Metaphycus stylatus, 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 : 68-70

Metaphycus stylatus sp. n. Figs 39-47

Holotype.

♀, China, Beijing: 2011.VII.1 (IZCAS).

Paratypes.

2♀♀, same as holotype (IZCAS).

Female: Body length, including ovipositor about 0.8mm. Frontovertex orange; orange in ocellar area, orange between occipital margin and posterior ocelli; gena with a fairly broad, oblique, pale brown-yellow from occiput to base of mandible; mouth margin narrowly pale brown below torulus; rest of head, except occiput, white; antenna (Fig. 39) with radicle yellow; scape mostly dark brown and base white; pedicel dark brown in proximal half, otherwise white, F1-F4 dark brown, F5-F6 pale brown-grey, clava dark brown, becoming slightly paler towards apex, apex paler brown; occiput with a large dark brown area above foramen, rest white; neck of pronotum pale black, posterior margin brown, lateral spots relatively large and distinct, rest white; dorsum of thorax yellow-brown; sides and posterior margin of mesoscutum and axillae inconspicuously bordered brown; setae translucent yellow, silvery in most lights; tegula white and apex grey-brown; metanotum dark brown; mesopleuron pale yellow; prosternum and mesosternum white; legs (Figs 43-45) mainly pale yellow but tibiae at knees narrowly dark brown, mid and hind tibiae with a pair of dark brown rings at about 0.2 × and 0.5 ×; fore wing (Fig. 42) hyaline and with linea calva interrupted, venation yellow-brown; hind wing hyaline; propodeum medially brown, laterally yellow; gaster dorsally brown, 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 60°; eye not quite reaching occipital margin, separated by one diameter of a facet; eye margins subparallel with frontovertex slightly wider anteriorly; scrobes shallow and U-shaped; antenna with scape about 5.5 × as long as broad; funicle with F1-F4 smallest, subequal and transverse, F5 and F6 largest, subequal; linear sensilla only on F5 and F6; clava 3-segmented, its apex rounded; mandible relatively broad with three subequal, apical teeth (Fig. 41); palpal formula 2-2 (Fig. 40), notaular lines reaching about 0.6 × across mesoscutum (Fig. 46); fore wing venation and setation as in Fig. 42; ovipositor (Fig. 47) strongly exserted, the exserted part about 2.6 × as long as mid tibial spur, ovipositor length about 2.8 × as long as ovipositor sheath.

Relative measurements: HW 11, FV 4,FVL 5, POL 2,AOL 2, OOL 1, OCL 1, POD 1, AOD 1, EL 7, EW 4, MS 3, SL 5.5, SW 1, FWL 31, FWW 12, HWL 20, HWW 3.5, OL 15, GL 5.4, MT 9.

Male. Unknown.

Host. Unknown.

Distribution.

China (Beijing).

Etymology.

The specific epithet is derived from the latin word “stylatus” referring to the long ovipositor sheath of the new species.

Diagnosis.

Scape mostly dark brown and base white and about 5.5 × as long as broad; legs mainly pale yellow but tibiae at knees narrowly dark brown, mid and hind tibiae with a pair of dark brown rings at about 0.2 × and 0.5 ×; gaster dorsally brown, sides and venter white; ovipositor sheath strongly exserted, the exserted part about two thirds gaster length; ovipositor length about 2.8 × as long as ovipositor sheath.

Metaphycus stylatus differs from other species studied here by the strongly exserted ovipositor sheath, which is about two thirds gaster length. In other species, the ovipositor sheath is less than one fifth the gaster length. Using the key of Guerrieri and Noyes (2000), this species runs to Metaphycus asterolecanii (key couplet 12). It can be separated from asterolecanii as follows: scape about 5.5 × as long as broad; head about 3 × as broad as frontovertex, and ocelli forming an angle of about 60°; ovipositor (Fig. 47) strongly exserted, about 1.7 × as long as mid tibia (in asterolecanii, scape about 3 × as long as broad; head about 4 × as broad as frontovertex, and ocelli forming an angle of clearly less than 60°; ovipositor hidden and nearly as long a mid tibia).