Encarsia dispersa Polaszek, 2004

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 : 2159-2161

32. Encarsia dispersa Polaszek

( Figures 106–108 ) Encarsia dispersa Polaszek 2004, p 412 –414. Holotype ♀, Malaysia, Sabah, Tawau, 2 July

1988, ex Psidium guajava QH 397 CIE A20033 (BMNH, examined). Encarsia ? haitiensis: Kumashiro et al. 1983 ; Chien et al. 2000. Encarsia haitiensis: Mani and Krishnamoorthy 2000 ; Babcock et al. 2001. Encarsia sp. nr haitiensis: Ramani 2000 .

Diagnosis

Female. Colour: head and body completely yellow. Antenna and legs yellow. Fore wing hyaline.

Morphology: stemmaticum with rugose surface sculpture. Antennal formula 1,1,3,3. Pedicel longer than F1 (1.28–1.46). F1 1.38–1.50 times as long as its maximum width, distinctly shorter than F2 (0.59–0.64) and F3 (0.63–0.69). F2 and F3 subequal in length. Flagellomeres with the following numbers of sensilla: F1: 0, F2: 2–3, F3: 2–3, F4: 3–4, F5: 3–4, F6: 3. Midlobe of mesoscutum with 12–16 setae, side lobes with three setae each. Scutellar sensilla widely separated (approximately seven times the maximum width of a sensillum). Distance between anterior pair of scutellar setae slightly larger than distance between posterior pair. Fore wing 2.2–2.3 times as long as width of disc. Marginal fringe 0.15–17 times as long as width of disc. Submarginal vein with two setae, marginal vein anteriorly with six or seven setae. Tarsal formula 5-4-5. Apical spur of midtibia longer than half the length of the corresponding basitarsus (0.64–0.66). Tergites laterally with the following numbers of setae: T1: 0, T2: 0–1, T3: 1–2, T4: 1–2, T5: 2–3, T6: 3, T7 with four setae. Ovipositor subequal in length to midtibia and 1.4 times as long as clava. Third valvula 0.55–0.56 times as long as second valvifer.

Male. No males of the species were collected. For a description of E. dispersa males from elsewhere see Polaszek et al. 2004, p 414.

Species group placement. E. luteola group.

Distribution. Australia: Queensland. Belize, Benin, Brazil, Fiji, Guam, Hawaii, India, Kiribati, Malaysia, Maldives, Philippines, Taiwan, Trinidad, USA (Florida), Venezuela.

Host. Aleyrodidae : Aleurodicus dispersus Russell.

Additional material examined

Queensland: 6♀, Cairns, April 1999 (P. Garland), ex Aleurodicus dispersus (ANIC, ZSMG) .

Comments

The species has become very widespread since its introduction from Trinidad into Hawaii in 1979 ( Cock 1985). In Australia E. dispersa has been released (as E. nr haitiensis ) to control the spiralling whitefly, Aleurodicus dispersus Russell , which was for the first time detected in Australia on Boigu Island, Torres Strait, Queensland, in 1991 ( Lindsay and Grimshaw 1993).

Figures

Figures 106–108. Encarsia dispersa Polaszek, female. (106) Mesosoma and gaster. (107) Antenna. (108) Fore wing.