Encarsia swifti (Girault)

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 : 2243-2244

86. Encarsia swifti (Girault)

( Figures 276, 277 )

Coccophagus swifti Girault 1915, p 50 , 57. Holotype ♀, Australia, Queensland, Gordonvale (Cairns), 10 June 1914 (QMBA, type no. Hy. 2929, examined).

Prospaltella swifti (Girault) : Compere 1931, p 11. Change of combination.

Encarsia swifti (Girault) : Viggiani 1985c, p 249 –250. Change of combination.

Coccophagus swifti Girault : Dahms 1986, p 576.

Redescription

Female. Colour: head pale brown, stemmaticum darker. Antennae pale. Mesosoma brown, the side lobes of the mesoscutum paler, scutellum white in striking contrast to the remainder of the mesosoma (though appearing dark under transmitted light because the specimen has not been cleared). Metasoma brown. Fore wing hyaline. Legs pale except the hind coxae which are brown.

Morphology: stemmaticum with striate/reticulate surface sculpture. Antennal formula 1,1,4,2. Pedicel shorter than F1 (0.66). F1 3.5 times as long as its maximum width, slightly longer than F2 (1.1) and F3 (1.25). F2 slightly longer than F3. Flagellomeres with the following numbers of sensilla: F1: 2, F2:2, F3: 2, F4: 3, F5: 4(?), F6: 3. Midlobe of mesoscutum with five setae, side lobes two or three setae each. Mid lobe with unusual longitudinally reticulate sculpture, becomes circular at the posterior margin. Scutellar sensilla separated by approximately three times the maximum width of a sensillum. Anterior pair of scutellar setae indiscernible, possibly absent. Fore wing about 2.5 times as long as width of disc. Marginal fringe 0.18 times as long as width of disc. Basal cell with one or two setae. Submarginal vein with four setae, marginal vein anteriorly with nine setae. Tarsal formula 5-5-5. Apical spur of midtibia distinctly longer than half the length of corresponding basitarsus. Ovipositor slightly shorter than midtibia (0.73) and twice as long as clava. Third valvula 0.5 times as long as second valvifer.

Male. Unknown.

Species group placement. Not established.

Distribution. Australia: Queensland.

Host. Unknown.

Figures

Figures 276, 277. Encarsia swifti (Girault), syntype female. (276) Overall view of type specimen. (277) Head.