male

Length: 3.8 (3.5-4.2) (10 specimens). Face widened ventrally, ocelli enlarged and very close to eyes

posteriorly (OOL = 0.2) except for 22 males from Ank aratra and 1 from Rogez whose ocelli are smaller

(OOL = 0.5). Hind femur swollen, bearing an acute tooth followed by a row of denticles. Otherwise

similar to female.

Host records

Maliarpha separatella Ragonot (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) (Polaszek et al. 1994).

Distribution

Madagascar (widely distributed).

Remarks

The large series of specimens available in Seyrig’s collection shows considerable variation with respect

to the description of P. car is by Polaszek et al. (1994). The propodeum carination is highly variable, with

Fig. 4. Pristomerus caris Fitton, 1994. A. §, habitus, profile. B. $, head, facial. C. $ (paratype), head,

dorsal. D. $ (Ankaratra), head, dorsal. E. §, mesosoma, dorsal. F. §, hind femur, profile. G. S, hind

femur, profile.

European Journal of Taxonomy 49: 1-38 (2013)

area basalis petiolate to truncate, and area superomedia which greatly varies in length. Color also varies

from lighter specimens with reduced brownish markings to darker ones with larger black spots on face,

vertex, mesoscutum and propodeum. We furthermore observed two male groups with differently sized

ocelli (Fig. 4C, D). Such variability is however not correlated with any other plastic or geographical

difference. These specimens might represent a species complex whose study needs more comprehensive

molecular and morphometric investigations.

Pristomerus cunctator Tosquinet, 1896

Fig. 5

Diagnosis

Rather large species; face yellow; head and mesosoma orange and yellow, metasoma orange with

variable infuscate markings; face densely punctate, slightly widened ventrally, clypeus strongly

transverse and smooth; mesoscutum densely punctate-granulate (almost smooth in male), scutellum

moderately punctate; area superomedia about 2.5 x longer than wide; female femoral tooth small;

ovipositor moderately short, its apex sinuate; POL 1.0; OOL 1.0; CT 1.8; ML 0.7; OT 1.4-1.5; FFT 1.

Differential diagnosis

Species recognizable by the combination of the color pattern and the almost smooth mesoscutum of

male.

Material examined

Lectotype

MOZAMBIQUE: $ (MNHU 26283), verbatim label data: “Delagoa-Bai (Mozambique)”, no collection

date, complete.

Other material examined

MADAGASCAR: 13 ??, 24 SS (MNHN), Bekily, Mar. 1930, Apr. 1930, April 1932, Mar.-May 1933,

Mar.-Jun. 1934, May-Jul., Sep., Oct. and Dec. 1936, Feb. 1937; 2 SS (MNHN), Betroka, Feb.-Mar.

1933; 1 S, Tsivory, Jan. 1933; 1 5,4 SS (MNHN), Ivoloina, Aug., Sep. and Dec. 1962 (B. Sigwalt,

coll.); 8 $ 5, 8 SS (MNHN), Bekily, Mar., Apr. and Oct. 1933, Jul. 1934 (two deposited in each of the

institutions mentioned above).

Description

Female

Length. 5.4, 4.9 (4.2-5.4) (10 specimens).

Head. Strongly constricted behind eyes. Temple short. Face slightly widened ventrally. Vertex and lateral

margin of frons granulate, face more densely punctate centrally than laterally. Clypeus transverse, almost

smooth. Mandible with teeth subequal; malar line rather short. Antenna with 32-35 llagellomeres.

Mesosoma. Moderately elongate, nearly 2 x longer than high. Pronotum shining, sparsely and superficially

punctate anteriorly. Mesoscutum densely punctate-granulate, some punctures almost confluent. Scuto-

scutellar groove almost smooth. Scutellum shining, moderately punctate. Mesopleuron shining, densely

punctate, speculum smooth. Metapleuron densely punctate-granulate. Propodeum shining, densely

punctate laterally. Area basalis opposite or truncate, area superomedia about 2.5 x longer than wide.

Area petiolaris transversally wrinkled. Hind femur with a distinct small tooth.

Metasoma. Tergites 1-2 finely aciculate. Tergite 2 about 2 x as long as apically wide. Thyridia rounded,

separated from each other by about 4 x their diameter. Ovipositor slightly up-curved, its apical 1/3

sinuate.

ROUSSE R, VILLEMANT C. & SEYRIG A., Pristomerus (Hymenoptera) in Madagascar

Color. Body orange with yellow markings. Antenna brown, scape and pedicel orange. Head yellow with

central part of frons, vertex and occiput orange. Mesosoma orange except yellow parts: anterior part of

pronotum, notauli, lateral margin of mesoscutum, scutellum, tegula, subalar prominence, postero-ventral

corner of mesopleuron, posterior part of metapleuron, and propodeum. Legs orange, apex of coxae and

all trochanters yellow. Wings hyaline, pterostigma light brown. Mesosoma orange, the base of tergite 2

sometimes infiiscate centrally.

Male

Length: 5.3. (4.2-5.9) (10 specimens). Median lobe of mesoscutum moderately punctate-granulate

anteriorly, remainder of mesonotum almost smooth. Face widened ventrally and distinctly larger than

frons. Posterior ocellus close to eyes (OOL = 0.3). Hind femur swollen, femoral tooth long and sharp,

followed by a row of small denticles. Otherwise similar to female.

Host records

Five specimens collected by B. Sigwald in 1962 emerged from lycaenid cocoons on Crotalaria sp.

(Leguminosae); three of these cocoons have been found inside pods (new host record).

Fig. 5. Pristomerus cunctator Tosquinet 1896. A. §, habitus, profile. B. §, head, facial.

C. 5 , hind femur, profile. D. S, hind femur, profile.

European Journal of Taxonomy 49: 1-38 (2013)

Remarks

This species exhibits a moderate variability in the color pattern, especially on the extension of the dark

markings on mesosoma and metasoma. The specimens from Madagascar are noticeably lighter than

those from mainland Africa, especially Namibia.

Distribution

Madagascar (Toliara and Toamasina province) (new distribution record). Mozambique and Senegal.

Pristomerus guinness sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:EA0C6E7D-8920-401B-B023-154708106284

Fig. 6

Diagnosis

Large species; face ivory white; head white and black, mesosoma testaceous-orange, metasoma black

with apical margin of tergites 2-7 white; face densely punctate, clypeus transverse and sparsely punctate;

entire mesosoma densely punctate-granulate; area superomedia about 2.5 x longer than wide; female

femoral tooth small; ovipositor moderately long, its apex sinuate; POL 0.6; OOL 0.7; CT 1.9; ML 0.6;

OT 1.4-1.5; FFT 1.

Differential diagnosis

Species characterized by the black and white color pattern of metasoma, and the entirely densely

punctate-granulate mesosoma.

Etymology

Refers to a great beer of similar color pattern.

Type material

Holotype

MADAGASCAR: $ (MNHN EY3649), Rogez, 48°18’ S, 48°32’ E, verbatim label data: “Madagascar,

Rogez, foret cote est, V. 32”, complete.

Paratypes

MADAGASCAR: 37$ $, 2c? c? (MNHN EY3650-3688), same locality, July, September and December

1930, January, February, May and November 1931, February, April-June, September, October,

December 1932, November 1933, February and May 1936, March 1938, February 1940; 2$ (CAS),

Rogez, May 1931; 7$, same locality, February 1930, February and May 1931 (one to each of the other

above mentioned institutions); 1$ (CAS), verbatim label data: “Toamasina Province, botanic garden

near entrance to Andasibe Nat. Park, 18° 55.58’ S, 48° 24.47’ E, 24 Oct-1 Nov 2001, Malaise trap

MA-01-08B-17, in tropical forest, elev. 1025m, Irwin & Harin’Hala coll.”

Other material examined

MADAGASCAR: 11$$, lc? (MNHN), Rogez, February 1930 and 1936, January, April-May 1932,

1935, May 1936 and 1938; \$ (MNHN), Ivondro, March 1940.

Description

Female

Length. 6.5, 5.9 (4.9-6.7) (10 specimens).

ROUSSE R, VILLEMANT C. & SEYRIG A., Pristomerus (Hymenoptera) in Madagascar

Head. Strongly constricted behind eyes. Temple very short. Vertex finely granulate and sparsely punctate.

Ocellar triangle equilateral. Frons smooth with basal transverse striation and a distinct longitudinal ridge

from the central ocellus. Face subrectangular, shining, more densely punctate centrally than laterally.

Clypeus moderately transverse, smooth with sparse punctures. Mandible stout, teeth subequal. Malar

line rather short. Ante nn a with 35-36 flagellomeres.

Mesosoma. Moderately elongate, nearly 2 x longer than high. Pronotum, mesonotum, mesopleuron

and metapleuron densely punctate-granulate. Speculum punctate with a narrow smooth ventral area.

Notaulus strongly impressed. Propodeum long, densely punctate, area petiolaris transversally wrinkled,

area basalis opposite or slightly truncate, area superomedia about 2.5 x longer than wide, about as long

as area petiolaris. Legs: femoral tooth reduced but distinct, followed by a row of small tubercles.

Metasoma. Tergite 1 almost smooth, post-petiole and tergite 2 finely aciculate, the following tergites

finely granulate. Tergite 2, about 0.7 x as long as tergite 1, about 2.5 x longer than apically wide.

Ovipositor moderately long and sinuate at apex.

Color. Head ivory white with frons, vertex, temple, occiput, posterior half of gena, and a small triangle

under toruli black. Antenna basally black, fading to testaceous from flagellomere 3 but two apical

flagellomeres darker. Mesosoma and legs testaceous orange. Metasoma black, tergites 2 and following

largely white apically. Wings hyaline, densely hairy, pterostigma dark brown.

Fig. 6. Pristomerus guinness sp. nov. A. §, habitus, profile. B. §, habitus, dorsal. C. §, head, facial. D.

5, hind femur, profile. E. hind femur, profile.

European Journal of Taxonomy 49: 1-38 (2013)

Male

Length: 6.7 (6.3-7.1) (2 specimens). Posterior ocellus almost touching eyes dorsally (OOF = 0.1; POL

= 0.4). Hind femur swollen with a stout and pointed tooth, followed by a row of denticles. Otherwise

similar to female.

Distribution

Madagascar (Toamasina province).

Pristomerus hansoni sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org: act:3D8B6B52-CE8C-46CC-BD44- 12F 0015DB181

Fig. 7

Diagnosis

Large species; face ivory white; head white and black, mesosoma and metasoma orange; face transverse

and almost smooth with sparse punctures, clypeus slightly transverse, smooth; mesoscutum moderately

punctate-granulate, scutellum sparsely punctate; area superomedia about 3 x longer than wide; female

femoral tooth absent; ovipositor very long, its apex sinuate; POL 0.7; OOL 0.8; CT 1.5; ML 0.6; OT

2.8-3.2; FFT 0.

Differential diagnosis

Species closely related to P. carls , from which it differs by the characters given in the key; the ovipositor

is strikingly longer than in any other Pristomerus species in Madagascar.

Etymology

Dedicated to Ace Hanson.

Type material

Holotype

MADAGASCAR: $ (MNHN EY3620), Rogez, 48°18’ S, 48°32’ E, verbatim label data: “Madagascar,

Rogez, foret cote est, XII. 30”, left antenna lacking.

Paratypes

MADAGASCAR: 20 ? $, 5 $$ (MNHN EY3621-3645), same locality, Sep. and Dec. 1930, Jan., Feb.,

May, Nov. and Dec. 1931, Feb. 1932; 1 $ (MNHN EY3646), Andreba, Nov. 1933; 1 ?, 1 $ (MNHN

EY3647-3648), Ivondro, Jan. 1939; 8 $$ (CAS), Rogez, Dec. 1931; 7 $$, Rogez, Dec. 1930, Jan.,

Nov. 1931 (one to each of the other above mentioned institutions).

Other material examined

MADAGASCAR: 4 $?, 2 $$ (MNHN), Rogez, Sep. and Dec. 1930, Feb. 1931; 1 ? (MNHN),

Andreba, Nov. 1933.

Description

Female

Fength. 5.5, 6.1 (5.5-6.7) (10 specimens).

Head. Strongly constricted behind eyes. Temple very short. Ocellar triangle equilateral. Vertex and

frons granulate with sparse punctures. Face rectangular, almost 2 x wider than long, almost smooth with

sparse punctures. Frons mid-longitudinally bulging, finely granulate and sparsely punctate. Clypeus

ROUSSE R, VILLEMANT C. & SEYRIG A., Pristomerus (Hymenoptera) in Madagascar

smooth, slightly transverse. Mandible stout and moderately long, malar line rather short. Antenna thin

with 33-39 flagellomeres. Flagellomere 1 about 6 x longer than apically wide.

Mesosoma. Moderately elongate, about 2 x longer than high. Pronotum and speculum smooth. Meso-

scutum moderately punctate-granulate, shining. Scutellum smooth with sparse punctures. Mesopleuron

more sparsely punctate, almost smooth between punctures. Metapleuron granulate. Propodeum long,

shining, its surface finely granulate and sparsely punctate. Area basalis opposite or truncate, area

superomedia 3 x longer than wide, area petiolaris as long as superomedia. Legs: elongate, hind femur

slender, femoral tooth absent.

Metasoma. Tergites 1 and 2 finely aciculate, following tergites alutaceous. Tergite 2 as long as tergite 1

and about 2 x longer than wide. Ovipositor very long with its apical 1/3 conspicuously sinuate.

Color. Orange overall with flagellum and ovipositor sheath brownish. Head ivory white with frons

centrally, vertex and occiput dark brown. Wings hyaline, pterostigma orange.

Male

Length: 5.6 (4.7-6.3) (7 specimens). Ocellus large; posterior ocelli closer to eyes (OOL = 0.2) than to

each other (POL = 0.3). Mesosoma smoother. Hind femur with a sharp ventral tooth followed by a row

of denticles, hind tibia longer and stouter, widened apically. Otherwise similar to female.

Distribution

Madagascar (Toamasina and Antsiranana province).

Fig. 7. Pristomerus hansoni sp. nov. A. §, habitus, profile. B. §, habitus, dorsal. C. §, head, facial. D.

5, hind femur, profile. E. (J, hind femur, profile.

European Journal of Taxonomy 49: 1-38 (2013)

Pristomerus kelikely sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:51FCD577-630D-4405-9F34-571A3EB7DB2F

Fig. 8

Diagnosis

Small species; face orange; general coloration orange; face moderately and finely punctate, clypeus

transverse and sparsely punctate; mesoscutum densely punctate medially, apical margin of lateral lobe

smooth, scutellum smooth; area superomedia about 2 x longer than wide; female femoral tooth absent;

ovipositor moderately long, apically sinuate; POL 0.8; OOL 1.3; CT 2.0; ML 0.6; OT 1.5-1.8; FFT 0.

Differential diagnosis

The combination of small size, orange face, absence of femoral tooth in female and hardly enlarged

ocelli in male makes this species readily distinguishable from any other in Madagascar but P. moramora.

Both may be differentiated by characters given in the key.

Etymology

Euphonic reference to the small size of this species: “kely” is the Malagasy word for “little”.

Type material

Holotype

MADAGASCAR: $ (MNHN EY2477), Anivorano, 16°49’ S, 48°10’ E, verbatim label data: “Mada¬

gascar, Anivorano, XII 1929”, hind tarsi and half right antenna lacking.

Fig. 8. Pristomerus kelikely sp. nov. A. §, habitus, profile. B. §, habitus, dorsal. C. §, head, facial. D.

5, hind femur, profile. E. f, hind femur,

ROUSSE R, VILLEMANT C. & SEYRIG A., Pristomerus (Hymenoptera) in Madagascar

Paratypes

MADAGASCAR: 8 ??, 4 S3 (MNHN EY2478-2489), Rogez, Jul., Sep., Nov. and Dec. 1930, Jan.,

Feb. and Nov. 1931; 3 ?? (BNHM, MRAC, IZPAN), Rogez, Sep. and Oct. 1930; 1 ? (MNHN EY8697),

Antanimora, Jan. 1937; 2 $ $ (ISAM, MNHU), same locality, same date; 2 $ 2 $$ (MNHNEY8699-

8702), Ivondro, Oct. 1936, Dec. 1938 and May 1940; 1 $, 1 $ (ANHM, NHRS), same locality, Dec.

1938; 2 S3 (MNHN EY8698 and EY8703), Bekily, Oct. 1936, Feb. 1940; 1 $ (CAS), same locality,

Oct. 1936.

Description

Female

Length. 4.0, 4.0 (3.2M.3) (10 specimens).

Head. Constricted behind eyes. Temple, vertex and frons granulate. Ocellar triangle equilateral. Face

shining, moderately and finely punctate. Clypeus transverse, sparsely punctate. Mandible rather short,

stout, teeth subequal. Malar line rather short. Antenna with 31-32 flagellomeres; first flagellomere

E2 x longer than second.

Mesosoma. Elongate, about 2 x as long as high, shining. Pronotum nearly smooth. Mesoscutum densely

punctate, lateral lobe smoother, its apical margin quite smooth. Scuto-scutellar groove longitudinally

ribbed. Scutellum slightly convex, almost smooth. Pleurae moderately punctate, speculum smooth.

Propodeum moderately to densely punctate laterally, smoother medially. Area basalis opposite,

sometimes truncate or petiolate, area superomedia about 2 x longer than wide. Legs: femoral tooth

absent.

Metasoma. Tergites 1 and 2 finely aciculate. Tergite 2 as long as tergite 1, about 2 x longer than apically

wide. Ovipositor moderately long, apex slightly sinuate.

Color. Orange overall. Flagellum black. First tergites slightly fuscous. Wings hyaline, pterostima

yellowish-brown.

Male

Length: 3.9 (3.2—4.7) (5 specimens). Ocelli not enlarged, rather distant from eyes (OOL = E0). Area

superomedia more variable in size. Femur stouter, femoral tooth strong and sharp. Otherwise similar to

female.

Distribution

Madagascar (Toamasina province).

Pristomerus keyka sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:106A9CD2-DB8C-4726-9BEE-5B0C458A285E

Fig. 9

Diagnosis

Small species; face orange; general coloration yellow to orange with infuscate markings; antennae

short (23 flagellomeres); face and clypeus smooth with sparse punctures; mesonotum granulate; area

superomedia about 2 x longer than wide; female femoral tooth small; ovipositor long, apically sinuate;

POL 0.5; OOL 0.8; CT 2.0; ML 0.8; OT F8-2.0; FFT F

Differential diagnosis

Species mainly characterized by the quite short antennae with 23 flagellomeres and the very weak

microsculpture.

European Journal of Taxonomy 49: 1-38 (2013)

Etymology

Euphonic arrangement of letters.

Type material

Holotype

MADAGASCAR: $ (CAS), Namoraka National Park, 16°28’ S, 45°20’ E, verbatim label data:

“Madagascar, Mahajanga Province, Parc Nat Namoraka, November 2002 (colls Fisher, Griswold et al .),

in tropical dry forest, California Academy of Sciences”, left median tibia, left hind tarsi and left antenna

lacking.

Paratype

MADAGASCAR: 1§ (MNHNEY2493), same date and same locality. Ovipositor broken.

Description

Female

Length. 3.1, 3.0 (2.8-3.1) (2 specimens).

Fig. 9. Pristomerus keyka sp. nov. A. §, habitus, profile. B. §, habitus, dorsal. C. §, head, facial. D. §,

hind femur, profile.

ROUSSE R, VILLEMANT C. & SEYRIG A., Pristomerus (Hymenoptera) in Madagascar

Head. Frons, face and clypeus almost smooth with sparse punctures. Clypeus transverse and convex.

Mandibular teeth subequal. Malar line moderately long. Ocellar triangle equilateral. Antenna short with

23 flagellomeres.

Mesosoma. Slightly elongate, about 1.7 x longer than high. Pronotum sparsely punctate. Mesonotum as

long as wide, granulate with sparse puncture along notaulus. Pleurae and propodeum densely punctate-

granulate. Area basalis triangular, petiolate or opposite, area superomedia about 2 x longer than wide.

Legs: femoral tooth distinct but small.

Metasoma. Post-petiole and tergite 2 finely aciculate. Tergite 2 about 1.5 x longer than apically wide.

Ovipositor long, apically distinctly sinuate.

Color. Holotype mainly orange. Yellow: upper part of orbits, gena, mandible, trochanters, tibiae and

tarsi. Ocellar triangle and metanotum infuscate. Flagellum infuscate, orange at base, scape and pedicel

orange. Wings hyaline, pterostima brown with an ivory white anterior margin. Tergites 1-3 brown,

apically yellow, the following tergites yellow with a mid-longitudinal infuscate stripe. Paratype with

coloration much lighter: base of antenna, legs and metasoma from tergite 4 entirely yellow.

Male

Unknown.

Distribution

Madagascar (Mahajanga province).

Pristomerus melissa sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:B55B6446-DBE7-4ECl-95B7-90F2798DlEC0

Fig. 10

Diagnosis

Moderately large species; face black; head black and white; general coloration testaceous-orange with

tergite 1, basal half of tergite 2 and apico-lateral margins of mesoscutum black; face densely punctate-

granulate, clypeus transverse and smooth; mesonotum densely punctate-granulate; area superomedia

laterally not delimited; female femoral tooth small; ovipositor short, its tip slightly sinuate; POL 0.7;

OOL 1.0; CT 2.0; ML 0.8; OT 1.0; FFT 1.

Differential diagnosis

Species highly characteristic on account of the head color, the relatively short ovipositor and the laterally

not delimited area superomedia.

Etymology

Euphonic arrangement of letters.

Type material

Holotype

MADAGASCAR: $ (MNHN EY2454), Mandraka Park, Ampasimpotsy, 18°57’ S, 47°53’ E, verbatim

label data: “Madagascar, Mandraka forest, IV.32”, complete.

Description

Female

Length. 5.1.

European Journal of Taxonomy 49: 1-38 (2013)

Head. Face mid-longitudinally bulging, densely punctate-granulate with very fine pilosity. Clypeus

almost smooth with few punctures. Ocellar triangle equilateral. Mandible moderately long, teeth

subequal. Malar line moderately long. Antenna with 35 flagellomeres.

Mesosoma. Moderately elongate, 2 x longer than high. Pronotum smooth, its postero-dorsal edge

granulate. Mesonotum densely punctate-granulate. Mesopleuron and metapleuron shining, densely

punctate. Propodeum long, densely punctate. Area basalis triangular, strongly petiolate. Lateral carinae

of area superomedia lacking. Legs: long and thin, hind femur with a small tooth.

Metasoma. Tergites 1 almost smooth, post-petiole and tergite 2 finely aciculate. Tergite 2 almost as long

as tergite 1 and about 2 x longer than apically wide. Ovipositor relatively short, slightly up-curved and

briefly sinuate at apex.

Color. Head blackish brown with clypeus, malar space and mandible pale yellow. Mandibular teeth

and antennae dark brown. Mesosoma testaceous-orange, dorso-laterally slightly infuscate. First tergite

blackish. Second tergite with basal half yellow, apical half black with a yellow margin. Remainder of

metasoma testaceous-orange. Legs orange, hind tibia (basally) and hind tarsus darker. Wings hyaline,

pterostigma and ovipositor sheath dark brown.

Fig. 10. Pristomerus melissa sp. nov. A. §, habitus, profile. B. §, habitus, dorsal. C. §, head, facial. D.

5, hind femur, profile.

Male

Unknown.

ROUSSE R, VILLEMANT C. & SEYRIG A., Pristomerus (Hymenoptera) in Madagascar

Distribution

Madagascar (Toamasina province).

Pristomerus moramora sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:B28A821C-3528-49BE-A496-46814BE45360

Fig. 11

Diagnosis

Small species; face yellow; general coloration yellow-orange with large more or less dark brown

markings of variable extension; face sparsely punctate, clypeus transverse and smooth; mesoscutum

moderately to densely punctate-granulate, scutellum sparsely punctate; area superomedia about 2.5 x

longer than wide; female femoral tooth absent; ovipositor moderately long, its apex sinuate; POL 0.9;

OOL 1.2; CT 2.2; ML 0.5; OT 1.6-1.8; FFT 0.

Differential diagnosis

cf. P. kelikely and P. albescens.

Etymology

“Mora mora” is an indispensable expression in Madagascar meaning “take it easy”.

Type material

Holotype

MADAGASCAR: $ (MNHN EY2495), Ampandradava, 23°50’ S, 44°52’ E, verbatim label data:

“Madagascar, Bekily [Ampandrandava], reg. sud de File, IX 1938”, complete.

Paraptypes

MADAGASCAR: 1 $, 2 $$ (MNHN EY2496-2498), same locality, same date; 7 $$, 3 $$ (MNHN

EY8704-8713), same locality, Jul., Sep.-Oct. 1936, Apr., Aug.-Sep. 1938; 1 $ (MNHNEY8714), Tulear

[Toliara], no sampling date (Cathala coll.); 4 $ §, 4 S3, Bekily, Oct. 1936 (one specimen to each of the

above mentioned institutions).

Other material examined

MADAGASCAR: 2 $$ (MNHN), Bekily, Oct. 1936, Mar. 1937; 3 $$, Antanimora, Jan. 1937; 1 $,

Behora, Mar. 1938.

Description

Female

Length. 3.5, 3.2 (2.8-3.5) (10 specimens).

Head. Strongly constricted behind eyes. Temple short and rounded. Ocellar triangle anteriorly acute.

Face slightly narrowed ventrally. Frons and vertex shallowly punctate-granulate, face shining, sparsely

punctate. Clypeus transverse, almost smooth. Mandible short and stout, teeth subequal, malar line short.

Ante nn a with 27-29 llagellomeres.

Mesosoma. Slightly elongate, about F7 x longer than high. Pronotum a lm ost smooth. Remaining of

mesonotum covered with short white adpressed hairs. Mesoscutum shining, densely to moderately

European Journal of Taxonomy 49: 1-38 (2013)

punctate-granulate, smoother posteriorly. Scuto-scutellar groove with longitudinal striation. Scutellum

shining, sparsely punctate, its vertical posterior margin longitudinally striate. Mesopleuron and

metapleuron shining and moderately punctate, speculum smooth. Propodeum shining, sparsely

punctate, area petiolaris transversally wrinkled posteriorly. Area basalis opposite, sometimes petiolate

or shortly truncate, area superomedia 2.5 x longer than wide, distinctly narrower and about as long as

area petiolaris. Legs: femoral tooth absent.

Metasoma. Post-petiole and tergite 2 finely aciculate, the following tergites alutaceous. Tergite 2 a little

shorter than tergite 1, about 2.5 x longer than apically wide. Thyridia narrow, elongate oval. Ovipositor

rather long and slightly sinuate at apex.

Color. Antenna brown, scape and pedicel orange ventrally. Head and mesosoma yellowish-orange

with more or less extended brown markings. Face, inn er orbits and gena yellow. Brown: frons, ocellar

triangle, lobes of mesonotum, a large macula on mesopleuron and metapleuron, scuto-scutellar groove,

dorsal face (and sometimes lateral margins) of scutellum, basal part of propodeum, including entire

area superomedia and areae dentiparae. In some individuals, the median lobe of mesoscutum, and the

scutellum are light brown. Legs yellowish-orange, front and mid trochanters white. Hind leg with coxa,

femur, basal and apical margins of tibia, and tarsus infuscate, hind tibia mid-dorsally white. Wings

hyaline, pterostigma brown. Metasoma brown, base of tergite 1 orange, post-petiole and other tergites

dorsally dark brown and more or less marked with orange posteriorly. Thyridia yellow. Ovipositor

sheath brown.

Fig. 11. Pristomerus moramora sp. nov. A. §, habitus, profile. B. §, habitus, dorsal. C. §, head, facial.

D. 5 , hind femur, profile.

ROUSSE R, VILLEMANT C. & SEYRIG A., Pristomerus (Hymenoptera) in Madagascar

Male

Length: 3.1 (2.6-3.5) (6 specimens). Posterior ocelli equally distant from each other as from eye (POL

= OOL = 1.0). Face not narrowed ventrally. Hind femur swollen, femoral tooth long, followed by a row

of denticles. Otherwise similar to female.

Remarks

Five specimens (4 § §, 1 (?) with a larger (L: 3.7-3.9) and lighter body have been related to P. moramora

but not included in the type series: they have identical ocellar indices, the same number of flagellomeres

and a similar microsculpture; however, the base of petiole is yellow, the mesosoma and metasoma from

the fourth tergite are entirely orange, and the ovipositor is longer (OT = 1.9-2), perhaps due to allometry.

Distribution

Madagascar (Toliara province).

Pristomerus patator sp. nov.

um:lsid:zoobank.org:act:EE8F3E6A-9990-4CA0-94B7-08BFC358EB4A

Fig. 12

Diagnosis

Large species; face yellowish-orange; general coloration yellowish-orange with some median dark

spots on metasomal tergites; face densely punctate, clypeus slightly transverse and smooth; mesonotum

densely punctate; area superomedia about 2.5 x longer than wide, laterally hardly delimited; tergite 1

smooth, tergite 2 hardly sculptured; female femoral tooth small; ovipositor long, apically sinuate; POL

0.6; OOL 1.0; CT 1.6; ML 0.8; OT 1.7—1.9; FFT 1.

Differential diagnosis

Species closely related to P. roberti , characterized by the dense punctation of face, the propodeum with

area superomedia hardly delimited laterally and the almost smooth second metasomal tergite.

Etymology

Euphonic arrangement of letters.

Type material

Holotype

MADAGASCAR: § (MNHN EY3501), Ampandradava, 23°50’ S, 44°52’ E, verbatim label data:

“Madagascar, Bekily [Ampandrandava], reg. sud de File, XII.33”, complete.

Paratypes

MADAGASCAR: 3 ??, 2 SS (MNHN EY3502-3506), same locality, Dec. 1930, Jan., Mar. and Dec.

1933.

Description

Female

Length. 5.9, 6.9 (5.9-7.5) (4 specimens).

Head. Strongly constricted behind eyes. Vertex and temple finely granulate. Ocellar triangle

equilateral. Frons laterally punctate-granulate, centrally smooth, mid-longitudinally bulging. Face mid-

longitudinally bulging, punctate, punctures sparser centrally and along inner orbits. Clypeus shining.

European Journal of Taxonomy 49: 1-38 (2013)

almost unpunctate, slightly transverse. Mandible stout and curved. Malar line moderately long. Antenna

with 37-38 flagellomeres.

Mesosoma. Slightly elongate, about 1.7 x longer than high. Pronotum smooth. Mesonotum s hin ing,

densely punctate. Mesopleuron shining, more sparsely punctate, speculum smooth. Scutellum almost

smooth. Propodeum densely punctate, area basalis truncate, area superomedia about 2.5 longer than

wide, laterally hardly delimited. Legs: femoral tooth present but small.

Metasoma. Shining. Tergite 1 almost smooth. Tergite 2 with shallow aciculation and sparse punctures.

Following tergites alutaceous. Tergite 2 about 2.5 x longer than apically wide. Ovipositor moderately

long, its apical third slightly sinuate.

Color. Yellowish-orange overall with some median dark spots on metasomal tergites, flagellum and

metasoma infuscate. Wings hyaline, pterostigma orange.

Male

Length: 6.5 (6.3-6.7) (2 specimens). Ocellar triangle large, oculo-ocellar distance (OOL = 0.4) shorter

than inter-ocellar distance (POL = 0.6). Hind femur stouter, femoral tooth stout followed by a row of

rather strong tubercles. Otherwise similar to female.

Fig. 12. Pristomeruspatator sp. nov. A. §, habitus, profile. B. §, habitus, dorsal. C. §, head, facial. D.

5, propodeum, dorsal. E. $, hind femur, profile. F. c?, hind femur, profile.

ROUSSE R, VILLEMANT C. & SEYRIG A., Pristomerus (Hymenoptera) in Madagascar

Distribution

Madagascar (Toliara province).

Pristomerus ranomafanana sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:243C09D4-lFA5-44D2-BD05-04ED01656ElF

Fig. 13

Diagnosis

Moderately large species; face black; head white and black, mesosoma rufo-testaceous with black

markings, metasoma orange brown, tergite 2 and apex of tergite 1 black, following tergites dorsally

brown; face moderately punctate-granulate, clypeus transverse and smooth; mesoscutum densely

punctate-granulate, apically smoother, scutellum almost smooth; area superomedia about 2 x longer

than wide; female femoral tooth absent; forewing with 2rs-m 4 x shorter than the section of M separating

2rs-m and 2m-cu; ovipositor long, apically sinuate; POL 1.0; OOL 1.3; CT 1.8; ML 0.6; OT 2.2; FFT 0.

Differential diagnosis

Species superficially close to P. caris and related species with white face, distinguishable by the dark

color pattern, the longer ovipositor and the very short vein 2rs-m.

Etymology

Euphonic reference to the collection place.

Type material

Holotype

MADAGASCAR: $ (CAS), Ranomafana National Park, 21° 14’ S, 47°25’ E, verbatim label data:

“Madagascar, Province Fianarantsoa, Parc Nat. Ranomafana, 21° 15.05’ S, 47°24.43’ E, mixed tropical

Fig. 13. Pristomerus ranomafana sp. nov. A. §, habitus, profile. B. §, head, facial.

European Journal of Taxonomy 49: 1-38 (2013)

forest (radio tower) - 1130 m, 14-21 III 2002, Irwin & Harin’Hala colls, California Academy of

Sciences, Malaise trap MA-02-09B-12)”, right antenna medially broken.

Description

Female

Length. 4.9.

Head. Strongly constricted behind eyes. Temple very short, finely granulate. Vertex granulate. Ocellar

triangle almost equilateral. Frons granulate. Face moderately punctate-granulate (punctures sparser

laterally), slightly bulging mid-longitudinally. Clypeus almost unpunctate, slightly transverse. Malar

line rather short. Mandible short and stout. Face, clypeus, mandible and vertex with sparse white pilosity.

Ante nn a with 31 flagellomeres.

Mesosoma. Moderately elongate, 1.8 x longer than high. Mesoscutum and pleurae densely punctate-

granulate anteriorly, smoother posteriorly. Pronotum almost smooth centrally, epomia distinct. Scutellum

smooth with some punctures. Speculum almost smooth. Propodeum shining, densely punctate. Area

basalis opposite, area superomedia 2 x as long as wide. Propodeum, pleurae and ventral margin of coxae

covered with white hairs. Wings: fore wing with vein 2rs-m very short, about 0.3 x as long as 2m-cu,

and basal to 2m-cu by 4 x its length. Legs: long and thin, without a distinct tooth on hind femur.

Metasoma. Post-petiole, tergite 2 and base oftergite finely aciculate. Tergite 1 slightly longer than tergite 2.

Tergite 2 about 3 x longer than apically wide. Post-petiole almost flat. Glymma long. Ovipositor long

and thin, its apex strongly sinuate.

Color. Head ivory white with black markings. Black: antennae, center of face and frons, vertex, occiput,

posterior half of outer orbit and a dorsal spot crossing the orbit. Mesosoma rufo-testaceous with black

marking on median lobe of mesoscutum, scuto-scutellar groove, lateral sides of scutellum, post-scutellum

and dorsal face of propodeum. Metasoma orange brown. Tergite 1 basally and laterally yellow. Post¬

petiole and tergite 2 black, the following tergites dorsally brown. Fore and mid legs pale brown with

femora slightly darker. Hind legs blackish-brown, tibia slightly paler. Wings hyaline, pterostigma dark

brown. Ovipositor sheath dark brown.

Male

Unknown.

Distribution

Madagascar (Fianarantsoa province).

Pristomerus roberti sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org: act:D0610706- 1D96-4E5C-9019-71BFEB50B1D8

Fig. 14

Diagnosis

Moderately large species; face orange; general coloration testaceous-orange with tergites 2-3 and apex

of tergite 1 blackish brown; face at least latero-medially punctate, clypeus strongly transverse and

granulate; mesoscutum densely punctate (almost smooth in male), scutellum moderately punctate; area

superomedia about 2 x longer than wide; female femoral tooth small; ovipositor long, apically sinuate;

POL 0.9; OOL 1.2; CT 2.5; ML 0.4; OT 2.2; FFT 1.

ROUSSE R, VILLEMANT C. & SEYRIG A., Pristomerus (Hymenoptera) in Madagascar

Differential diagnosis

Species closely related to P. cunctator , distinguishable by the color pattern and the longer ovipositor.

The mesonotum of P roberti is uniformly orange, without any yellowish orange markings on notauli

and scutellum.

Etymology

Named for Thierry Robert, entomologist at the Office National des Forets.

Type material

Holotype

MADAGASCAR: $ (MNHN EY3511), Ampandradava, 23°50’ S, 44°52’ E, verbatim label data:

“Madagascar, Bekily [Ampandrandava], reg. sud de Tile, III. 33”, complete.

Paratypes

MADAGASCAR: 11 $$ (EY3512-3522), 6 $$ (EY3523-3528), Bekily, Feb. 1932, Jan.-Mar., May

and Dec. 1933; 2 $$ (CAS), 2 $$ (BNHM, MRAC), 3 $$ (AMNH, ISAM, NMKB), same locality,

same dates.

Fig. 14. Pristomerus roberti sp. nov. A. habitus, profile. B. §, habitus, dorsal. C. §, head, facial. D.

5, hind femur, profile. E. cJ, hind femur, profile.

European Journal of Taxonomy 49: 1-38 (2013)

Description

Female

Length. 4.1, 3.8 (3.6M.3) (10 specimens).

Head. Constricted behind eyes. Vertex and temple granulate, frons laterally densely punctate-granulate.

Ocellar triangle almost equilateral. Face about as wide as frons, mid-longitudinally bulging, shining

and at least latero-medially punctate. Clypeus strongly transverse, smoother, moderately granulate.

Mandible stout, malar line short. Antenna with 27-32 flagellomeres.

Mesosoma. Moderately elongate, nearly 2 x longer than high. Pronotum smooth with sparse punctures

ventrally. Mesoscutum and all pleurae shining and densely punctate, speculum smooth. Scutellum

moderately punctate. Propodeum with carination thick, densely punctate-granulate, area basalis opposite,

area superomedia about 2 x longer than wide. Legs: hind femur with a small tooth.

Metasoma. Post-petiole, tergite 2 and base of tergite 3 finely aciculate, the following alutaceous with

rare punctures. Thyridia elongate. Ovipositor long, its apical third slightly sinuate.

Color. Testaceous-orange. Mandible, clypeus, inner and outer orbits and sometimes face paler. Antenna

fuscous. Post-petiole and tergites 2-3 dark brown. Tergite 1 and 2 with yellow hind margin. Tergite 3

paler at apex. Thyridiae yellow. Hind leg infuscate with apex of femur and dorsal margin of tibia paler.

Wings hyaline, pterostigma dark brown.

Male

Length: 3.9 (3.7-4.1) (4 specimens). Mesonotum almost smooth. Face ventrally widened and distinctly

larger than frons. Posterior ocelli close to eyes (OOL = 0.2), inter-ocellar distance greater (POL = 0.6).

Hind femur swollen, femoral tooth stout and sharp followed by a row of small denticles. Metasoma

darker than in female. Hind coxa and femur orange, hind tibia and tarsus brown. Otherwise similar to

female.

Distribution

Madagascar (Toliara province).

Pristomerus vahaza sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:46D3D30A-E9Al-466A-8082-814DB367F604

Fig. 15

Diagnosis

Moderately large species; face ivory white; head white and black, remainder of body orange with tergites

1-3 infuscate; face finely and sparsely punctate; clypeus slightly transverse, smooth; mesoscutum

moderately punctate-granulate, scutellum sparsely punctate; area superomedia about 3 x longer than

wide; female femoral tooth absent or appearing as a weak angulation; ovipositor moderately short,

apically sinuate; POL 0.5; OOL 1.0; CT 1.4; ML 0.5; OT 1.3—1.4; FFT 0.

Differential diagnosis

Species superficially close to P. carls and related species with white face. Pristomerus vahaza sp. nov.

may be distinguished by the combination of an elongate mesosoma, a brown pterostigma and a relatively

short ovipositor. The lateral ocellus in male is distinctly more distant from eye margins (OOL = 0.6) than

in P. hansoni sp. nov. and P. carls (OOL = 0.2).

ROUSSE R, VILLEMANT C. & SEYRIG A., Pristomerus (Hymenoptera) in Madagascar

Etymology

Refers to the white face: “vahaza” is the Malagasy word for pale foreigners.

Type material

Holotype

MADAGASCAR: $ (MNHN EY3534), Rogez, 48 0 18’ S, 48°32’ E, verbatim label data: “Madagascar,

Rogez, foret cote est, 11.31”, complete.

Paratypes

MADAGASCAR: 4 ? ?, 7 $$ (MNHN EY3535-3542, EY8716-8718), same locality, Jan.-Feb. 1931,

Mar., May, Oct. and Dec. 1932; 2 $ (CAS), same locality.

Fig. 15. Pristomerus vahaza sp. nov. A. §, habitus, profile. B. head, facial. C. $, hind femur, profile.

D. S, hind femur, profile.

European Journal of Taxonomy 49: 1-38 (2013)

Other material examined

MADAGASCAR: 1 $ (MNHN), Manongarivo (1150 m), Dec. 1960 (P. Griveaud Coll.); 1? (MNHN),

Massif du Tsaratanana, southern slope (2030 m), Andohanambatoafo, 16-18 Dec. 1966 (R Viette coll.).

Description

Female

Length. 5.1, 4.9 (4.7-5.5) (5 specimens).

Head. Temple short, head distinctly constricted behind eyes. Vertex finely granulate. Ocellar triangle

almost equilateral. Face slightly widened ventrally. Face and frons shining, sparsely and finely punctate.

Clypeus smooth, slightly transverse. Malar line short. Mandible short. Antenna with 33 flagellomeres.

Mesosoma. Elongate, about 2.2 x longer than high. Pronotum smooth. Mesoscutum moderately

punctate-granulate. Pleurae shining, rather densely punctate-granulate ventrally. Speculum smooth.

Scuto-scutellar groove smooth. Scutellum flat, shining, with sparse punctures. Propodeum long, area

basalis opposite or petiolate, area superomedia nearly 3 x longer than wide. Wings: hind wing with

vein 1/Cu+cu-a almost vertical. Legs: hind femur slender, tooth absent or appearing at most as a weak

protuberance.

Metasoma. Post-petiole and tergite 2 finely aciculate, the following alutaceous. Thyridia short and oval.

Ovipositor relatively short, apically sinuate.

Color. Orange. Head ivory white with antennae, center of frons, vertex and occiput black. A pair of

black spots across outer orbits dorsally. Face with a small median brown spot below toruli. Tergites 1-3

infuscate. Ovipositor sheath black. Wings hyaline, pterostigma testaceous.

Male

Length: 5.0 (4.0—5.5) (7 specimens). Face more widened ventrally and distinctly larger than frons. Inter-

ocellar and oculo-ocellar distances equal (OOL = POL = 0.6). Hind femur swollen with a pointed tooth

followed by a row of small denticles. Antennae with 31-33 flagellomeres. Otherwise similar to female.

Distribution records

Madagascar (Toamasina province).

Pristomerus veloma sp. nov.

um:lsid:zoobank.org:act:C0D38F99-99B0-43A6-8E24-AE23BED6CDF8

Fig. 16

Diagnosis

Large species; face rufo-testaceous; head and mesosoma rufo-testaceous, metasoma black; face densely

punctate-granulate, clypeus smooth and transverse; mesoscutum densely punctate-granulate anteriorly,

smoother posteriorly, scutellum punctate; area superomedia about 2 x longer than wide; female femoral

tooth strong; ovipositor moderately long, apically sinuate; POL 0.7; OOL 0.7; CT 2.0; ML 0.5; OT

1.5-1.7; FFT 2.

Differential diagnosis

Species characterized by the unusual color pattern and the strong femoral tooth of female.

ROUSSE R, VILLEMANT C. & SEYRIG A., Pristomerus (Hymenoptera) in Madagascar

Etymology

“veloma” is the Malagasy word for “good-bye, farewell”.

Type material

Holotype

MADAGASCAR: $ (MNHN EY3545), Rogez, 48 0 18’ S, 48°32’ E, verbatim label data: “Madagascar,

Rogez, foret cote est, XII. 30”, complete.

Paratypes

MADAGASCAR: 2 ? ?, 2 $$ (MNHN EY3546-3549), same locality, same date; 1 $ (EY8719), same

locality, 1935.

Other material examined

SOUTH AFRICA: 2 1 8, Goshen, Eastern Cape, Mar. 1954, SAM-HYM POO 1202.

Description

Female

Length. 7.5, 7.2 (7.1-7.5) (3 specimens).

Head. Distinctly constricted behind eyes, temple very short, not rounded. Vertex punctate-granulate.

Frons mid-longitudinally bulging below central ocellus. Face slightly shorter than frons and slightly

widened ventrally, mid-longitudinally distinctly bulging, densely punctate-granulate. Clypeus smooth

and transverse. Mandible stout and hairy. Malar line short. Antenna thin with 34-37 flagellomeres.

Mesosoma. Stout, about 1.5 x longer than high. Pronotum centrally smooth, epomia strong. Mesoscutum

shining and densely punctate-granulate anteriorly, smoother posteriorly. Scuto-scutellar groove striate.

Fig. 16. Pristomerus veloma sp. nov. A. §, habitus, profile. B. head, facial. C. §, hind femur, profile.

European Journal of Taxonomy 49: 1-38 (2013)

scutellum punctate. Pleurae and propodeum shining and densely punctate, speculum ventrally smooth.

Propodeum with strong carination, area basalis truncate, area superomedia about 2 x longer than wide.

Legs: femoral tooth fine and acute followed by a raw of very short denticles, denticles sometimes almost

indistinct, their bases more or less merging.

Metasoma. Post-petiole, tergite 2 and base of tergite 3 finely aciculate, the following tergites granulate.

Tergite 2 about half as long as tergite 1 and about 1.5 x longer than apically wide. Thyridia transverse

and oval. Ovipositor thin and moderately long, its apex slightly sinuate.

Color. Head, thorax and legs rufo-testaceous. Antenna, inter-ocellar area, whole metasoma and

ovipositor sheath black. Base of hind tibia and hind tarsus infuscate. Tergite 2 usually with a thin yellow

margin. Wings hyaline, pterostigma dark brown.

Male

Length: 6.5 (5.9-7.2) (3 specimens). Ocelli greater, closer to eyes (OOL = 0.3) than from each other

(POL = 0.4). Mesonotum smoother with sparse punctures. Thyridia circular. Tooth on hind femur

sharper, followed by a more or less merging dense row of fine denticles. Otherwise similar to female.

Distribution

Madagascar (Toamasina province), South Africa (Eastern Cape).

Remarks

The three specimens from South Africa have the head differently colored, with face blackish, and

mandible and orbits yellow. Furthermore, the dorsal edge of clypeus is densely punctate. They are

otherwise strictly similar to the holotype and are included as non-type specimens.

Pristomerus yago sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:246E143E-A6B2-46ED-9CBD-9BA6AE654D84

Fig. 17

Diagnosis

Moderately large species; face rufo-testaceous; general coloration rufo-testaceous, tergites 1-2 dark

brown; head strongly constricted behind eyes; face transverse and moderately punctate, clypeus slightly

transverse and sparsely punctate; mesoscutum alutaceous with sparse punctures, scutellum smooth; area

superomedia about 2 x longer than wide, smooth; female femoral tooth strong; ovipositor moderately

long, apically sinuate; POL 0.8; OOL 1.0; CT 1.6; ML 0.5; OT 1.5-1.7; FFT 2.

Differential diagnosis

Species characterized by the wealdy sculptured mesosoma with smooth area superomedia and the strong

femoral tooth of female. The male coloration is similar to that of P. veloma which is bigger and has a

punctate-granulate mesosoma.

Etymology

Euphonic arrangement of letters.

Type material

Holotype

MADAGASCAR: $ (MNHN EY3753), Rogez, 48°18’ S, 48°32’ E, verbatim label data: “Madagascar,

Rogez, foret cote est, 11.31”, complete.

ROUSSE R, VILLEMANT C. & SEYRIG A., Pristomerus (Hymenoptera) in Madagascar

Paratypes

MADAGASCAR: 39 10 $$ (MNHN EY3754-3816), same locality, Sep. and Dec. 1930, Jan.,

Feb. andApr. 1931; 1 $ (MNHN EY3817), Andreba, Nov. 1933; 1 $ (MNHN EY3818), Ranomafana,

Oct. 1938; 1 $ (MNHN EY3819), Perinet, Feb. 1939; 7 $$ (MNHN EY3820-3826), Ivondro, Dec.

1938, Jan. 1939 and May 1940; 8 55, 8 Rogez, Dec. 1930, Jan. and Feb. 1931, May 1932, 1933

and 1936 (one couple to each of the above mentioned institutions).

Other material examined

MADAGASCAR: 2 $$ (MNHN), Bekily, Feb. 1931 and Feb. 1937; 1 $ (MNHN), FaMandraka, Feb.

1936; 3 $$ (MNHN), Ivondro, Dec. 1938 and Jan. 1939.

Description

Female

Fength. 4.8, 4.3 (4.0—4.8) (10 specimens).

Fig. 17. Pristomerus yago sp. nov. A. §, habitus, profile. B. head, facial. C. $, hind femur, profile.

D. c?, hind femur, profile.

European Journal of Taxonomy 49: 1-38 (2013)

Head. Temple very short, head strongly constricted behind eyes. Vertex granulate. Ocellar triangle

equilateral. Face transverse, 1.5 x wider than high and slightly widened ventrally, shining and moderately

punctate. Clypeus moderately transverse, weakly convex, shining with sparse puncture. Mandible stout.

Malar line short. Ante nn a with 32-34 flagellomeres.

Mesosoma. Slightly elongate, about 1.7 x longer than high. Mesoscutum finely granulate with sparse

punctures, posteriorly smoother. Scuto-scutellar groove striate, scutellum smooth. Mesopleuron shining

and sparsely punctate, metapleuron moderately punctate-granulate. Propodeum with strong carination,

area basalis opposite or slightly petiolate, area superomedia almost smooth, 2 x as long as wide, area

petiolaris with transverse wrinkles. Hind femur slightly swollen, with an acute tooth followed by a series

of very small denticles.

Metasoma. Post-petiole, tergite 2 and base of tergite 3 finely aciculate, the following tergites alutaceous.

Tergite 2 about 2 x longer than wide. Thyridia shortly oval. Ovipositor moderately long, its apical 1/3

sinuate.

Color. Rufo-testaceous. Flagellum, ovipositor sheath and tergites 1-2 dark brown (except the apical

margin of tergite 2). Wings hyaline, pterostigma large, dark brown.

Male

Length: 5.1 (4.8-5.5) (10 specimens). Eyes strongly convergent dorsally. Posterior ocelli widely

separated (POL = 1) and very close to eyes (OOL = 0.2). Hind femur strongly swollen with a sharp

tooth followed by a dense row of more or less merging fine denticles. Thyridia slightly elongate, oval.

Metasoma entirely dark brown. Base of hind tibia darker. Otherwise similar to female.

Distribution

Madagascar (Toamasina province).

Discussion

The newly described Pristomerus fauna in Madagascar could be compared to a large body of

undetermined material housed at ISAM. This latter material contains hundreds of individuals, collected

throughout Sub-Saharan Africa since the beginning of the last century (especially over the last 20

years) and until now Pristomerus has not been identified to species level. This examination led to the

description of numerous new species (see also Rousse & van Noort, in prep.) and also enabled us to get a

first assessment of the relationships of the Pristomerus fauna between Madagascar and mainland Africa.

Firstly, we did not find any white-faced species outside of Madagascar, where this color pattern appears

to be rather common. Five closely related species (P. caris sp. nov., P. guinness sp. nov., P. hansoni sp.

nov., P. ranomafana sp. nov. and P. vahaza sp. nov.) thus share a habitus restricted to the island, most

likely representing a local diversification. This is further supported by the large internal variation noticed

in the probable P. caris species-complex.

Secondly, only three of the 15 species are found outside of Madagascar, namely P. cunctator, P. albescens

and P. veloma sp. nov., which are also present on the Eastern African coast. No relation could be found

with the known Indian fauna. This suggests both an African origin and a high endemism rate for the

Malagasy fauna. Such results are far from unexpected, agreeing with the usual endemism rates reported

there (Goodman & Benstead 2003) and in previous analyses of the Malagasy ichneumonid fauna

(Seyrig 1932; Heinrich 1938). The genus Enicospilus (Ophioninae) is also very diverse in Afrotropics:

Gauld & Michell (1978) reported 84 species in Madagascar, of which 39 occur on mainland Africa as

well. In addition, five Enicospilus species are also present in the Oriental Region, particularly on the

ROUSSE R, VILLEMANT C. & SEYRIG A., Pristomerus (Hymenoptera) in Madagascar

Indian subcontinent (Yu et al. 2012). By comparing Pristomerus spp. with Enicospilus spp., it might be

reasonable to assume that the former genus has a higher endemism rate. However, our current knowledge

of Pristomerus in Afrotropics is still too limited to enable any definitive comparison.

Acknowledgments

We are most thankful to Anne Freitag (Musee Cantonnal de Zoologie de Lausanne), Martina Peeters

(Institut Royal des Sciences Naturelles de Belgique), Franck Koch (MNHU) and Gavin Broad (BMNH)

for loaning type specimens. We also wish to acknowledge Brian Fisher and Bob Zuparlco (CAS), and the

Madagascar project team for providing fresher material. The Madagascar project was supported in part

by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. DEB-0072713 to B.L. Fisher and C.E. Griswold

and DEB-0344731 to B.L. Fisher and PS. Ward, and in part by the Schlinger Foundation.We especially

thank Agniele Touret-Alby (MNHN) for photographing and registering such a large number of specimens,

and Terry Reynolds (ISAM) and Gavin Broad for re-reading the manuscript. And many thanks to all

participants of the “gimme a name” contest. This work was funded by the Societe Entomologique de

France, the South African National Research Foundation and the Claude Leon foundation (Germaine

Cousin, SABI and Claude Leon postdoctoral fellowship grants, respectively, to P. Rousse).

References

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Manuscript received: 24 October 2012

Manuscript accepted: 15 March 2013

Published on: 8 July 2013

Topic editor: Koen Martens

Desk editor: Danny Eibye-Jacobsen

Printed versions of all papers are also deposited in the libraries of the institutes that are members of

the EJT consortium: Museum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France; National Botanic Garden

of Belgium, Meise, Belgium; Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren, Belgium; Natural History

Museum, London, United Kingdom; Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Brussels, Belgium;

Natural History Museum of Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark.