Metaphycus albidus Hayat

Hayat, Mohammad, Ahmad, Zubair & Khan, Farmanur Rehman, 2014, Encyrtidae (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea) from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Zootaxa 3793 (1), pp. 1-59 : 37-39

Metaphycus albidus Hayat , sp. nov.

( Figs 91–95 )

Female. Holotype. Length, 0.79 mm (Paratypes, 0.69–0.79 mm; n = 7; one paratype, on slide EH.1692, is large in size, mesosoma length is 0.45 mm, compared to 0.35 mm of the holotype) Head white, except upper half of occiput dark brown. Mandible pale yellow, distal half reddish brown. Antenna ( Fig. 91 ) with radicle white; scape white, with a dark brown patch in middle third; pedicel dark brown, apical half white; F1 dark brown, F2–F4 and ventral third of F5 brown; remainder of F5 and F6 white; clava with first segment dark brown, becoming brownish yellow on second segment and yellow on third segment. Mesosoma with pronotum with a large dark brown patch, collar and sides white, and a dark brown spot at each lateral corner of collar; mesoscutum except for the dark brown anterior margin hidden by the pronotal collar in the holotype, axilla and scutellum pale brownish yellow; sides of metanotum nearly black; tegula white with a small brown spot distally; mesopleuron and metapleuron white; propodeum middle third yellow, sides up to spiracles brown, distal to spiracles white. Wings hyaline. Legs, including coxae, white; bases of mid and hind tibiae each with a dark brown spot; all tibiae with two brown to dark brown complete or incomplete rings, those on fore tibia pale brown. Metasoma with petiole brown; gaster up to cercal plates dark brown, becoming pale brownish white distally; last tergite (TVII) white; third valvula white.

Head. Frontovertex narrow, 0.2× head width, and 2.7× as long as broad; ocellar triangle with apical angle acute; posterior ocellus close to eye margin, and slightly less than one ocellus diameter to occipital margin; frontovertex with raised, polygonal reticulate sculpture; facial region with fine, irregular polygonal sculpture, the cells slightly transversely elongate; malar space with elongate reticulate sculpture; setae hyaline; eye apparently bare. Mandible apically narrowed, with 3 acute teeth. Maxillary and labial palps both 3-segmented ( Fig. 92 ). Antenna ( Fig. 91 ) with scape 4× as long as broad, 1.24× as long as clava, and 2.66× as long as pedicel; pedicel slightly longer than F1–F3 combined; F1–F3 each about 1.3× as broad as long, and 0.8× of F4, the latter smaller (0.85×) than F5; F6 largest, 1.4× as long as and 1.28× as broad as, F5; clava subequal in length to funicle; only F6 and clava with longitudinal sensilla. Relative measurements (holotype, card)—head dorsal width, 26; frontovertex width, 5.5; frontovertex length, 15. (paratype, slide)—antennal scape length (width), 18 (4.5); pedicel length, 6.75; funicle length, 15; clava length, 14.5.

Mesosoma ( Fig. 94 ) longer than metasoma (29:25); mesoscutum and scutellum with rugose reticulate sculpture; setae white. Fore wing ( Fig. 93 ) about 2.4× as long as broad; marginal vein punctiform, 1.25× as long as postmarginal vein, and 0.37× stigmal vein. Hind wing 4.7× as long as broad. Relative measurements (paratype, slide, EH.1692)—mid tibia length, 29.5; mid basitarsus length, 11; mid tibial spur length, 8.

Metasoma ( Fig. 95 ). Ovipositor not exserted, its total length varies from 1.05× to 1.14× as long as mid tibia length; third valvula length varies from 0.77× to 0.85× mid tibial spur length. Relative measurements (paratype, slide, EH.1692)—ovipositor length, 31; third valvula length, 6.75.

Male. Unknown.

Material examined. Holotype ( NPC, registration No. 136/11/157/7), ♀, labelled “ KSA: AL-BAHA: Qunfudah, vi.2012, (MT), Coll. Z. Ahmad”.

Paratypes. 8 ♀ (on 4 slides–1 ♀, slide EH.1692; 1 ♀, slide EH.1702; 1 ♀, slide, EH.1703; 5 ♀, slide EH.1704), data same as for holotype. (One paratype in NPC, registration No. 13/6/157/10; remaining paratypes in ZDAMU, registration No. HYM. CH.687.)

Distribution. Saudi Arabia : Al-Baha.

Etymology. Latin, albidus = white, and refers to the largely white head.

Comments. This new species belongs to the insidiosus species-group of Metaphycus Mercet , characterized by having the maxillary and the labial palps both 3-segmented. In the available keys to species ( Annecke & Mynhardt 1972, mainly South African species; Trjapitzin 1989, Palaearctic species; Guerrieri & Noyes 2000, European species; Noyes 2004, Costa Rican species; Hayat, 2006, Indian species), the new species either does not run to any described species or runs to a species to which it does not belong. The following combination of characters separates the new species from the described species: head largely, mesopleuron, metapleuron and venter of mesosoma, white; legs white, except for two dark brown, complete or incomplete bands on each tibia; frontovertex one-fifth head width; antennal scape 4× as long as broad; F6 large, and with longitudinal sensilla; ovipositor subequal in length to or slightly longer than, mid tibia length, and third valvula shorter than mid tibial spur.

Figures

FIGURES 91 – 95. Metaphycus albidus Hayat, sp. nov. Female: 91, antenna; 92, palps; 93, fore wing; 94, mesosoma; 95, part of mesosoma with legs, and metasoma.