Gahaniella saissetiae Timberlake, 1926

Noyes, John Stuart, 2023, ENCYRTIDAE OF COSTA RICA (HYMENOPTERA: CHALCIDOIDEA), 4 Subfamily Encyrtinae: tribes Arrhenophagini, Habrolepidini, Cerapterocerini, Cheiloneurini, Trechnitini, Cercobelini, Polaszekiini, Protyndarichoidini, Gahaniellini and Syrphophagini (part), mainly primary parasitoids and hyperparasitoids of Coccoidea and Psylloidea (Hemiptera), Taxonomic Monographs on Neotropical Hymenoptera (Oxford, England) 2 (11), pp. 1-921 : 552-553

Gahaniella saissetiae Timberlake

(Figs 1399-1402; Hab. E 204, G 205)

Gahaniella saissetiae Timberlake, 1926:27-28 . Holotype E, West Indies ( US Virgin Islands), USNM, digital images examined.

DIAGNOSIS. Female (length about 0.9-1.5mm): all coxae brown; fore femur mostly brown, tibia mostly yellow, occasionally largely dark brown; mid femur and tibia mostly brown; head about 2.1X as wide as frontovertex; ocelli forming an angle of about 100°; scape (Fig. 1401) about 2.9X as long as broad; linear sensilla on flagellum relatively wide, separated by hardly more than their own widths; reticulate sculpture on mesoscutum shallow, scutellum with polygonally reticulate to striate sculpture; fore wing (Fig. 1401), in apical half of costal cell, with only a line of submarginal setae dorsally; linea calva interrupted but open posteriorly; apex of fore wing venation Fig. 1402; syntergum longer than mid tibia; ovipositor (Fig. 1400) more than 1.5X as long as mid tibia. Male (length about 1.2mm): similar to female, but funicle segments about 1.5-2.0X as long as broad and clothed with whorls of long setae, the longest of which is about 3.5X as long as diameter of segments.

DISTRIBUTION. USA (Hawaii) ( Beardsley, 1976), Cuba ( Bruner, 1929) , US Virgin Islands ( Timberlake, 1926); Brazil ( Kerrich, 1953) and newly recorded for USA (Florida), Honduras and Costa Rica (new records),

HOSTS. Recorded as a parasitoid of Parasaissetia nigra (Nietner) ( Timberlake (1926:28), Saissetia coffeae ( Bruner, 1929) , Milviscutulus (as Ceroplastes ) mangiferae (Green) ( Zayas Muños, 1981) , Toumeyella cubensis (Heidel & Köhler) ( Castellanos et al., 1996) , Coccus viridis (Green) and Saissetia oleae (Olivier) ( Kerrich, 1953) . Also recorded below from Ceroplastes floridensis Comstock , Pulvinaria urbicola Cockerell ( Hemiptera : Coccidae ) (new records). The record as a parasitoid of Planococcus Ferris ( Hemiptera : Pseudococcidae ) (new record) requires confirmation.

MATERIAL EXAMINED.

Holotype E (digital simages): “ Exp. Station St. Croix Virgin Islands ” “ex Saissetia nigra (Nient.) ” “Reared Apr. 14.22” “ C.E. Wilson Collr. ” “Parts mounted” “ Holotype ” “Type No 28146” “ Gahaniella saissetiae Types Timb.” ( USNM).

USA, 3E, Hawaii, Oahu., Barbers Point, 29.xii.1965 and 22.iv.1966 (J.W. Beardsley); 1E, Hawaii, Oahu, U.H. Campus, Honolulu, ex Saissetia coffeae , iii.1969 (J.W. Beardsley); 1E, 1G, Florida, Dade Co., Miami, ex soft scale on Schefflera , iv.1987 (F.D. Bennett); 3E, 1G, Florida, Monroe Co., Upper Key Largo, ex Pulvinaria urbicola on Coccoloba diversifolia , 88-75, 22.iii.1988 (F.D. Bennett); 2E, Florida, Levy Co., Cedar Key, 25.iv.1989 (J.S. Noyes); 1E, Florida, Broward Co., Pampano Beach, Ceroplastes floridensis on Ixora coccinea , 24.vii.1990 (F.D. Bennett); 2E, 1G, Florida, Polk Co., Lake Parker Park, ex unknown soft scale on Pinus sp. , 26.i.1991 (H.W. Browning); 1G, Florida, Best Western of Sarasota, ex Ceroplastes floridensis , on Calamondin, 31.iii.1993 ( HW. Browning); 1E, Florida, Polk, W. Haven, Lamplighter Vill., ex Coccus viridis on Ixora , 7.x.1993 (H.W. Browning); 3E, 2G, Florida, Polk Co., W. Haven, Ave. L, NW, (private), ex Coccus viridis , Citrus paradisi , 14.xi.1991 (H.W. Browning). CUBA , 1E, Santiago de las Vegas/ La Habana , ex Coccus viridis lab culture on Coffea arabica cv catuai, iv-viii.1975 (G. Köhler); 3E, 1G, ex Planococcus sp. , café, ii.1991; 8E, CITRICO, Coccus viridis , 18.vi.1988. HONDURAS, 1E, 1G, El Zamorano, ex soft scale on Acalypha , 27.vi.1988 (F.D. Bennett). COSTA RICA, 1E, Guanacaste, Maritza ( ACG) 700m, MT/YPT, 20.i-24.ii.1996 (J.S. Noyes); 1E, Guanacaste, Santa Rosa NP, Sn. Emilio 6-C, 31.i-21.ii.1987 (D. Janzen, I.D. Gauld); 1E, Alajuela, PN Arenal, Send. Pilón, LN 458050 269200, 650m, #62074, 5.iii-20.iv.2001 (G. Carballo); 1G, San José, Santo Domingo, INBio Parque, 1200m [error for 1100m], 19.ii.2001 (J.S. Noyes). BRAZIL, 1E, Campinas, Fazenda Taquaral, ex Coccus viridis on orange, 17.xi.1934 (H. Compere) “ Gahaniella saissetiae E Det. H.C. ”; 1E, 1G, ex S. oleae , 1934 (H. Compere) “ Gahaniella saissetiae E Det. H.C. ”. Material in NHMUK and MZUCR.

COMMENTS. According to Timberlake (1926) the scape of saissetiae should be 4X as long as broad, and the fore tibia brown whereas in the above material the scape is about 3X as long as broad and the fore tibia is mostly yellow. It is very difficult to measure accurately the relative width of the scape in Gahaniella , especially if it is held close to the head or if it is measured on slide-mounted specimens. It therefore seems likely that Timberlake’s measurements were erroneous. As noted above the fore tibia does vary from largely dark brown to almost completely yellow.