Metaphycus fusiformis, Wang, Ying, Li, Cheng-De & Zhang, Yan-Zhou, 2013

Wang, Ying, Li, Cheng-De & Zhang, Yan-Zhou, 2013, A taxonomic study of Chinese species of the alberti group of Metaphycus (Hymenoptera, Encyrtidae), ZooKeys 285, pp. 53-88 : 75-76

Metaphycus fusiformis sp. n. Figs 70-76

Holotype.

1♀, China, Shanxi, Li Mt.: 2006.VIII.1, Coll. D. Liu (IZCAS).

Paratypes.

1♀, Beijing, Mentougou, 2011.VIII.30 (IZCAS); 2♀♀, Beijing, Changping, 2009.VIII.7, Coll. F. Yuan (IZCAS), 2♀♀, Beijing, Changping, 2009.VIII.7, Coll. Q. T. Wu (IZCAS), 1♀, Hainan, Danzhou, 2005.I, Coll. T. X Zhang (IZCAS); 1♀, Hainan, Danzhou, 2007.V.16, Coll. Y. Z. Zhang (IZCAS).

Female: Body length, including ovipositor about 0.8-0.9mm. Frontovertex orange; orange in ocellar area, very pale brown to orange between occipital margin and posterior ocelli; gena with a fairly broad, oblique, brown mark from occiput to base of mandible; mouth margin narrowly pale brown below torulus; rest of head, except occiput, white; antenna (Fig. 70) with radicle dark brown; scape with both faces dark brown, blackish, dorsal margin narrowly pale yellow, extreme apex white; pedicel base at most two thirds dark brown, white distally, dark brown area extending slightly towards apex externally and internally; F1-F3 dark brown, F4 brown, F5-F6 white-yellow, clava in proximal 2/3 dark brown, becoming slightly paler towards apex, apex yellow; occiput with a large dark brown area above foramen, rest pale yellow; neck of pronotum dark brown, posterior margin translucent yellow, lateral spots relatively large and distinct, rest orange; dorsum of thorax orange; sides and posterior margin of mesoscutum and axillae conspicuously bordered brown; setae translucent pale brown, silvery in most lights; tegula white with apex pale grey-brown; metanotum brown; mesopleuron pale yellow; prosternum yellow and mesosternum white; legs (Fig. 73-75) mainly white but tibiae at knees narrowly dark brown and mid and hind tibiae with a pair of dark brown rings at about 0.2 × and 0.5 ×; fore wing (Fig. 72) hyaline, a faintly infuscate area below marginal and stigmal veins, and with linea calva interrupted, venation yellow-brown; hind wing hyaline; propodeum medially brown, laterally white; gaster mostly brown but dark brown dorsally from cercal plates to near apex, sides and venter white; ovipositor sheath yellow.

Head with polygonally reticulate sculpture and mesh size slightly less than that of one eye facet; ocelli forming an angle of about 35°; eye not quite reaching occipital margin, separated by much less than diameter of a facet; frontovertex subparallel-sided; scrobes shallow and U-shaped; antenna (Fig. 70) with scape about 2.4 × as long as broad; funicle with F1-F4 smallest, subequal and transverse, F5 a little larger but transverse, F6 largest and quadrate, linear sensilla only on F6, clava 3-segmented, its apex more or less rounded but with a short slightly oblique truncation; mandible relatively broad with three subequal, apical teeth; palpal formula 2-2 (Fig. 71); notaular lines reaching about 0.6 × across mesoscutum; fore wing venation and setation as in Fig. 72; ovipositor (Fig. 76) slightly exserted, about 5.2 × as long as ovipositor sheath, second valvifer without subapical setae.

Relative measurements: HW 14, FV 4, FVL 8, POL 1.5, AOL 3, OOL 1, OCL 1, POD 1, AOD 1, EL 8, EW 6.5, MS 4, SL 6, SW 2.5, FWL 35, FWW 14, OL 10, GL 2, MT 11.

Male. Unknown.

Host.

Unknown.

Distribution.

China (Beijing, Hainan, Shanxi).

Etymology.

The species name ‘fusiformis’ is derived from the infuscate area of the fore wing.

Diagnosis.

Scape with both faces dark brown, blackish, dorsal margin narrowly pale yellow, extreme apex white and about 2.4 × as long as broad; fore wing (Fig. 72) hyaline, a faintly infuscate area below marginal and stigmal veins.Using the key of Guerrieri and Noyes (2000), this species runs to couplet 10 and is similar to Metaphycus ibericus in having a uniformly weakly infuscate fore wing. It can be separated from the latter as follows: dorsal margin of scape pale orange, not marked brown medially and 2.4 × as long as broad (in ibericus, dorsal margin of scpae marked brown medially and 3 × as long as broad); ovipositor about as long as mid tibia (in ibericus with ovipositor about 0.8 × as long as mid tibia).