Astymachus srilankae, Noyes & Higashiura, 2020

Noyes, John S. & Higashiura, Yoshimitsu, 2020, The species of Astymachus Howard (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) ı potentially important parasitoids of Aclerdidae (Hemiptera: Coccoidea) associated with grasses (Poaceae) ı with descriptions of three new species, Journal of Natural History 54 (9), pp. 665-679 : 677-678

9. Astymachus srilankae sp. nov.

( Figures 3i – m )

Diagnosis. Female. Length, including ovipositor, 1.18 – 1.68 mm (1.57 mm). Body generally yellow to very pale orange; dorsal part of inflexion of frontovertex margined brown, more widely so near eye; antenna generally pale orange, scape brown ventrally, clava with apex dusky; fore wing ( Figure 3l ) generally hyaline or extremely weakly infuscate with only a small, weakly infuscate area below junction of marginal and stigmal veins that just reaches to level of apex of stigmal vein and a very faint, elongate streak parallel to posterior margin between linea calva and base of wing; head ( Figure 3i ) about 1.9 – 2.0× (2.0×) as long as eye; palp formula 4 – 3; antenna ( Figure 3j ) with F1 – F5 subequal, F1 subquadrate, F2 – F5 strongly transverse, F6 transverse, largest; linear sensilla only on F6; clava 2-segmented, suture partial; scutellum with about 9 or 10 (10) setae; wings very nearly reaching apex of gaster, fore wing ( Figure 3l ) about 3.3× as long as broad and 3.5 3.7 × (3.7×) as long as mid tibia; marginal vein ( Figure 3m ) not appearing to reach anterior wing margin and about 0.6× as long as stigmal vein; stigmal vein ( Figure 3m ) elongate, about 3.5× as long as depth of uncus; discal setae below apex of venation about one-half as long as distance between sockets or about 3× as long as diameter of socket; ovipositor about 2.7× mid tibia and 2.1 – 2.2× (2.1×) gonostylus. Male. Length 0.87 mm. Antenna ( Figure 3k ) with funicle segments subequal, subquadrate with F1 and F6 slightly larger, linear sensilla only on F6; aedeagus about 1.1× as long as mid tibia, about 13× as long as broad and slightly constricted about halfway between base of apodemes and becoming very slightly wider subapically.

Biology. A parasitoid of Aclerda takahashii (Hempel) ( Hemiptera : Aclerdididae) on sugarcane. The record from Sacharicoccus sacchari (Cockerell) ( Hemiptera : Pseudococcidae ) below is probably erroneous.

Distribution. Sri Lanka.

Material examined

Holotype ♀. SRI LANKA, Uda Walawe and Sevangala , ex Aclerda takahashii on sugarcane, 1/97/02, January 1997, IIE 23634 . Paratypes: SRI LANKA, 1♀, 1♂, Uda Walawe and Sevangala, ex Aclerda takahashii on sugarcane, No 1/97/01, March 1997; 4♀, same data as holotype; 13♀, Uda Walawe and Sevangala , ex Aclerda takahashii on sugarcane, January 1997, IIE 23634. Holotype and paratypes in BMNH.

Non-type material. SRI LANKA (as Ceylon), 5♀, 4♂, Peradeniya , ex Saccaricoccus scchari (H.E. Fernando) ( USNM) .

Comments. Females of Astymachus srilankae can be distinguished by the brown anterior margin to the frontovertex, relatively long head and virtually naked, hyaline fore wing with a relatively long stigmal vein.

Figures

Figures 3. Astymachus phragmitis Trjapitzin: (a) antenna ♂; (b) fore wing; (c) apex of fore wing venation. Astymachus japonicus Howard: (d) head; (e) antenna ♀; (f) antenna ♂; (g) apex of fore wing venation; (h) fore wing. Astymachus srilankae sp. nov. (holotype):(i) head; (j) antenna ♀; (k) antenna ♂; (l) fore wing; (m) apex of fore wing venation.