Aprostocetus (Ootetrastichus) infulatus ( De Santis 1957 )

ALBARRACIN, ERICA LUFT & TRIAPITSYN, SERGUEI V., 2007, Aprostocetus (Ootetrastichus) infulatus (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae): description of the male, new distribution and first host records, Zootaxa 1438 (1), pp. 65-68 : 65-68

Aprostocetus (Ootetrastichus) infulatus ( De Santis 1957)

( Figs. 1 –3 )

Ootetrastichus infulatus De Santis 1957: 62–65 .

Tetrastichus infulatus (De Santis) : De Santis 1967: 10, 135.

Aprostocetus (Ootetrastichus) infulatus (De Santis) : Noyes 2001; Noyes 2003.

Type locality. Punta Lara , Buenos Aires, Argentina .

Type material examined. Holotype female [ MLPA] on slide: ARGENTINA, BUENOS AIRES, Punta Lara , ii.1955, L. De Santis, MLPA type No. ZA-91.

Material examined [ IMLA, MLPA, UCRC]. ARGENTINA. TUCUMÁN: El Manantial, E. Luft Albarracin & E.G.Virla : 24.i–2.ii.2005 (ex. Dalbulus maidis (DeLong & Wolcott) eggs), 2 ♀; 22–25.ii.2005 (ex. Chlorotettix fraterculus (Berg) eggs), 2 ♂; 25.ii–2.iii.2005 (ex. D. maidis eggs), 3 ♂; 4–11.iii.2005 (ex. C. fraterculus eggs), 6 ♂; 9– 17.iii.2005 (ex. D. maidis eggs), 1 ♂; 17–26.iii.2005 (ex. D. maidis eggs), 2 ♂; i.2006 (ex. Syncharina punctactissima (Signoret) eggs), 3 ♀ and 3 ♂; ii.2006 (ex. Exitianus obscurinervis (Stål) eggs), 2 ♀. San Miguel de Tucumán , E. Luft Albarracin : ii.2006 (ex. C. fraterculus eggs), 1 ♀; iii.2006 (ex. Peregrinus maidis (Ashmead) eggs), 1 ♂.

Redescription.

FEMALE (based on the holotype and 4 non-type individuals). Body color blackish green to intensive black with yellow and metallic tinge. Antennal scape longer than wide, not enlarged; flagellum with apparently 3 anelli, 3 funicular segments and a 2-segmented clava ( De Santis 1957: Fig. 11B, p. 62).

Measurements (n=5): Body length: 1.09–1.20 (1.16±0.05); head (length/width): 0.20–0.24 (0.22±0.02)/ 0.19–0.26 (0.23±0.03); mesosoma length: 0.32–0.42 (0.37±0.04); metasoma length: 0.57–0.63 (0.60±0.02); ovipositor length: 0.43–0.54 (0.49±0.04). Antennal segments ( Table 1). Forewing length: 0.95–1.06 (1.01±004); maximum width: 0.30– 0.40 (0.34±0.04); longest marginal setae: 0.06–0.09 (0.07±0.01); length of submarginal, marginal and stigmal veins in the followings proportions: 16:33:6. Hind wing length: 0.76–0.87 (0.81±0.05), maximum width: 0.10–0.14 (0.12±0.02); longest marginal setae: 0.06–0.09 (0.08±0.01).

MALE (n = 12). Similar to female, except for antenna ( Fig. 1 ), and the following. Body length 0.79–1.01 (0.93 ± 0.07). Body smooth, with metallic tinge. Eyes and ocelli reddish; vertex (behind ocelli in dorsal view), pronotum, scutellum, distal tarsal segments, metacoxa, and distal third of gaster black. Head (except vertex behind ocelli), antenna, mesoscutum, legs (except metacoxa and distal tarsal segments) and base of gaster brown to yellowish. Wings hyaline, venation brownish.

Head length/width 0.14–0.28 (0.19±0.05) / 0.17–0.32 (0.23±0.05); in dorsal view slightly wider than mesoscutum, in frontal view rounded, slightly wider than long; mandible tridentate; ocelli in an obtuse triangle; toruli at middle of face, their ventral edge a little above lower edge of eyes; distance between toruli 0.04; distance between eyes 0.13.

Antennal flagellomeres with long setae ( Fig. 1 ); scape long and expanded, almost twice wider than long; funicle with apparently 3 subequal anelli and 4 subequal, elongated segments; clava 3-segmented, with an apical spicula; antennal segments in following proportions ( Table 1, as scape, pedicel, anelli (combined), F1, F2, F3, F4, clava: 15: 4: 1: 3: 4: 3: 3: 12).

Mesosoma length 0.30–0.39 (0.33±0.06). Pronotum enture, short (length 0.02–0.04 (0.03±0.008)), almost 3 times wider than long; mesoscutum length: width ratio as 10:9, mid lobe convex, with two or three pairs of setae; scutellum as long as wide, a little shorter than mesoscutum and with two pairs of setae. Propodeum short, median length 0.04–0.06 (0.05±0.01), with a weak longitudinal median carina.

Wings. Forewing length 0.65–0.98 (0.80±0.11), maximum width 0.20–0.39 (0.3± 0.05); longest marginal setae 0.07–0.11 (0.08±0.01); length of submarginal, marginal and stigmal veins in the followings proportions: 12:25:5, submarginal vein with two dorsal setae ( Fig. 2 ). Hind wing ( Fig. 3 ) narrow, length 0.60–0.86 (0.70±0.08), maximum width 0.09–0.14 (0.11±0.02), longest marginal setae 0.05–0.09 (0.08±0.01).

Legs. Metatibia longer than pro- and mesotibiae. Three first tarsal segments subequal: distal segments a little longer than preceding ones in the following proportion 4:5; apical spur of metatibia 0.02 mm.

Metasoma length 0.37–0.56 (0.47±0.09); oval, sharp-pointed apically, as long as head and mesosoma combined. Petiole short. Gaster entirely covered by short and dispersed setae. Apex of gaster with a pair of long setae ranged 0.08–0.13 (0.1±0.02).

Distribution. Argentina: Buenos Aires ( De Santis 1957) and Tucumán (new record).

Hosts. We report new host records from the sentinel eggs of Chlorottetix fraterculus (Berg) , Dalbulus maidis (DeLong & Wolcott) , Exitianus obscurinervis (Stål) , Syncharina punctatissima (Signoret) (Cicadellidae) , and Peregrinus maidis (Ashmead) (Delphacidae) . Most of the specimens were obtained during late summer.

This species is economically important, since its hosts include such vectors of corn diseases as the leafhopper D. maidis and the planthopper P. maidis ( Paradell 1995; Remes Lenicov & Virla 1999).

Acknowledgments. We are grateful to Eduardo G. Virla for the review and useful suggestions on the manuscript.

This study was supported by FONCyT–PICT Project No. 08–15029.

ERICA LUFT ALBARRACIN 1 & SERGUEI V. TRIAPITSYN 2

1 PROIMI-Biotecnología, Div. Control Biológico, Av. Belgrano y Pje. Caseros (T4001 MVB), San Miguel de Tucumán, Tucumán, Argentina. E-mail: [e-mail] 2 University of California, Department of Entomology, Riverside, CA 92521 , USA. E-mail: [e-mail]

Figures

FIGURES 1–3. Aprostocetus (Ootetrastichus) infulatus (male). 1. Antenna. 2. Forewing. 3. Hind wing. Scale lines: 0.1 mm.