Encarsia adusta Schmidt and Naumann

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 : 2116-2118

3. Encarsia adusta Schmidt and Naumann

( Figures 11–13 ) Encarsia adusta Schmidt and Naumann in Schmidt et al. 2001, p 371, 376. Holotype ♀,

Australia, Northern Territory, Darwin, 27 September 1996 (P. De Barro), ex Bemisia tabaci on Sonchus oleraceus (Asteraceae) (ANIC, examined).

Diagnosis

Female. Colour: head predominantly brown, upper head partly lighter. Overall coloration of mesosoma light brown, scutellum slightly lighter and propodeum darker than rest of mesosoma. Metasoma predominantly brown, petiole brown, gaster at base with sharply defined narrow dark brown band. Antenna yellow with scape, pedicel and apical segments darkened. Fore wing hyaline. Legs yellow except coxa basally brown and hind femora darkened.

Morphology: stemmaticum with rugose-reticulate surface sculpture. Antennal formula 1,1,4,2. Pedicel longer than F1 (1.35–1.62). F1 1.44–1.80 times as long as its maximum width, shorter than F2 (0.72–0.85) and F3 (0.68–0.81). Flagellomeres with the following numbers of sensilla: F1: 0, F2: 2, F3: 2, F4: 3, F5: 3, F6: 3. Mesoscutal midlobe with eight (or nine) 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 greater than between posterior pair. Fore wing 2.6 times as long as width of disc. Marginal fringe 0.35–0.38 times as long as width of disc. Submarginal vein with two setae, marginal vein anteriorly with seven setae. Basal cell with four to five setae. Tarsal formula 5-5-5. Apical spur of midtibia subequal to half the length of the corresponding basitarsus (0.44–0.55). Tergites laterally with the following numbers of setae: T1: (2–)3–6(–8), T2: 3–6, T3: 3–6, T4: 4–6, T5: 4–6, T6: 3, T7 with four setae. Ovipositor slightly shorter than or subequal in length to midtibia (0.90–1.03). Third valvula 0.44–0.46 times as long as second valvifer.

Male. Body predominantly brown with mesoscutal midlobe posteriorly and scutellum lighter. Legs light brown except coxae brown, femora, in particular hind femur, lighter brown and tibiae slightly darkened. Apical two segments of antenna fused and sensilla partly overlapping.

Species group placement. E. inaron group.

Distribution. Australia: Northern Territory, Queensland, Western Australia.

Host. Aleyrodidae : Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) , Lipaleyrodes euphorbiae David and Subramaniam , Trialeurodes vaporariorum (Westwood) .

Additional material examined

Northern Territory: 2♀, Darwin, 27 September 1996 (P. De Barro), ex Bemisia tabaci on Sonchus oleraceus L. ( Asteraceae ) (ANIC); 4♀, Darwin, 10 December 2002 (R. van Klinken), ex Lipaleyrodes euphorbiae David and Subramaniam on Euphorbia sp. (Euphorbiaceae) (ZSMG). Queensland: 1♀, Mount Isa, 3 October 1996 (P. De Barro), ex Bemisia tabaci on Sonchus oleraceus (ANIC) . Western Australia: 1♀, 1 „, Kununurra, 24 September 1996 (P. De Barro), ex Lipaleyrodes sp. on Euphorbia hirta (Euphorbiaceae) (ANIC).

Comments

Encarsia adusta belongs together with E. accenta and E. azimi to the E. inaron species group. Encarsia azimi is sometimes difficult to distinguish from E. adusta but usually it has a pale gaster and only one or two (rarely three) setae on each side of T2 and T3. Encarsia accenta has a distinct colour pattern and differs morphologically by the short tibial spur of the middle leg, which is distinctly shorter than half the length of the corresponding basal tarsal segment.

Figures

Figures 11–13. Encarsia adusta Schmidt and Naumann, female. (11) Mesosoma and gaster. (12) Antenna. (13) Fore wing.