Coccobius albiscutellum Wang and Huang, 2013

Wang, Zhu Hong, Huang, Jian & Pan, Dong Ming, 2013, Taxonomic review of Coccobius species (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) from China, with notes on their use in biological control of scale insect pests (Hemiptera: Diaspididae), and description of a new species, Journal of Natural History (J. Nat. Hist.) 48 (5 - 6), pp. 359-373 : 362-364

Coccobius albiscutellum Wang and Huang sp.nov.

( Figure 1 )

Description (holotype)

Female: Body length: 0.74 mm.

Colour. Body yellow to yellow-brown, with head, pronotum and mid lobe of mesoscutum dark brown to black; side-lobes of mesoscutum anteriorly brown; metasomal T1–T4 yellow to yellow-brown, laterally and T5 dark brown. Antennal radicle, scape and pedicel brown, F1 and clava dark brown, F2 partly brown, F3 pale. Wings hyaline. Legs pale, fore coxae basally dark, hind coxae and femora brown. Third valvulae pale.

Morphology. Eyes finely setose. Mandibles with two teeth and a truncation; maxillary palps two-segmented, labial palps one-segmented. Antenna seven-segmented, antennal formula 1,1,3,2; scape four times as long as wide (115: 29); pedicel as long as F1 (51: 49), 1.8 times as long as wide (51: 28); F1–F3 approximately equal in length (49: 50: 52), about twice as long as wide (1.85: 1.84: 1.80), each bearing two to four longitudinal sensilla; clava shorter than funicle (138: 151), C1 1.4 times as long as wide (49: 35), C2 2.5 times as long as wide (89: 35), distinctly longer than C1 (89: 49), each bearing four to seven long sensilla.

Vertex and mesosoma reticulate. Mid lobe of mesoscutum large, with irregular reticulate cells, bearing about 22 fine setae (excluding the large posterior pair). Sidelobes of mesoscutum narrow, each with two setae. Axillae each with one seta, distance between axillae about 3.3 times as long as axilla (106: 32). Scutellum large, 0.9 times as long as mid lobe of mesoscutum (93: 104), with longitudinal reticulations, and bearing three pairs of setae, placoid sensilla on scutellum close to mid pair of setae. Metanotum short and smooth, propodeum smooth and nearly equal in length to metanotum, mesopostphragma 1.7 times as long as scutellum (156: 93).

Fore wing 2.8 times as long as maximum width of wing disc (639: 231). Marginal fringe 0.22 times as long as maximum width of disc (51: 231). Submarginal vein slightly shorter than marginal vein, bearing five setae, marginal vein bearing seven to eight setae along anterior margin, the setae longer than width of the vein (24: 13). Stigmal vein with a slender neck and expanded apex, postmarginal vein present, about 0.3 times as long as stigmal vein (10.81: 33.85). Disc densely setose and narrow area basally posteriorly asetose. Tarsal formula 5-5-5.

Ovipositor extended from base of T3, slightly projecting beyond apex of metasoma. Ovipositor 1.5 times as long as mid-tibia (293: 189), third valvula twice as long as mid-basitarsus (80: 40).

Male: Unknown.

Host

Unknown.

Distribution

China (Fujian).

Material examined

Holotype female. CHINA: Fujian, Fuzhou, Jinshan , 9 October 2010 (J.B. He & X.L. Chen), Malaise trap ( FAFU) . Paratype. 1 Female, same data as holotype, but 20 December 2010 ( FAFU) .

Comments

Coccobius albiscutellum sp. nov. resembles Coccobius comperei (Hayat) with regard to the colouration of the head and mesoscutum. However, we have examined the paratype of Coccobius (= Physcus ) comperei (Ref. No. 359 MB, paratype, HYM / CH 059) loaned from Dr M. Hayat (Aligarh Muslim University, India), and the new species can be distinguished from the latter by the following: antenna with radicle, scape and pedicel brown, pedicel as long as F1–F3. respectively, P: F1: F2: F3 = 51: 49: 50: 52 (in C. comperei : radicle, scape, pedicel pale; pedicel shorter, P: F1: F2: F3 = 41: 52: 62: 60); pronotum and mid lobe completely dark brown, mid lobe bearing about 22 fine setae (excluding the large posterior pair) (in C. comperei : most of mid lobe except a mid-longitudinal band and posterior margin brown, bearing about 46 setae); fore wing with postmarginal vein present, about 0.3 times as long as stigmal vein; setae along anterior margin of marginal vein longer than width of the vein (24: 13) (in C. comperei : postmarginal vein usually absent, setae along anterior margin of marginal vein about as long as width of the vein); metasomal T5 dark brown; legs pale with fore tibia basally dark, hind tibia and femora mostly brown (in C. comperei : T5 pale except sides, legs yellowish).

Figures

Figure 1. Coccobius albiscutellum sp. nov. (A–B) colouration of body; (C) antenna; (D) pronotum and mesonotum; (E) fore wing; (F) postmarginal and stigmal veins of fore wing; (G) mesosoma and metasoma.