Diaspiniphagus decorus Hayat

Hayat, Mohammad, 2011, On Coccophagoides Girault and Diaspiniphagus Silvestri (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea: Aphelinidae), Zootaxa 3070, pp. 15-22 : 19-21

Diaspiniphagus decorus Hayat , sp. nov.

( Figs 9–13 )

Female (Holotype). Length, 0.74 mm. Head with vertex dark brown; frons and face white except mouth region dark brown; occiput white with short brown mark on each side adjacent to foramen; malar space white except for dark brown band starting from side of occiput, extending below eye and curving at malar sulcus to merge with dark brown mouth region. Mandible brownish yellow. Palps white. Antenna ( Fig. 9 ) with radical white, scape white with a pale brown spot in about middle; pedicel with basal half dark brown and distal half brownish yellow, and flagellum dark brown. Mesosoma with mesonotum largely white; posterolateral corners of pronotal collar brown; mid lobe of mesoscutum dark brown, with sides and posterior margin brownish yellow; side lobe of mesoscutum with expanded part having a dark brown patch and narrower part brown; axillae brown; scutellum white, with two large trapezoidal dark brown patches; metanotum laterally dark brown, dorsellum white; propodeum brown with median and lateral areas white. Fore wing hyaline, with a distinct infuscated band behind parastigma and a short oblique spot appended to stigmal vein; disc slightly infuscate to apex but hyaline behind marginal vein and distal to venation ( Fig. 13 ). Hind wing hyaline. Legs, including coxae, white; fore femur and tibia with pale brown infuscation; mid tibia with two incomplete brown rings; hind knee and two incomplete dark brown rings on tibia; basitarsi of all legs brown. Metasoma with petiole and TI in about anterior two-thirds each with a dark brown cross-band; TII with a narrow dark brown cross-band; TIII–VI dark brown, each with wedge-shaped white area laterally (these appear as dark brown bands alternating with white bands after the specimen is cleared and mounted on a slide, Fig. 11 ); TVII with a dark brown patch in about apical third but basal half and apex white.

Head. Vertex damaged during mounting, but facial region as in Fig. 10 ; frons with fine, transversely elongate reticulation; face smooth; malar space behind sulcus with lineolate reticulate sculpture; eyes setose, setae hyaline, each seta shorter than a facet. Mandible with one pointed tooth and a dorsal truncation, but with indication of a short middle tooth ( Fig. 10 ). Antenna ( Fig. 9 ) with scape 5 times as long as broad; pedicel as long as F1 and F2 combined; F1 transverse, with ventral margin longer than dorsal margin; F2 broader than long and longer than F1; F3 slightly longer than broad and 1.5 as long as F2; clava gradually narrowed towards apex, third segment elongate-triangular.

Mesosoma as in Fig. 11 ; mid lobe of mesoscutum and scutellum with polygonal reticulate sculpture, the cells large and distinct in the infuscate areas; scutellum medially lineolate reticulate; setae on sclerite as follows: pronotal collar, 1+6+6+1; mid lobe, 9+7; each side lobe, 3; each axilla, 1; scutellum, 2+2; each side of propodeum, 2. Fore wing ( Fig. 13 ) 2.66 as long as broad; marginal fringe 0.23 wing width; venation and discal setation as in Figs 12, 13 ; marginal vein 0.76 of costal cell; submarginal vein with 6 or 7 setae; marginal vein with 8 setae; costal cell with 5 setae on dorsal surface distally, and a line of setae on ventral surface. Hind wing 5.9 as long as broad; marginal fringe 0.8 of wing width.

Metasoma ( Fig. 11 ). Metasoma, in carded specimen, 1.17 as long as mesosoma, but after clearing and mounting on slide the gastral tergites stretch and measure 1.5 as long as mesosoma; hypopygium extending to about twothirds length of gaster; TI–VII with setae as follows: 0+0, 1+1, 1+1, 1+1, 2+2+3; 1+4+1; 4. Relative measurements — ovipositor stylets length, 33; ovipositor length, 34; third valvula length, 9.5; mid tibia length, 18; mid basitarsus length, 4; mid tibial spur length, 5.6.

Male. Unknown.

Material examined. Holotype, female (on slide under 3 coverslips) labelled: ‘ INDIA: UTTAR PRADESH: Barabanki, Chhedi Purwa, 16.vii.2010, Coll: F.R.Khan’. Holotype deposited in ‘Insect Collections, Department of Zoology, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh ( ZDAMU, Registration No. HYM. CH.635)

Host. Unknown.

Distribution. India: Uttar Pradesh.

Comments. The new species is most similar to D. fuscipennis (Girault) based on the original description of Girault (1908), but differs mainly in dimensions of flagellar segments and colour of antennal segments. Diaspiniphagus decorus is differentiated by the following: antenna with scape white with a pale brown spot in about middle, basal half of pedicel dark brown and distal half brownish yellow, and flagellum dark brown; mid lobe of mesoscutum dark brown with sides and posterior margin brownish yellow; hind wing hyaline; F3 1.5 as long as F2 which is broader than long; F4 and F5 individually longer than F3. The description of D. fuscipennis indicates the following: antenna black except scape silvery white and F6 silvery white with some dusky suffusions; mid lobe of mesoscutum dusky; hind wing infuscated; F2 and F3 subequal in length, one-third longer than F1; F4 and F5 nearly equal in length to F3.

This new species is also similar to D. maculatus (Howard) , but from the brief description and figure given by Howard (1907: Fig. 16) it differs by the following characters: largely infuscate fore wing; F2 and F3 dark brown; mid lobe of mesoscutum with a large dark brown patch and with sides and posterior margin brownish yellow; gaster with TI in about anterior two-thirds and TII with dark brown cross-bands and TIII–VI dark brown with wedge-shaped white areas laterally (on slide these appearing as dark brown cross-bands alternating with white bands), and TVII with a dark brown patch distally; F2 distinctly shorter than F3 and broader than long. In D. maculatus : fore wing hyaline; F2 and F3 whitish; mid lobe of mesoscutum with 4 longitudinal brown bands; gaster with cross-bands on TII and TIII interrupted in the middle, TIV–VI with complete cross-bands and TVII without a dark brown spot.

Etymology. The species name is from Latin, decorus = beautiful, adorned.

Figures

FIGURES 9 – 13. Diaspiniphagus decorus Hayat, sp. nov., female: 9, antenna; 10, facial region; 11, mesosoma and metasoma; 12, stigmal vein enlarged; 13, fore wing.