Aloencyrtus umbrinus (Compere)

Prinsloo, Rd. L., 2010, On some Afrotropical species of Aloencyrtus (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae): parasitoids of soft scales (Hemiptera: Coccidae), Zootaxa 2716, pp. 1-28 : 25-26

Aloencyrtus umbrinus (Compere)

( Figs 6, 25, 44)

Microterys umbrinus Compere 1939: 16 .

Aloencyrtus umbrinus ; Prinsloo 1978: 302.

Diagnosis. Compere (1939) provided a fairly detailed description (without any illustrations) of this species, which is known only from the female. The following diagnosis and accompanying illustrations will suffice to distinguish this striking species.

Female. Length: 2.2–2.6 mm. Colour: head and thorax mostly dark brown (paler in old, faded specimens) with yellowish-brown suffusions on face and mesopleura, the head with a faint purplish tinge in certain light, the thorax without a metallic lustre; gaster blackish; protruding ovipositor pale. Antenna either overall dark brown to blackish-brown or with club and apical funicle segment blackish-brown and remainder of antenna distinctly paler. Forewing ( Fig. 6) strongly infuscated from base of linea calva to hyaline cross-band, the disc beyond the band less strongly darkened, as in fig. 6. Legs, including middle tibial spur, brown to blackish-brown with yellowish-brown suffusions except tarsi distinctly paler.

Head in dorsal view 3.8–4.0x as wide as frontovertex, anterior margin of the latter almost straight, without a median notch; head in frontal view ( Fig. 25) with scrobes deep, steep sided, confluent dorsally, with a broad, rather flat interscrobal prominence and distinct dorsal fovea. Frontovertex and area between scrobes and lateral eye margins with numerous fine, shallow punctations, their diameter distinctly less than that of median ocellus, the lower part of face less conspicuously punctate, the genae without punctations. Antenna ( Fig. 44) with pedicel a little shorter than basal funicle segment, the latter 3.5–3.7x as long as wide; funicle with segments becoming progressively shorter and wider, II–IV each longer than wide, V quadrate, VI a little wider than long; club as long as apical two and a half funicle segments combined.

Sculpture of mesoscutum and scutellum of similar texture, finely cellulate-reticulate, the integument with a rather polished appearance. Forewing ( Fig. 6) relatively slender, 2.6x as long as broad; marginal vein 1.5–2.0x as long as postmarginal, the latter less than 0.5x as long as stigmal; setae confined to hyaline cross-band very fine, almost indiscernible, the band appearing asetose under low magnification.

Gaster a little shorter than thorax; ovipositor as long as gaster, about 1.4x as long as middle tibia; gonostyli elongate, slender, about 0.7x as long as middle tibial spur, protruding distinctly caudally.

Male. Unknown.

Remarks. This species was hitherto known only from Kenya, from where it was originally described by Compere (1939) as a parasitoid of Ceroplastes destructor on coffee and later recorded by Crowe (1962) as a parasitoid of Ceroplastes brevicauda Hall on the same host plant. A number of specimens originating from the same series as the type material are available for study in addition to material from South Africa from where A. umbrinus is here recorded for the first time.

Among those species with similar forewing maculation Aloencyrtus umbrinus most closely resembles A. lindae and A. vivo , differing from these two species in the characters mentioned in their treatments above.

Known distribution. Kenya, South Africa

Material examined. SOUTH AFRICA: Mpumalanga: Pilgrim’s Rest, v.1973, H.P. Insley, ex Ceroplastes sp. on Morella pilulifera (11 ♀; T 4738); KENYA: Limuru (some specimens without this locality), 14.xi.1935, 3.iii.1936, 3.xi.1936, 18.x.1938, ex Ceroplastes sp. and C. destructor on coffee (12 ♀; T 3156; det. D.P. Annecke).