Coccidencyrtus, Ashmead, 1900

Noyes, John Stuart, 2023, ENCYRTIDAE OF COSTA RICA (HYMENOPTERA: CHALCIDOIDEA), 4 Subfamily Encyrtinae: tribes Arrhenophagini, Habrolepidini, Cerapterocerini, Cheiloneurini, Trechnitini, Cercobelini, Polaszekiini, Protyndarichoidini, Gahaniellini and Syrphophagini (part), mainly primary parasitoids and hyperparasitoids of Coccoidea and Psylloidea (Hemiptera), Taxonomic Monographs on Neotropical Hymenoptera (Oxford, England) 2 (11), pp. 1-921 : 82-84

Genus COCCIDENCYRTUS Ashmead

Coccidencyrtus Ashmead, 1900:383 . Type species: Encyrtus ensifer Ashmead , by original designation and monotypy.

Encyrtomyia Girault, 1915a:131 . Type species: Encyrtomyia albiflagellum Girault , by original designation. Synonymy with Coccidencyrtus by Noyes & Hayat (1984:253,254).

Omphalencyrtus Girault, 1915a:169 . Type species: Omphalencyrtus wallacei Girault , by original designation and monotypy. Synonymy with Coccidencyrtus by Noyes & Hayat (1984:253,254).

Thomsoniella Mercet, 1921:89 . Type species: Thomsoniella typica Mercet by original designation and monotypy. syn.nov.

Coccidencyrtoides Blanchard, 1940:107 . Type species: Coccidencyrtoides maculicornis Blanchard , by designation of De Santis: 1967:161). Synonymy with Coccidencyrtus by Compere & Annecke (1961:61).

Thomsonisca Ghesquière, 1946:369 . Replacement name for Thomsoniella Mercet, 1921 nec Signoret, 1880. syn.nov.

Heterencyrtus Hoffer, 1953:86 . Type species: Heterencyrtus sumavicus Hoffer , by original designation and monotypy. Synonymy with Thomsonisca by Trjapitzin (1989:289). syn. nov.

Athesmus Erdös & Novicky, 1955:198 . Type species: Athesmus luctuosus Erdös & Novicky , by original designation and monotypy. Synonymy with Thomsonisca by Graham (1969:246- 237). syn.nov.

Kosztarabia Erdös, 1957:367 . Type species: Kosztarabia chionaspidis Erdös , by original designation and monotypy. Synonymy with Thomsonisca by Trjapitzin (1989:289). syn. nov.

Eussuria Chumakova, 1957:539. Type species: Euusuria pallipes Chumakova , by original designation and monotypy. Synonymy with Thomsonisca by Trjapitzin (1973b:421). syn. nov.

Pakencyrtus Ahmad, 1970:237-238 . Type species: Pakencyrtus pakistanensis Ahmad , by original designation and monotypy. Synonymy with Thomsonisca by Subba Rao (1976:689). syn. nov.

Neoadelencyrtus Hayat, Alam & Agarwal, 1975:72-73 . Type species: Neoadelencyrtus mandibularis Hayat, Alam & Agarwal , by original designation and monotypy. Synonymy with Coccidencyrtus by Noyes & Hayat (1984:253).

Female. Overall length about 0.6-1.2mm.

Head and thorax dark brown, often weakly to moderately metallic.

Head about 2-2.5X as wide as frontovertex; tangent of frontovertex forming an angle of 80- 110° with that of face; eye clothed with conspicuous setae, each about as long as diameter of facet; antenna attached level with lower eye margin, torulus separated from mouth margin by about its own length; funicle 6-segmented, segments transverse to longer than broad; clava 3-segmented; mandible with one acute tooth and broad concave truncation or with three teeth, inner surface with a socketed peg near lower margin ( Figs 187, 272, arrowed); palp formula 3-2, rarely 2-2.

Posterior margin of pronotum roundly concave, not broadly V-shaped or angular medially; mesoscutum without notaular lines; scutellum flat with conspicuous sculpture; fore wing about 2.1-2.4X as long as broad; linea calva interrupted by at least 2 lines of setae on dorsal surface and closed by a 1-2 lines of setae on ventral surface, never closed on dorsal surface; submarginal vein sometimes with parastigma slightly broadened; marginal vein at least about 2.5X as long as broad, postmarginal vein distinct; stigmal vein subsessile but at least as long as postmarginal vein, uncus developed with 4 campaniform sensilla in a line; scutellum usually with only 3 pairs of setae, rarely 4 pairs, but with up to 7 pairs in some extralimital species.

Hypopygium not reaching apex of gaster; ovipositor varying from hidden to conspicuously exserted.

Male. Length about 0.7-1.0mm.

Similar to female but all funicle segments usually at least 2X as long as broad and with long setae, the longest of which is at least as long as diameter of widest segment. often more than 4X as long; linear sensilla on apical segments; phallobase about 3-4X as long as broad; parameres and digiti well developed, paramere reaching about half-way along digitus with apical seta present; cuspis seta present; digitus about 2-3X as long as broad with a single apical tooth; aedeagus about 8-10X as long as broad, about half as long as mid tibia, or slightly more, with apex acute.

DISTRIBUTION. Cosmopolitan.

HOSTS. Solitary, primary, endoparasitoids of armoured scale insects ( Hemiptera : Diaspididae ) (see Noyes, 2019). Records from non diaspidid hosts are unlikely and require confirmation. Coccidencyrtus phenacocci Ferrière , recorded as a parasitoid of Phenacoccus hordei (Lindeman) in Germany (Ferrière, 1956), probably does not belong to Coccidencyrtus .

BIOCONTROL. Coccidencyrtus ochraceipes has been tested as a biocontrol agent in France (see p. 111). In about 1958-1960 Coccidencyrtus shutovae (Trjapitzin) was introduced into the north Caucasus (Krasnodar and Stavropol territories of Russia) from North Korea for the control of Comstockaspis perniciosa (Comstock) ( Hemiptera : Diaspididae ) but did not become established (Shutova, 1967; Trjapitzin & Paik, 1996). Coccidencyrtus pallipes (Chumakova) was introduced into the former USSR for control of C. perniciosa sometime prior to 1988 but no further information is available (Izhevskiy (1988). Finally, Coccidencyrtus sankarani (Subba Rao) (as Thomsonisca sp. ) was introduced into USA (Florida) from Pakistan in 1978-1979 for control of Pseudaulacaspis rubra (Green) ( Hemiptera : Diaspididae ) but no results have been forthcoming (CIBC (1979).

COMMENTS. Historically, recognition of Coccidencyrtus and Thomsonisca has been based mainly on differences shown in two characters. Species with all funicle segments subequal, longer than broad and with prominent linear sensilla and a well-exserted ovipositor have been placed in Thomsonisca , whilst those with at least some funicle segments small and transverse with indistinct linear sensilla and the ovipositor hidden or weakly exserted have been placed in Coccidencyrtus . All the species placed within Thomsonisca occur only in the Palaearctic or adjoining areas whilst those falling within Coccidencyrtus have a much wider global distribution.

These character states have continuous ranges within the Costa Rican species and to maintain the genera as separate would require arbitrary limits to define them. Other diagnostic character states are shared by both genera, as illustrated by the above diagnosis. I therefore have no hesitation in formally proposing the synonymy of these two genera resulting in the following new combinations: Coccidencyrtus amathus (Walker) (from Encyrtus ); Coccidencyrtus indicus (Hayat) (from Thomsonisca ); Coccidencyrtus noyesi (Japoshvili) (from Thomsonisca ); Coccidencyrtus pakistanensis (Ahmad) (from Pakencyrtus ); Coccidencyrtus pallipes (Chumakova) (from Euussuria ); Coccidencyrtus sankarani (Subba Rao) (from Thomsonisca ); Coccidencyrtus shutovae (Trjapitzin) (from Euussuria ) (all comb.nov.).

See also comments under Quetsira (p. 124) and Tico (p. 160).

IDENTIFICATION. Worldwide, 74 species, including 21 described below as new. Guides to identification of species, as Coccidencyrtus : De Santis, 1964 (7 Argentinian species); Trjapitzin, 1989 (4 Palaearctic species); Hayat, 2006 (3 described Indian species); Xu & Huang, 2004 (3 Chinese species); Xu & Lin, 2005 (3 Chinese species); Compere & Annecke, 1961 (key to 5 species); Sushil & Khan, 1994 (5 species); as Thomsonisca : Hayat, 2006 ( India; 4 species); Subba Rao, 1979 (4 species); Sushil & Khan, 1994 (key to 5 species); Xu & Huang, 2004 (2 Chinese species); Trjapitzin, 1989 (3 Palaearctic species)