Aloencyrtus, Prinsloo, 1978

Prinsloo, Rd. L., 2010, On some Afrotropical species of Aloencyrtus (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae): parasitoids of soft scales (Hemiptera: Coccidae), Zootaxa 2716, pp. 1-28 : 4-5

Key to females of the Afrotropical species of Aloencyrtus

1. Forewing with a cross-band of fine, pale, refractive setae just beyond apex of venation, the band often appearing asetose under low magnification ( Figs 1–16) and poorly developed, barely discernible, in A. delottoi (Annecke) ( Fig. 13) ................................................................................................................................................................................ 4

- Forewing uniformly covered with normal, well developed discal setae, without a cross-band of fine setae beyond venation ( Figs 17–19) ................................................................................................................................................... 2

2. Antenna ( Fig. 57) with basal funicle segment 5.5x as long as wide; head 5.5x as wide as frontovertex; gonostyli unusually long, 2.3x as long as middle tibial spur ........................................................................ A. facetus (Annecke)

- Antenna with basal funicle segment at most about 3x as long as wide ( Figs 56, 58); head about 4x as wide as frontovertex; gonostyli much shorter, 0.6x as long as middle tibial spur............................................................................ 3

3. Scrobes confluent dorsally, forming a distinct inverted V-shaped impression on face ( Fig. 35); basal funicle segment about 1.3x as long as wide, a little shorter than pedicel ( Fig. 56) ......................................................... A. johani sp. n.

- Scrobes not quite confluent dorsally, not V-shaped ( Fig. 37); basal funicle segment a little more than 2x as long as wide, about as long as pedicel ( Fig. 58)............................................................................... A. claripennis (Compere)

4. Forewing disc beyond cross-band of fine setae at least partly infuscated (e.g. Figs 1, 7)............................................ 5

- Forewing disc beyond cross-band of fine setae hyaline, the dark discal setae sometimes lending the disc a faintly infuscated appearance (e.g. Figs 9, 15) ....................................................................................................................... 12

5. Forewing maculation unique, the disc beyond pale cross-band not entirely infuscated but with wing apex broadly hyaline ( Fig. 7) .................................................................................................................................. A. utilis (Annecke)

- Forewing disc beyond pale cross-band entirely infuscated .......................................................................................... 6

6. Head and body at least partly brownish-yellow to brown or range .............................................................................. 7

- Head and body entirely brownish-black to black, usually partly metallic.................................................................... 8

7. Head, thorax and propodeum brownish-yellow except mesoscutum darker with a green and purple sheen; antenna ( Fig. 46) with pedicel almost 2x as long as basal funicle segment, the latter slightly longer than wide ........................ ................................................................................................................................................. A. saissetiae (Compere)

- Head, thorax and propodeum dominantly dark brown; antenna ( Fig. 44) with pedicel a little shorter than basal funicle segment, the latter at least 3.5x as long as wide .................................................................. A. umbrinus (Compere)

8. Antenna with basal funicle segment at least 3x as long as wide, at least 1.25x as long as pedicel ( Figs. 42, 43) ....... 9

- Antenna with basal funicle segment plainly less than 3x as long as wide, at most as long as pedicel ( Figs 39–40). 10

9. Basal funicle segment about 3x as long as wide ( Fig. 42); head 3.7– 4.6x as wide as frontovertex; forewing beyond pale cross-band less strongly infuscated than disc basad cross-band, as in Fig. 4.................................. A. lindae sp. n.

- Basal funicle segment 3.8x as long as wide ( Fig. 43); head 5.2x as wide as frontovertex; wing disc basad and distad pale cross-band equally strongly infuscated, as in Fig. 5........................................................................... A. vivo sp. n.

10. Scutellum brilliant metallic green to purple, the sculpture dominantly lineolate-reticulate, distinctly coarser than the regular cellulate-reticulate sculpture of mesoscutum.................................................................................................. 11

- Scutellum black with a weak, dark purplish tinge, the sculpture of a similar somewhat smooth texture than that of mesoscutum ............................................................................................................................................. A. hardii sp. n.

11. Head 5.0–5.3x as wide as frontovertex; antenna with basal funicle segment about as long as pedicel, funicle segment V longer than wide, VI quadrate ( Fig. 39); scrobes with a clearly discernible dorsal interscrobal fovea...................... .......................................................................................................................................... A. distinguendus (Waterston)

- Head less than 5x (3.9–4.7:1) as wide as frontovertex; funicle noticeably shorter than pedicel, segments V and VI each wider than long ( Fig. 38); scrobes without a dorsal interscrobal fovea ................................ A. nativus (Annecke)

12. Head, mesopleura and sides of pronotum orange, in contrast to mostly black remainder of body ........... A. alox sp. n.

- Head and body overall black with metallic reflections.............................................................................................. 13

13. Gaster slender, tapering to a strongly acute apex, the epipygium unusually long, cone-shaped; ovipositor longer than head and thorax combined, the gonostyli unusually long, about half as long as middle tibia .... A. coelops (Waterston)

- Gaster, if slender and tapering to a strongly acute apex, then epipygium short and triangular, not elongate; ovipositor plainly less than head and thorax combined, the gonostyli less than half as long as middle tibia ............................. 14

14. Entire front aspect of head (excluding genae and temples) covered with setigerous punctations or small pits......... 15

- Front aspect of head below upper limits of scrobes devoid of any punctations or pits ........................ A. habrus sp. n.

15. Antennal scrobes confluent dorsally, as in Figs 29, 31–33; gonostyli plainly shorter than middle tibial spur .......... 16

- Scrobes converging but not confluent dorsally, as in Fig. 30; gonostyli 1.2–1.3x as long as middle tibial spur ........... .............................................................................................................................................. A. angustifrons (Annecke)

16. Head about 5x as wide as frontovertex ....................................................................................................................... 17

- Head at most about 4x as wide as frontovertex .......................................................................................................... 18

17. Frontovertex, in dorsal view, with anterior margin medially notched; scutellum with a bright green to blue-green lustre, the sculpture noticeably coarser than that of mesoscutum ............................................. A. obscuratus (Waterston)

- Frontovertex with anterior margin gently curved, without a median notch; scutellum with a faint bluish tinge, the sculpture of a similar texture than that of mesoscutum, mostly finely reticulate, the integument appearing somewhat smooth under low magnification ............................................................................................. A. diaphorocerus (Masi)

18. Forewing with cross-band of fine, refractive setae well defined ( Fig. 12); basal funicle segment 2.2–2.3x as long as wide ( Fig. 51); head 3.3–3.5x as wide as frontovertex ......................................................... A. ugandensis (Compere)

- Forewing with pale cross-band poorly developed, barely discernible ( Fig. 13); basal funicle segment 3x as long as wide ( Fig. 52); head almost 4x as wide as frontovertex ............................................................... A. delottoi (Annecke)