Encarsia elenae Myartseva

Myartseva, Svetlana Nikolaevna, Ruíz-Cancino, Enrique & Blanco, Juana María Coronado-, 2013, Four new species of Aphelinidae (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea) from Mexico, Zootaxa 3641 (3), pp. 223-232 : 230

Encarsia elenae Myartseva , sp. n.

( Figs 13–16 )

Material. Holotype female: México, Tamaulipas, (Gómez Farías), Altas Cimas (900 m), Malaise trap, 4– 12.VIII.2000 (D.R. Kasparyan). Holotype deposited in UCRC.

Length of body (without ovipositor) = 0.8 mm.

Coloration. Head yellow, frontovertex orange, ocelli reddish, occiput above foramen infuscate. Antennae grayish yellow. Mesosoma yellow, anterior part of mid lobe of mesoscutum, axillae, and propodeum infuscate. Fore wing hyaline, venation slightly infuscate. Legs light yellow. Gaster brown. Ovipositor with valvulae light yellow.

Structure. Head very slightly wider than mesosoma, about 1.5× as wide as high. Frontovertex with transversely striate sculpture, about 0.5× as wide as width of head. Ocelli large. Distance between hind ocelli, which are situated in small triangle, about 0.3× as long as distance from hind ocellus to eye. Eye about 1.6× as long as cheek. Mandible with three large teeth. Antennae ( Fig. 13 ) inserted below level of lower margin of eyes. Distance between toruli about 0.5× as long as distance from torulus to eye margin. Antennal radicle long, about 3.7× as long as wide. Scape 5.4× as long as wide. Pedicel about 2.4× as long as wide and about 1.5× as long as first funicle segment. First and second segments of funicle about equal in length and width, and both slightly less than 2× as long as wide (1.7 and 1.8, respectively). Third funicle segment the longest, about 2.5× as long as wide. Club 3-segmented, not wider than funicle and slightly shorter than funicle and pedicel combined. Third funicle segment with one longitudinal sensillum, segments of club with two sensilla each. Mid lobe of mesoscutum with 6 setae. Sculpture of mid lobe and axillae reticulate. Side lobes with 3 setae each, axillae with one seta each. Scutellum 0.7× as long as mid lobe of mesoscutum and about 2× as wide as long. Scutellar placoid sensilla large and widely spaced, separated by a distance of 5 diameters of one sensillum. Distance between bases of anterior scutellar setae slightly longer (28:25) than distance between bases of posterior setae, and anterior pair of setae 0.5× as long as posterior pair of setae. Fore wing uniformly setose and 2.7× as long as maximum width of wing, marginal fringe about 0.3× as long as width of wing, base with 7 or 8 setae. Marginal vein ( Fig. 14 ) slightly longer than submarginal vein (13:11) and with 6 setae along anterior margin. Hind wing about 6.3× as long as maximum width of wing, its marginal fringe slightly longer than maximum width of wing (31:28). Tarsal formula 5-5-5. Mid tibial spur about 0.8× as long as basitarsus of mid tarsus ( Fig. 15 ). Gastral tergites T2–T7 with 1, 1, 1, 4, 2 and 4 setae on each side, respectively. Ovipositor( Fig. 16 ) largely exerted, about 1.7× as long as mid tibia; third valvula about 0.5× as long as second valvifer.

Male unknown.

Comments. Encarsia elenae sp. n. is close to E. pineti Myartseva & Evans , described from the State of Tamaulipas and collected also in the Biosphere Reserve “El Cielo”. The holotype of the new species was compared with the holotype female of E. pineti and is easily separated by the following complex of characters: scape 5.4× versus 4.4× as long as wide, third funicle segment the longest, longer than the second segment and 2.5× as long as wide versus second and third funicle segments very short and both 1.1× as long as wide, fore wing with 7 or 8 versus 3 basal groups of setae, midtibial spur shorter versus subequal in length to basitarsus, ovipositor largely versus slightly exerted, 1.7× versus 1.4× as long as mid tibia, and third valvula 0.5× versus 0.4× as long as second valvifer.

Etymology. Named in honour of the first daughter of the senior author, Elena Myartseva, living in Minsk, Belarus.

Figures

FIGURES 13 – 16. Encarsia elenae, sp. n., female: 13, antenna; 14, marginal vein; 15, mid tarsus; 16, ovipositor.