Aloencyrtus claripennis (Compere)

Prinsloo, Rd. L., 2010, On some Afrotropical species of Aloencyrtus (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae): parasitoids of soft scales (Hemiptera: Coccidae), Zootaxa 2716, pp. 1-28 : 10-11

Aloencyrtus claripennis (Compere)

( Figs 19, 37, 58)

Coccidoxenus claripennis Compere 1938: 320 .

Trichomasthus claripennis ; Annecke & Insley 1971: 25.

Aloencyrtus claripennis ; Prinsloo 1978: 301.

Coccidoxenus vitripennis Annecke, 1964: 397 . Syn. n.

Trichomasthus vitripennis ; Annecke & Insley 1971: 25.

Diagnosis. Detailed descriptions of this species are provided by Compere (1938) and Annecke (1964).

Female. Length: 2.0 mm. Colour: black, head with fairly strong metallic green, purplish and cupreous reflections, the scrobes dorsally with a blue sheen; mesoscutum with a bluish-green and dark purplish tinge, scutellum purplish basally, otherwise with a brilliant green lustre; dorsum of gaster basally brilliant green. Antenna with scape, pedicel and funicle yellowish-brown, the club dark brow to blackish. Forewing ( Fig. 19) entirely hyaline. Legs with coxae and femora blackish-brown, the femora fading at their distal ends; tibiae, including middle tibial spur, and tarsi, either dominantly yellowish-brown or tibiae variably with darker suffusions basally.

Head in dorsal view 4x was wide as frontovertex, anterior margin of the latter slightly convex, without a median notch; head in frontal view ( Fig. 37) with scrobes relatively short, only deep basally, converging but not quite confluent dorsally, each with a shallow, poorly defined depression at their upper limit. Frontovertex and face with fine, scattered setigerous punctations, the diameter of each much less than that of median ocellus, genae and temples without punctations. Antenna ( Fig. 58) with pedicel about as long as basal funicle segment, the latter 2.3x as long as broad; funicle segments becoming progressively a little shorter and wider apically, II– IV each longer than wide, V quadrate, VI about 1.1x wider than long; club broad, as long as distal three funicle segments combined.

Sculpture of mesoscutum and axillae finely cellulate-reticulate, scutellum distinctly coarser with a lineolatereticulate appearance. Forewing ( Fig. 19) 2.4x as long as broad; marginal vein just more than 0.5x as long as postmarginal, the latter long, almost as long as stigmal; wing disc densely and uniformly setose from linea calva to apex, without a cross-band of fine, refractive setae beyond venation.

Gaster shorter than thorax; ovipositor about 1.2x as long as middle tibia; gonostyli slender, 0.6x as long as middle tibial spur, protruding slightly caudally.

Male. Not seen. As described by Compere (1938).

Remarks. Aloencyrtus claripennis was originally described by Compere (1938) from Uganda from a short series of females and males, reared from Vitrococcus conchiformis (Newstead) . Five female specimens from the same series, but not included in the type material, are available for study. These specimens have been compared with the type series of A. vitripennis and found to be conspecific. A careful study of all the material at hand has shown that the perceived differences in the colour of the legs and shape of the funicle segments between the females of these species, as mentioned by Annecke (1964) in his key to the African species of the genus, do not hold. In fact, specimens from the two lots are structurally almost identical and undoubtedly belong to the same species.

Apart from A. johani and A. facetus , A. claripennis is the only other species of the genus treated here that lacks a cross-band of fine white setae. On the bases of this character state in combination with the general shape of the scrobes as described above, and long postmarginal vein, this species may ultimately be better placed in Trichomasthus , as in the case of A. facetus .

Known distribution. South Africa, Uganda.

Type material examined. Coccidoxenus vitripennis Annecke. ♀ holotype, 3 ♀ paratypes as follows: SOUTH AFRICA. Western Cape Province: Tzitzikama, 10.xi.l961, H.J. Bishop, ex Coccus ? ehretiae (Brain) on Maytenus sp. ( T 787 ).

Additional material. Coccidoxenus claripennis Compere : UGANDA. Kampala, 27.v.1930, H. Hargreaves, ex Inglisia conchiformis Newstead ) [= Vitrococcus conchiformis (Newstead) ] on Cajanus indicus (5 ♀, T 4106).