Encarsia subhyalina, Schmidt & Polaszek, 2007

Schmidt, Stefan & Polaszek, Andrew, 2007, The Australian species of Encarsia Förster (Hymenoptera, Chalcidoidea: Aphelinidae), parasitoids of whiteflies (Hemiptera, Sternorrhyncha, Aleyrodidae) and armoured scale insects (Hemiptera, Coccoidea: Diaspididae), Journal of Natural History 41 (33 - 36), pp. 2099-2265 : 2241-2243

85. Encarsia subhyalina n. sp.

( Figures 273–275 )

Description

Female. Colour: head yellow, posterior head with dark transverse band. Mesosoma yellow except pronotum, mesoscutum anteriorly, axilla largely, and mesopleuron brown. Propodeum laterally light brown. Gaster brown except basal tergites pale. Antenna yellow. Fore wing with a faint infuscation behind marginal vein. Legs yellow.

Morphology: stemmaticum with rugosely strigose surface sculpture. Antennal formula 1,1,3,3. Pedicel longer than F1 (1.44–1.47). F1 1.15–1.20 times as long as its maximum width, slightly longer than half the length of F2 (0.55–0.56) and F3 (0.56–0.58). F2 subequal in length to F3. Flagellomeres with the following numbers of sensilla: F1: 0, F2: 1–2, F3: 2–3, F4: 2–3, F5: 3–4, F6: 3. Midlobe of mesoscutum with eight setae, arranged symmetrically, side lobes with three setae each. Scutellar sensilla widely separated (approximately five to six times the maximum width of a sensillum). Distance between anterior pair of scutellar setae slightly smaller than distance between posterior pair. Fore wing 2.3–2.4 times as long as width of disc. Marginal fringe 0.21–0.25 times as long as width of disc. Basal cell with two setae. Submarginal vein with two setae, marginal vein anteriorly with eight or nine setae. Tarsal formula 5-5-5. Apical spur of midtibia distinctly longer than half the length of the corresponding basitarsus (0.83–0.84), the latter distally with three to four pegs. Tergites laterally with the following numbers of setae: T1: 0, T2: 1, T3: 1, T4: 1, T5: 2, T6: 3, T7 conically elongated, with four setae. Ovipositor longer than midtibia (1.77–1.89) and 2.57–3.07 times as long as clava. Third valvula 0.56–0.67 times as long as second valvifer.

Male. Unknown.

Species group placement. E. opulenta group.

Distribution. Australia: Queensland, Western Australia.

Host. Aleyrodidae : Xenaleyrodes sp.

Material examined Western Australia: Holotype: ♀, Kununurra, 5 May 2000 (S. and O. Schmidt), ex

Xenaleyrodes sp. on Eucalyptus grandifolia Benth. (Myrtaceae) (ANIC). Queensland: paratype: 1♀, Mareeba, Endeavour, 7 July 2000 (P. De Barro), ex hard-bodied whitefly on Corymbia sp. (Myrtaceae) (ANIC).

Comments

The species is similar to E. perplexa , but F1 is transverse in perplexa and quadrate in subhyalina , and the gaster has the T5 largely dark in subhyalina whereas it is pale in perplexa .

Figures

Figures 273–275. Encarsia subhyalina n. sp., female. (273) Mesosoma and gaster. (274) Antenna. (275) Fore wing.