Aloencyrtus utilis (Annecke)

Prinsloo, Rd. L., 2010, On some Afrotropical species of Aloencyrtus (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae): parasitoids of soft scales (Hemiptera: Coccidae), Zootaxa 2716, pp. 1-28 : 26-27

Aloencyrtus utilis (Annecke)

( Figs 7, 26, 45)

Coccidoxenus utilis Annecke 1964: 407 .

Trichomasthus utilis ; Annecke & Insley 1971: 25.

Aloencyrtus utilis ; Prinsloo 1978: 302.

Diagnosis. This distinctive species was described and illustrated in detail by Annecke (1964). It is readily separated from its congeners as follows:

Female. Length: 2.0 mm. Colour: head and body blackish with mesopleura and prepectus mostly yellowishbrown; head with dark green, purple and bronze reflections, scrobes brilliant green, thoracic dorsum with a slight metallic sheen. Antenna with scape yellowish-brown, remainder blackish-brown. Forewing strongly infuscated from base of linea calva to hyaline cross-band; disc beyond cross-band strongly infuscated to near apex, the latter broadly hyaline, as in Fig. 7. Legs, including middle tibial spur, blackish-brown except middle femur yellowishbrown and basal tarsal segment of middle leg whitish.

Head in dorsal view about 3x as wide as frontovertex, anterior margin of the latter slightly concave, without a notch; head in frontal view ( Fig. 26) with scrobes V-shaped, with a dorsal fovea. Frontovertex from occipital margin to about upper limits of scrobes with minute scattered punctations, the face and sides of head devoid of any punctations. Antenna ( Fig. 45) with pedicel slightly longer than basal funicle segment; funicle segments becoming progressively wider apically, I 1.4x as long as wide, II–IV each longer than wide, V about quadrate, VI slightly wider than long.

Sculpture of mesoscutum and scutellum of similar texture, finely cellulate-reticulate, the cell margins not raised, lending the integument a rather smooth appearance. Forewing as in Fig. 7, 2.4x as long as wide; marginal vein about equal in length to postmarginal, the latter just more than 0.5x as long as stigmal; discal setae confined to hyaline cross-band and wing apex extremely short and fine, these areas appearing asetose.

Gaster shorter than thorax; ovipositor about 0.7x length of middle tibia; gonostyli short, triangular in shape, 0.3x length of middle tibial spur, not protruding caudally.

Male. As described and illustrated by Annecke (1964).

Remarks. Aloencyrtus utilis is readily separated from all the other species of the genus treated here by the unique infuscated pattern of the forewing ( Fig. 7), in which the disc beyond the pale cross-band is not entirely infuscated but with apex broadly hyaline.

Known distribution. South Africa.

Type material examined. ♀ holotype, 4 ♀, 2 ♂ paratypes, as follows: SOUTH AFRICA: Transvaal (now Gauteng Province), Irene , i.1959, E.C.G. Bedford, ex. Saissetia oleae on Leonotis leonurus ( T987 ) .