Ammonoencyrtus carolinensis (Meyer)

Noyes, John Stuart, 2023, ENCYRTIDAE OF COSTA RICA (HYMENOPTERA: CHALCIDOIDEA), 4 Subfamily Encyrtinae: tribes Arrhenophagini, Habrolepidini, Cerapterocerini, Cheiloneurini, Trechnitini, Cercobelini, Polaszekiini, Protyndarichoidini, Gahaniellini and Syrphophagini (part), mainly primary parasitoids and hyperparasitoids of Coccoidea and Psylloidea (Hemiptera), Taxonomic Monographs on Neotropical Hymenoptera (Oxford, England) 2 (11), pp. 1-921 : 524-525

Ammonoencyrtus carolinensis (Meyer)

(Figs 1313-1322; Hab. E 191)

Anicetus carolinensis Meyer , in Meyer et al., 2001:687-689. Holotype E, USA (North Carolina), NSCU, not examined.

Ammonoencyrtus carolinensis (Meyer) ; Schauff, 2005: 115-118.

Homosemion carolinensis (Meyer) ; Trjapitzin, 2010a:440, 453.

DIAGNOSIS. Female (overall length 0.9-2.0mm): head generally orange with a very weak purple and brassy sheen; area above transfacial carina with a distinctly stronger purple sheen, a curved brown line between mouth margin and toruli (Fig. 1319), sometimes faint; antenna (Figs 1317, 1318) with scape orange, broadly margined brown ventrally, dorsal margin brown with a strong metallic green sheen; flagellum may be almost completely dark brown with a brassy and purple sheen, or it may be partly orange-brown; mesoscutum usually very slightly dusky orange with a distinct purple lustre (rarely dark brown and contrasting strongly with scutellum); axilla orange; scutellum orange with a slight brassy and coppery sheen, side and apex with a distinct purple and blue sheen; legs white to pale orange; fore wing (Figs 1320, 1321) infuscate with base and apex hyaline; gaster mostly orange with Gt1-Gt5 dorsally, distal margin of Gt6 and apex of syntergum brown, gonostylus pale orange; head (Fig. 1319) 5.8-9.6X as wide as frontovertex, the frontovertex relatively wider in smaller specimens with frontovertex slightly shiny with very shallow, fine, polygonally-reticulate sculpture, completely smooth above transfacial carina; ocelli forming an acute angle; narrowest point of connection of interantennal prominence to frontovertex flat and about 2X diameter of anterior ocellus; area immediately above transfacial carina with about 20 setae; antenna as in Figs 1317, 1318; F1 about 1.5X as long as F2 and subequal in width, remaining segments progressively slightly narrower; clava about 0.9X as wide as F1 and dorsally about as long as F3-F6 combined, sensory area about 2.2-4X as long as ventral margin, relatively longer in larger specimens (Fig. 1318); linear sensilla mostly only on F4-F6, rarely on all funicle segments; mandible with three teeth; scutellum (Fig. 1313) with polygonally reticulate sculpture that is clearly deeper than imbricate-reticulate sculpture on mesoscutum, side and apex virtually smooth; fore wing about 2.4X as long as broad, venation and setation as in Figs 1314, 1317, 1318; area proximad of anal angle clearly hyaline; gaster with hypopygium (Figs 1315, 1316) reaching about 0.4X to apex, without a distinct, short, posterior, median projection (mucro); last tergite about as long as mid tibia or a little shorter, with apex acute or rounded; ovipositor (Fig. 1322) about 1.5X as long as mid tibia, slightly exserted, the exserted part not longer than mid tibial spur. Male (about 0.9-1.1mm): head and body very dark brown with a metallic green to blue-green and purple sheen on head, coppery purple in ocellar area; mesoscutum relatively dull dark green and coppery purple, scutellum coppery purple, side and apex metallic dark green; gaster with a metallic green and coppery sheen; antenna with scape yellow, pedicel and flagellum pale brown; legs mostly yellow, hind leg with coxa brown, hind femur partially brown, hind tibia brown in proximal two thirds; wings hyaline; frontovertex about half head width, with polygonally reticulate sculpture, gena and scrobal area with similar, but shallower sculpture; scape about 2.5X as long as broad; funicle with all segments longer than broad, F1 longest, clothed with setae, the longest of which is about 1.5X as long as diameter of segment; each digitus with a single apical hook.

DISTRIBUTION. USA (North Carolina, Florida); Costa Rica (new record).

HOSTS. Reared from Mesolecanium nigrofasciatum (Pergande) (Homoptera: Coccidae ) on Vaccinium corymbosum L.) ( Ericales : Ericaceae ) ( Meyer et al., 2001) and Paratachardia silvestri (Mahdihassan) ( = lobata (Chamberlin) (Homoptera: Kerriidae ) ( Schauff, 2005). Recorded below from Ceroplastes floridensis Comstock ( Hemiptera : Coccidae ) on Ilex cornuta Lindl. & Paxton ( Aquifoliales : Aquifoliacae) (new record).

MATERIAL EXAMINED.

Non type material. USA, 1E, Florida, Monroe Co., Big Pine Key, Watson’s Hammock, iii-iv.1985 (S. & J. Peck); 2E, 2G, Florida, Alachua Co., Gainesville. ex Ceroplastes floridensis on Ilex cornuta , 21.viii.1988 (F.D. Bennett); 3G, Florida, Alachua Co., Gainesville. ex Ceroplastes floridensis on Ilex cornuta , 24.viii.1988 (F.D. Bennett); 8E, Florida, Alachua Co., Gainesville. ex Ceroplastes floridensis on Ilex cornuta , 31.viii.1988 (F.D. Bennett); 1E, Florida, Levy Co., Cedar Key, 23.iv.1989 (J.S. Noyes); 1E, Florida, Gainesville, oak forest, 15.ix-20.x.1989 ( BRC Hym Team). COSTA RICA, 14E, Guanacaste, Santa Rosa NP , various localities and dates, 11.v.1985 - 31.i.1987 (D. Janzen, I.D. Gauld); 1E, Guanacaste, Guanacaste NP, Est. Cacao (Pedregal) , xi-xii.1990 ( INBio Team); 2E, Guanacaste, Cacao (ACG), 1100 m, MT/YPT, 26.i- 24.ii.1996 (J.S. Noyes); 1E, Guanacaste, Est. Cacao (ACG), 1100 m, ii.2000 (J.S. Noyes); 1E, Guanacaste, BN Diría, Ret. Alr. Torre Control de Incendio , LN 238550 358650, 600-700m, #66659, xii.2001 - i.2002 (I. Jiménez); 1E, Guanacaste, PN Palo Verde, Sector Palo Verde, LN 260952 385020, 0-50m, #54241, 8.xi-9. xii.1999 (I. Jiménez); 1E, Guanacaste, PN Palo Verde, Sector Palo Verde, Campo Aterrizaje, LN 388400 259050, 10m, 10.i-19.ii.2001 (I. Jiménez); 4E, Heredia, Santo Domingo, INBio Parque, LN 217300 526200, 1100m, TM, vi-vii.2000, vii.2001 and viii.2001 (R. Zuñiga); 1E, Heredia, Santo Domingo, INBio Parque, LN 217300 526200, 1100m, iii.2002 (J.S. Azofeifa, J.S. Noyes); 3E, Puntarenas, Res. Priv. Karen Mogensen , 9°52’N 85°03’W, 14-15.ii.2005 (J.S. Noyes); 1E, Puntarenas, Monteverde, 15-16.vii.1986 (L. Masner); 1E, Puntarenas, PN Corcovado. Cerro Rincón, La Tigrilla, LS 274500 523600, 600m, #66466, 16.xi-20.xii.2001 (J. Azofeifa); 1E, Limón, 5km SE Puerto Viejo , MT/YPT, 26.ii-1.iii.1991 (J.S. Noyes). Material in NHMUK, MZUCR, USNM and CNC .

COMMENTS. Costa Rica specimens agree well with the original description of carolinensis in Meyer et al. (2001), as well as with the diagnostic notes provided by Schauff (2005) and with material identified as this species listed above from Florida. I therefore have no hesitation in treating the Costa Rica material as carolinensis . It should be noted that the infuscation of the fore wing is generally not as strong as that figured by Schauff (2005, Fig. 5). In many specimens the diagonal band connecting the main infuscate area to the anal angle of the wing may be quite faint and difficult to see. I am unable to distinguish carolinensis from californicus using morphological characters, but the two can be separated instantly on colour. In californicus the thorax and legs are generally dark brown whereas in carolinensis the thorax and legs are pale orange with a weak metallic sheen on the mesoscutum. Annecke (1967) noted a similar difference between bonariensis and californicus. It is possible that all three are forms of a single species. However, bonariensis appears to differ from both californicus and carolinensis in having a slightly wider frontovertex. In bonariensis it appears to be at least about 0.2X as wide as the head ( De Santis, 1964, Fig. 200) whereas it is 0.10- 0.18X as wide as the head in californicus and carolinensis ,