Encarsia elegans Masi, 1911

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 : 2161-2162

33. Encarsia elegans Masi

( Figures 109–112 )

Encarsia elegans Masi 1911, p 147 . Holotype ♀, Italy, Catanzaro, May, ex Aleurolobus [as Aleyrodes ] olivinus (Silvestri) (DEUN, examined).

Encarsia elegans Masi : Mercet 1912, p 156 –158; Viggiani 1985b, p 84 –85; 1987b, p 140.

Encarsia bifasciafacies Hayat 1989a, p 58 –59. Holotype ♀, India, Uttar Pradesh, Aligarh, 23 June 1984 (M. Hayat and S. S. Islam), ex Aleurolobus sp. (BMNH, examined). Synonymized with E. elegans by Huang and Polaszek 1998, p 1867.

Encarsia bifasciafacies: Huang 1994, p 207 ; Chou et al. 1996, p 196; Hayat 1998, p 216 –217.

Encarsia elegans: Huang and Polaszek 1998, p 1867 –1869.

Diagnosis

Female. Colour: head yellow, face with transverse brown band between eyes, postgena and gena partly brown. Mesosoma brown, mesoscutum posteriorly, posteromesal corners of axilla, and scutellum pale. Gaster brown. Antenna yellow except pedicel and F6 brown. Fore wing hyaline with faint dark band behind marginal vein. Legs yellow.

Morphology: stemmaticum with rugose surface sculpture. Antennal formula 1,1,4,2. Pedicel longer than F1 (1.63–1.69). F1 1.06–1.40 times as long as its maximum width, distinctly shorter than F2 (0.54–0.57) and F3 (0.56–0.58). F2 and F3 subequal in length. Flagellomeres with the following numbers of sensilla: F1: 0, F2: 2–3, F3: 2, F4: 3, F5: 3, F6: 3. Midlobe of mesoscutum with 10 setae, side lobes with three setae each. Scutellar sensilla widely separated (approximately three to four times the maximum width of a sensillum). Distance between anterior pair of scutellar setae subequal to distance between posterior pair. Fore wing 2.5–2.6 times as long as width of disc. Marginal fringe 0.25–0.26 times as long as width of disc. Basal cell with six to eight setae. Submarginal vein with two setae, marginal vein anteriorly with seven or eight setae. Tarsal formula 5-5-5. Apical spur of midtibia longer than half the length of the corresponding basitarsus (0.69–0.92). Tergites laterally with the following numbers of setae: T1: 0, T2: 1, T3: 1, T4: 1, T5: 3, T6: 3, T7 with four to seven setae. Ovipositor subequal in length to midtibia. Third valvula 0.29–0.36 times as long as second valvifer.

Male. No males of the species were collected in the study area. For a description of E. elegans males from elsewhere see Huang and Polaszek 1998, p 1868.

Species group placement. E. elegans group.

Distribution. Australia: Queensland, Western Australia. China, Egypt, India, Italy ( Masi 1911), Pakistan.

Host. Aleyrodidae : Aleurolobus marlatti (Quaintance) , Tetraleurodes sp. The following additional hosts have been recorded:? Aleurocanthus husaini ( Hayat 1989a, as A. hussini ) ( Chou et al. 1996), A. niloticus Priesner and Hosny , A. olivinus (Silvestri) ( Masi 1911) , A. rhododendri Takahashi , Siphoninus sp.

Additional material examined

Queensland: 1♀, Bundaberg, 10 August 2000 (P. De Barro), ex Aleurolobus marlatti on Callistemon citrinus (Myrtaceae) (ANIC). 1♀, 50 km south of Bowen, 20 April 2001 (P. De Barro), ex Aleurolobus sp. on Acacia sp. (Mimosaceae) (ZSMG); 1♀, Horseshoe Bay, Bowen, Whitsunday Sands, 19 April 2001 (P. De Barro), ex Tetraleurodes sp. on Glochidion sp. (ZSMG). 1♀, Split Rock (15 ° 399S, 144 ° 319E), 27 April to 28 May 1993 (P. Zborowski and A. Roach), flight interception trap (ANIC); 1♀, Heathlands dump (11 ° 459S, 142 ° 359E), 7 June to 25 July 1992 (P. Zborowski, E. Nielsen), Malaise # 2, open forest (ANIC). Western Australia: 1♀, Kununurra, 3 May 2000 (S. and O. Schmidt), ex Aleurolobus sp. on Bridelia tomentosa Blume (Euphorbiaceae) (ANIC).

Figures

Figures 109–112. Encarsia elegans Masi, female. (109) Mesosoma and gaster. (110) Antenna. (111) Stemmaticum. (112) Fore wing.