Encarsia bimaculata Heraty and Polaszek

Schmidt, Stefan & Polaszek, Andrew, 2007, The Australian species of Encarsia Förster (Hymenoptera, Chalcidoidea: Aphelinidae), parasitoids of whiteflies (Hemiptera, Sternorrhyncha, Aleyrodidae) and armoured scale insects (Hemiptera, Coccoidea: Diaspididae), Journal of Natural History 41 (33 - 36), pp. 2099-2265 : 2136-2137

16. Encarsia bimaculata Heraty and Polaszek

( Figures 55–58 )

Encarsia bimaculata Heraty and Polaszek 2000, p 155 –157. Holotype ♀, India, Tabarbhani 19 July 1994 [ex culture Gainesville, Florida, R. Nguyen, autoparasitoid, M92018 ] (USNM, examined). Encarsia bimaculata Heraty and Polaszek : Schmidt et al. 2001, p 376 –377.

Diagnosis

Female. Colour: mainly yellow except pronotum, a large anteromedial patch on middle lobe of mesoscutum, axillae, mesopleuron, propodeum, and petiole more or less brown. Head yellow with a transverse brown band. Metasoma mostly yellow except brown at base and occasionally with a faint brown patch on T4 and T5, or tergites more or less brown and petiole, T1, T3, and T4 basally with indistinct transverse brown band. Fore wing hyaline, slightly infuscate near base of marginal vein.

Morphology: stemmaticum with transversely strigose surface sculpture ( Figure 57 ). Antennal formula 1,1,3,3. Pedicel slightly longer than F1 (1.05–1.21). F1 2.00–2.30 times as long as its maximum width, shorter than or subequal in length to F2 (0.79–1.00) and shorter than F3 (0.75–0.95). Flagellomeres with the following numbers of sensilla: F1: 0, F2: 0, F3: 2, F4: 1–2, F5: 2–3, F6: 2. Midlobe of mesoscutum with eight setae, arranged symmetrically, side lobes with three setae each. Scutellar sensilla close together, separated by a distance of about the width of a sensillum or less. Distance between anterior pair of scutellar setae distinctly smaller than between posterior pair. Fore wing 2.6–2.9 times as long as width of disc. Marginal fringe 0.35–0.42 times as long as width of disc. Submarginal vein with two setae, marginal vein anteriorly with five or six setae. Tarsal formula 5-5-5. Apical spur of midtibia longer than half the length of the corresponding basitarsus (0.60– 0.68). Tergites laterally with the following numbers of setae: T1: 0, T2: 1, T3: 1, T4: 1, T5: 2, T6: 3, T7 with four setae. Ovipositor longer than midtibia (1.17–1.27) and 1.40– 1.80 times as long as clava. Third valvula 0.32–0.38 times as long as second valvifer.

Male. Colour pattern similar to female but darker. Head with a dark transverse band. Apical two segments of flagellum fused.

Species group placement. E. strenua group.

Distribution. Australia: Australian Capital Territory, Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria. China, India, Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea. USA (Florida, Texas?). Sudan, Mexico, Israel (possibly culture contaminations ( Heraty and Polaszek 2000)).

Host. Aleyrodidae : Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) , Trialeurodes vaporariorum (Westwood) . The following host has been recorded ( Heraty and Polaszek 2000): B. argentifolii Bellows and Perring.

Additional material examined

Australian Capital Territory: 1♀, 1 „, Canberra, 4 December 1996 (P. De Barro), ex Bemisia tabaci (non B-biotype) on Euphorbia sp. (Euphorbiaceae) (ANIC). Northern Territory: 6♀, 1 „, Darwin, 27 September 1996 (P. De Barro), ex Bemisia tabaci (ANIC) ; 4♀, Darwin, 25 October 1995 (P. De Barro), ex Bemisia tabaci on poinsettia ( Euphorbiaceae ) (ANIC). Queensland: 1♀, Cairns, 30 September 1996 (P. De Barro), ex Bemisia tabaci on Sonchus oleraceus L. ( Asteraceae ) (ANIC); 1♀, Cairns, April 1999 (P. Garland) (ANIC); 1♀, Mt Isa, 3 October 1996 (P. De Barro), ex Bemisia tabaci on Sonchus oleraceus ; 1♀, Townsville, 18 March 1997 (B. A. Franzmann), ex Bemisia tabaci on Emilia sonchifolia (L.) DC. ( Asteraceae ) (ANIC); 1♀, Townsville, 4 October 1996 (P. De Barro), ex Bemisia tabaci on Hibiscus sp. (Malvaceae) (ANIC); 2♀, Ayr, March 1997 (P. De Barro), ex Bemisia tabaci on Sonchus oleraceus (ANIC) ; 2♀, Bundaberg, ex Bemisia tabaci on Euphorbia cyathophora Murray (Euphorbiaceae) to laboratory culture (ANIC); 4♀, Mt Isa, 3 October 1996 (P. De Barro), ex Bemisia tabaci on Sonchus oleraceus (ANIC) . South Australia: 3♀, Teatree Gully, 25 October 1958 (R. V. Southcott) (BMNH). Victoria: 1♀, Red Cliffs, 2 January 1997 (P. De Barro), ex Trialeurodes vaporariorum on Sonchus oleraceus (ANIC) . Indonesia: 1♀, West Java, Karawang, 14 September 1999 (A. Rauf), ex Bemisia tabaci on Glycine max Merrill. (Fabaceae) (ANIC). Papua New Guinea: 1♀, 1 „, Port Moresby, 27 April 1997 (P. De Barro), ex Bemisia tabaci on Euphorbia heterophylla L. ( Euphorbiaceae ) (ANIC).

Comments

Encarsia bimaculata has a distinctive colour pattern that is unique among the species of the E. strenua group, in particular the dark mesosomal colour pattern, although this is sometimes very faint. The other species of the E. strenua group present in Australia are almost completely yellow ( E. protransvena , E. oakeyensis , and E. sophia ) or predominantly brown ( E. ustulata ).

Figures

Figures 55–58. Encarsia bimaculata Heraty and Polaszek, female. (55) Mesosoma and gaster. (56) Antenna. (57) Stemmaticum. (58) Fore wing.