Brethesiella Porter, 1920

Trjapitzin, Vladimir A. & Triapitsyn, Serguei V., 2006, A new species of Brethesiella (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) from California, USA, a parasitoid of Steatococcus tabernicolus (Hemiptera: Margarodidae), Zootaxa 1167, pp. 1-16 : 3-5

Brethesiella Porter, 1920

Brethesia Timberlake 1919: 190 –192. Type species: Brethesia latifrons Timberlake, 1919 , by original designation. [Junior homonym of Brethesia Schrottky, 1909 ].

Brethesiella Porter 1920 (February 29 th [the article is dated February 21 st]): 16. [Replacement name for Brethesia Timberlake, 1919 ].

Brethesiella Timberlake 1920 (April 30 th): 96. [Replacement name for Brethesia Timberlake, 1919 ].

Aztecencyrtus Timberlake 1926: 16 –18. Type species: Aztecencyrtus flavus Timberlake, 1926 , by monotypy and original designation. Syn. n.

Perissodromus Blanchard 1940: 107 . Type species: Perissodromus longipes Blanchard, 1940 , by monotypy. Synonymized under Brethesiella by De Santis 1964: 169, 171.

Neocopidosoma Blanchard 1940: 126 . Type species: Neocopidosoma coccidophaga Blanchard, 1940 , by monotypy. [Junior homonym of Neocopidosoma Ishii, 1923 ]. Synonymized under Brethesiella by Noyes 1980: 183.

Noblanchardia Ghesquière 1946: 369 . [Replacement name for Neocopidosoma Blanchard, 1940 ]. Synonymized under Brethesiella by Noyes 1980: 183.

Brethesiella Porter : De Santis 1964: 169 –171; De Santis 1979: 206 –207; Noyes 1980: 183.

Noblanchardia Ghesquière : De Santis 1964: 175, 176.

Aztecencyrtus Timberlake : De Santis 1979: 242; Noyes 1980: 180.

Diagnosis

FEMALE. Occipital margin sharp. Eye with concave posterior margin, kidney­shaped in lateral view. Antennal scrobes not meeting above. Antenna slender, not broadened; scape much longer than wide, subcylindrical; pedicel subconical, longer than wide; funicle 6­segmented, with F1 very short, ring­like; clava 3­segmented, with third claval segment obliquely truncate ventrally. Mandible with 3 teeth, the middle tooth relatively large, much larger than lateral teeth; maxillary palpus 4­segmented, labial palpus 2­ (the flava species group) or 3­segmented (the latifrons species group). Mesoscutum with notauli indicated anteriorly only. Wings not abbreviated; submarginal vein without a triangular expansion; marginal vein punctiform or at most 2x as long as wide; stigmal vein almost straight, with an uncus at apex; postmarginal vein well developed, usually at least somewhat shorter than stigmal vein. Legs long and slender; midtibial spur very long, as long as or slightly longer than mid basitarsus. Hypopygium reaching apex of gaster; paratergites absent; ovipositor either not or slightly (by not more than 1/5 of total length of ovipositor) exserted (the latifrons species group) or strongly (by at least 1/2 of total length of ovipositor) exserted (the flava species group) beyond apex of gaster.

MALE. Antennal clava entire, more or less rounded at apex or obliquely truncated dorsally. Genitalia without parameres.

Comments

Brethesiella is placed in the tribe Homalotylini, subtribe Brethesiellina ( De Santis 1964; Trjapitzin 1973; Noyes 1980). Aztecencyrtus Timberlake also belongs in Brethesiellina ( Trjapitzin 1973) and differs from Brethesiella mainly in having a different palpal formula (4: 2) and a very long ovipositor; however, we consider these at most species­group, rather than generic­type characters, so a synonymy of Aztecencyrtus under Brethesiella is proposed here (also considering the fact that their ranges overlap and both genera parasitize similar hosts). Indeed, both described species of Aztecencyrtus were reared from margarodids: A. flavus Timberlake from Icerya palmeri Riley & Howard in Mexico ( Timberlake 1926) and A. iceryae (Howard) from Crypticerya rosae (Riley & Howard) in Jamaica ( Howard 1892 [as Cerchysius ]).

Key to species of Brethesiella , females

1 Ovipositor at most a little (not more than by 1/5 of total length of ovipositor) exserted beyond apex of gaster ( latifrons species group)............................................................ 2 ­ Ovipositor strongly exserted (by at least 1/2 of total length of ovipositor) beyond apex of gaster ( flava species group) ...................................................................................... 5 2 Postmarginal vein short, at most 0.5x as long as stigmal vein B. latifrons (Timberlake) ­ Postmarginal vein at least 0.6x as long as stigmal vein ................................................ 3 3 Pedicel 1.2–1.3x as long as F2 ............................................. B. abnormicornis (Girault)

­ Pedicel at least 1.5x as long as F2................................................................................. 4

4 Vertex less than 1/3 head width. Pedicel 1.5–1.6x as long as F2. Ovipositor not exserted beyond apex of gaster ................................................. B. longipes (Blanchard)

­ Vertex about 1/2 head width. Pedicel at least 2.0x as long as F2 ( Fig. 1 ). Ovipositor projecting beyond apex of gaster by 1/6–1/7 total length of ovipositor ( Fig. 2 ) ............ .............................................................................................................. B. mojave , sp. n.

5 Postmarginal vein about as long as stigmal vein ( Fig. 8 ) ............................................... ...................................................................................... B. flava (Timberlake) , comb. n.

­ Postmarginal vein about 0.6x as long as stigmal vein ( Fig. 10 ) ..................................... ........................................................................................ B. iceryae (Howard) , comb. n.

Figures

FIGURES 1, 2. Brethesiella mojave, sp. n. (female, paratype). 1. Antenna. 2. Mesosoma and metasoma.

FIGURES 7, 8. Brethesiella spp. 7. B. mojave, sp. n., male genitalia (paratype). 8. B. flava, forewing venation (female, holotype).

FIGURES 9, 10. Brethesiella iceryae (female, holotype). 9. Forewing. 10. Forewing venation.