Metaphycus chinensis, 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 : 64-66

Metaphycus chinensis sp. n. Figs 23-29

Holotype.

♀, China, Jiangsu, Nanjing: 2011.VI.1, coll. L. Ding (IZCAS).

Paratypes.

2♀♀, the same as holotype (IZCAS).

Female: Body length, including ovipositor, 0.7mm. Frontovertex orange; orange in ocellar area, yellow between occipital margin and posterior ocelli; immaculate from occiput to base of mandible; rest of head, except occiput, white; antenna (Fig. 23) with radicle brown; scape with both faces blackish, extreme base and apex yellow; pedicel dark brown in proximal half, otherwise white; F1-F3 dark brown, F4 pale brown, F5- F 6 white, clava dark brown, becoming paler towards apex, apex paler brown; occiput with a large dark brown area above foramen, rest white; neck of pronotum black, posterior margin translucent brown, lateral spots relatively large and distinct, rest white; dorsum of thorax orange; sides and posterior margin of mesoscutum and axillae incon spicuously bordered pale brown; setae translucent orange, silvery in most lights; tegula white with apex pale grey-brown; metanotum pale brown; mesopleuron pale yellow; prosternum and mesosternum white; legs (Figs 26-28) mainly pale yellow, occasionally mid and hind tibiae with faint brown marking; fore wing (Fig. 25) hyaline and with linea calva interrupted, venation yellow-brown; hind wing hyaline; propodeum medially dark brown, laterally white; dorsum of gaster brown but T8 white, 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 40°; eye not quite reaching occipital margin, separated by much less than diameter of a facet; frontovertex subparallel-sided; scrobes shallow and U-shaped; lateral antennal groove absent; antenna (Fig. 23) with scape about 2.3 × as long as broad; funicle with F1-F4 smallest, subequal and transverse, F5 larger but transverse, F6 largest, linear sensilla only on F5 and 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. 24), notaular lines virtually absent; fore wing venation and setation as in Fig. 25; ovipositor (Fig. 29) hardly exserted, about 4.8 × as long as ovipositor sheath.

Relative measurements: HW 11, FV 3, FVL 6, POL 1.5, AOL 3,OOL 0.5, OCL 1,POD 1, AOD 1, EL 7, EW 5, MS 3.5, SL 5, SW 2.2, FWL 30, FWW 11, HWL 19, HWW 3, OL 9, GL 1.9, MT 11.

Male. Unknown.

Host.

Unknown.

Distribution.

China (Jiangsu).

Etymology.

The specific epither of this new species is derived from the type locality “China”.

Diagnosis.

Antenna with radicle brown; scape with both faces blackish, extreme base and apex yellow; scape about 2.3 × as long as broad; dorsum of gaster brown but T8 white, sides and venter white; ovipositor sheath yellow; ovipositor hardly exserted, about 4.8 × as long as ovipositor sheath.This species is close to Metaphycus ericeri in appearance. It can be separated from the latter as follows: fore wing 2.7 × as long as broad (Fig. 25), ocelli forming an angle of about 40°; ovipositor (Fig. 29) about 4.8 × as long as ovipositor sheath (in ericeri, fore wing 2.4 × as long as broad (Fig. 53), ocelli forming an angle of about 50°; ovipositor (Fig. 57) about 5.4 × as long as ovipositor sheath).