Encarsia perconfusa Evans and Abd­Rabou, 2005

Evans, Gregory A. & Abd-Rabou, Shaaban, 2005, Two new species, and additional records, of aphelinids from Egypt (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae), Zootaxa 838, pp. 1-7 : 4-6

Encarsia perconfusa Evans and Abd­Rabou , n. sp.

Female ( Figs. 8–11 ). Length: 0.9 mm.

Diagnosis

Encarsia perconfusa is very similar to Encarsia confusa Hayat , described from Aleurolobus sp. in India ( Hayat, 1989), but differs by having the ovipositor distinctly shorter (0.82x) than the length of the midtibia, the maximum width of the forewing longer than the length of the forewing disk and with 10–11 long basal setae below the submarginal vien, and the F3 antennal segment slightly longer than F2; whereas in E. confusa , the ovipositor is subequal to the length of the midtibia, the maximum width of forewing is as long as the forewing disk and with 7–8 shorter basal setae below the submarginal vein, and with F3 is slightly shorter than F2.

Description

Color: Body yellow, head with dark brown transverse line above the clypeus, antennae and legs yellow with F6 fuscous; wings hyaline (clear).

Head with the following length/width measurements (μm) and length/width ratios of antennal segments ( Fig. 10 ): radicle 52.5/15 = 3.5; scape 145/30 = 4.8; pedicel 50/32.5 = 1.5, F1 45/22.5 = 2.0, F2 51.7/22.5 = 2.3, F3 62.5/25 = 2.5, F4 62.5/30 = 2.1, F5 62.5/32.5 = 1.9, F6 60/32.5 = 1.8. Number of linear sensillae on F1–F6: 0, 1, 1, 3, 3, 3, respectively. Mandible with 3 teeth and glossa with 2 pairs of pegs.

Mesosoma ( Fig 8 ) midlobe of mesoscutum with many small hexagonally shaped cells and with 4 pairs of setae arranged as 4+2+2, axillae with many small, elongate cells and with one relatively long seta arising from the anterior third and extending to the basal third of the axilla; scutellum with many hexagonal cells, anterior pair of setae (Sc1) shorter than posterior pair (Sc2), placoid sensillae separated by distance of 5.7x the diameter of one sensillum. Each hexagonal cell on mesosoma with short intercellar lines as in Encarsia luteola Howard.

Forewing ( Fig. 11 ) length 700.0; forewing disk 257.5; maximum width of forewing 330.0; longest seta of marginal fringe 72.5; forewing width 1.3x forewing disk; marginal fringe 0.2x forewing width; forewing uniformly setose, basal group with 10–11 long setae, marginal vein with10 setae along its anterior margin and 2 pterostigmal setae present at its base.

Legs ( Fig. 9 ) tibia of middle leg (252.5) with apical spur 0.6x as long as corresponding basitarsus; tarsal formula 5­5­5.

Gaster elongate with narrow reticulate band at the base; ovipositor (205) arising at the level of tergite IV and 0.81x as long as tibia II; valvulae III (55) moderately long, 0.3x as long as ovipositor.

Male unknown.

Specimen examined and deposition

Holotype female (slide mounted), Egypt: Aswan, i.2003, S. Abd­Rabou, ex. Tetraleurodes leguminicola Bink­Moenen on Acacia tortilis (Forsk.) Hayne ; deposited in USNM.

Etymology

This species is named for its similarity to Encarsia confusa Hayat which was named as such because it could be easily confused with Encarsia transvena (Timberlake) , a junior synonym of E. sophia (Girault and Dodd) ; the prefix “per” is added to its name which means “very”.

Discussion

This species is tentatively placed in the Encarsia lahorensis species group, which was first designated by Viggiani and Mazzone (1979). Later, Hayat (1989) broadened the concept of this species group to include species that have more than two pairs of setae on the mesoscutum. Encarsia perconfusa differs from most of the other species currently placed in this group by having the midtibial spur much shorter than the corresponding basitarsus and more than two pairs of setae on the mesoscutum. Hayat (1998) suggested that E. confusa may be a synonym of Encarsia galilea Rivnay , described from Bemisia afer (Priesner and Hosny) in Israel. Of the species of Encarsia known from Egypt, E. perconfusa is most similar to Encarsia protransvena Viggiani , but can be distinguished from that species by having the placoid sensillae of the scutellum widely separated; whereas in E. protransvena , the placoid sensillae are closely placed, separated by a distance of less than the diameter of one sensillum. Its whitefly host, Tetraleurodes leguminicola , attacks sunt ( Acacia spp.), a tree widely distributed throughout Upper Egypt where it is used for lumber.

Additional records

In addition, the following aphelinids were reared from the following hosts in Egypt:

1) Encarsia perniciosi (Tower) , reared from Lepidosaphes pallida (Maskell) on mango ( Mangifera indica L.), Sharquia, Egypt, I.2003, S. Abd­Rabou.

2) Marietta leopardina Motschulsky , a hyperparasite, emerged from Saissetia coffeae (Walker) on olive ( Olea sp.), Northern Coast of Egypt, 1.vii.1997, S. Abd­Rabou; from Chrysomphalus dictyospermi (Morgan) on Ficus retusa ssp. nitida (Th.) Miq., Qalyubiya , ix. 2002, S. Abd­Rabou; from Aonidiella citrina (Coquillett) on rose ( Rosa sp.), South Sinai, i.2000. S. Abd­Rabou; from Parlatoria ziziphi (Lucas) on Citrus sp., Giza, vi.1999, S. Abd­Rabou; and from Aonidiella aurantii (Maskell) on Ficus retusa ssp. nitida, Isna Qena, v.2001, S. Abd­Rabou.

Figures

FIGURES 8 – 11. Encarsia perconfusa female. 8) habitus dorsum, 9) tibia and tarsus of middle leg, 10) antenna, 11) fore wing with stigmal vein enlarged and disk setae excluded.