Encarsia nitella, 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 : 2200-2201

59. Encarsia nitella n. sp.

( Figures 186–188 )

Description

Female. Colour: head yellow, stemmaticum with brown spot. Mesosoma yellow except pronotum medially brown, mesoscutal midlobe with faint anteromedial brown stripe, axilla anteriorly and propodeum laterally brown. Gaster pale or slightly brown, T1 and T2 sometimes with faint brown band, remaining tergites laterally and T5 and T6 sometimes slightly darker. Antenna yellow, apical segments brown. Fore wing hyaline. Legs yellow.

Morphology: antennal formula 1,1,3,3. Stemmaticum with reticulate surface sculpture. Antennal formula 1,1,3,3. Pedicel slightly longer than F1 (1.04–1.26). F1 1.83–2.67 times as long as its maximum width, shorter than F2 (0.70–0.88) and F3 (0.75–0.92). F2 subequal in length to F3. Flagellomeres with the following numbers of sensilla: F1: 0, F2: 0–2, F3: 2–4, F4: 3–4, F5: 4–5, F6: 3. Midlobe of mesoscutum with four setae, side lobes with two setae each. Scutellar sensilla separated by a distance of approximately three to five times the maximum width of a sensillum. Distance between anterior pair of scutellar setae slightly smaller than between posterior pair. Fore wing 2.2–2.4 times as long as width of disc. Marginal fringe 0.23–0.27 times as long as width of disc. Submarginal vein with two setae, marginal vein anteriorly with (five to) six setae. Basal cell with five to eight setae. Tarsal formula 5-5-5. Apical spur of midtibia longer than half the length of the corresponding basitarsus (0.58–0.67). Tergites laterally with the following numbers of setae: T1: 0, T2: 1, T3: 1, T4: 1, T5: 2, T6: 2, T7 with four setae. Ovipositor slightly longer than midtibia (1.07–1.18) and 1.49–1.81 times as long as clava. Third valvula 0.40– 0.44 times as long as second valvifer.

Male. Unknown.

Species group placement. Not established.

Distribution. Australia: Queensland.

Host. Aleyrodidae : Viennotaleyrodes incomptus Martin.

Material examined

Queensland: Holotype ♀, Bundaberg, 10 August 2000 (P. De Barro), ex Viennotaleyrodes incomptus on Acacia sp. (Mimosaceae) (ANIC). Paratypes 2♀, same data as holotype, and 2♀, Brisbane, Mt Glorious, 27 October 2000 (P. De Barro), ex soft-bodied whitefly (ZSMG); 1♀, Brisbane, Mt Coot-tha, 11 January 1999 (P. De Barro), ex soft-bodied whitefly on Acacia sp. (Mimosaceae) (ZSMG).

Figures

Figures 186–188. Encarsia nitella n. sp., female. (186) Mesosoma and gaster. (187) Antenna. (188) Fore wing.