Encarsia brimblecombei (Girault)

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 : 2141-2142

19. Encarsia brimblecombei (Girault)

( Figures 66–69 )

Prospaltella aurantii (Howard) : Silvestri 1929, p 902; 1931b, p 49–51. Misidentification, discovered by Huang and Polaszek 1998: 1869.

Coccophagus brimblecombei Girault 1933 [440], p 4. Lectotype ♀, here designated, Australia, Forest Hill , March (A. R. Brimblecombe), ex Chionaspis citri ( QMBA, type no. T. 8696, examined) . Paralectotype 1♀, same data as lectotype. The lectotype is the specimen in the centre of the slide with the head attached to the body.

Coccophagus herndoni Girault 1935 [445], p 3. Name proposed by Girault for material misidentified by Silvestri. Syntypes ♀, China, Foochow [Fuzhou], Changsha, Soochow [Suzhou] (DEUN, examined). Synonymy with elongata by Hayat 1989a, p 47–48. Hayat (1989a, p 48) regarded the name as not available because it was not accompanied by the selection and designation of a type. However, a type is not required by the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature for a name to be available (International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN) 1999). Syn. nov.

Prospaltella elongata Dozier 1937, p 128 –129. Holotype ♀, USA, New Orleans, 6 January 1926 (H. L. Dozier), ex Lepidosaphes gloverii (Packard) on Euonymus shrub (USNM, examined). Synonymy with herndoni by De Santis (1979). Syn. nov.

Prospaltella elongata Dozier : Compere 1961, p 267.

Prospaltella herndoni (Girault) : De Santis 1979, p 133 –136.

Coccophagus brimblecombei Girault : Dahms 1983, p 152.

Encarsia brimblecombei (Girault) : Viggiani 1985c, p 238. Change of combination.

Encarsia herndoni (Girault) : Viggiani 1986, p 64 –66; Viggiani 1987b, p 147 –149; Viggiani and Ren 1993, p 227.

Encarsia elongata (Dozier) : Hayat 1989a, p 47 –48; Hayat 1998, p 227 –228; Huang 1994, p 215; Huang and Polaszek 1998, p 1869.

Diagnosis

Female. Colour: head yellow, face with transverse brown band. Mesosoma yellow except pronotum, mesoscutum anteriorly, axilla, mesopleuron and propodeum laterally brown. Gaster brown, T1–T3 (T4) and T7 yellow. Third valvula brown. Wings hyaline, fore wing slightly infuscate behind marginal vein. Legs yellow except hind coxa partly brown. Antenna brown.

Morphology [measurements of holotype in square brackets]: antennal formula 1,1,3,3. Pedicel distinctly longer than F1. F1 as long as its maximum width, slightly triangular, dorsal surface shorter than ventral surface. Scutellar sensilla distantly placed (approximately six times the maximum width of a sensillum). Distance between anterior pair of scutellar setae greater than distance between posterior pair. Fore wing 2.7–2.8 [2.7] times as long as width of disc. Marginal fringe 0.37–0.44 [0.37] times as long as width of disc. Submarginal vein with two setae, marginal vein anteriorly with six setae. Basal cell with two setae. Tarsal formula 5-5-5. Apical spur of midtibia longer than half the length of the corresponding basitarsus [0.82]. Tergites laterally with the following numbers of setae: T1: 0, T2: 2, T3: 2, T4: 2, following segments indiscernible. Ovipositor subequal in length to midtibia. Third valvula about 0.4 times as long as second valvifer.

Male. Unknown.

Species group placement. E. aurantii group.

Distribution. Australia: Queensland. China, India, Italy, Spain, USA, Puerto Rico.

Host. Diaspididae : Chionaspis citri (Comstock) . The following additional hosts have been recorded ( Huang and Polaszek 1998): Aonidiella aurantii (Maskell) , Chrysomphalus aonidum (L.), Cornuaspis beckii (Newman) , C. gloverii (Packard) , Fiorinia theae Green , Parlatoria zizyphi Lucas.

Comments

Encarsia brimblecombei is a widespread parasitoid of armoured scale insects ( Diaspididae ) and has previously been recorded (as E. elongata ) in the Oriental region from India and China.

Figures

Figures 66–69. Encarsia brimblecombei (Girault), holotype female. (66) Body of type specimen. (67) Mesosoma and base of gaster. (68) Head and antennae. (69) Fore wing.