Aphycus nigriceps Zu & Wang, 2023

Wang, Haiyang, Zhang, Chenghui, Xue, Hao, Xi, Chunxiang, Yang, Zening & Zu, Guohao, 2023, Encyrtidae (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea) from China, with the description of two new species, Zootaxa 5361 (2), pp. 237-251 : 238-239

1. Aphycus nigriceps Zu & Wang , sp. nov. ( Figs. 1A–F )

Type material. Holotype. ♀ [on slide], CHINA, Tianjin City, Tianjin Agricultural University , 39°5′21″N, 117°5′38″E, 07.09.2022 – 14.09.2022, Guohao Zu, Malaise trapping.

Paratypes. 5 ♀, 4 ♁ [2 ♀, 3 ♁ on slides], the same data as holotype ( TJAU) .

Diagnosis. Female. Length, excluding ovipositor 1.33–1.60 mm. Predominately dark brown, frontovertex yellow, scutellum and axilla yellow, legs yellowish white, except mid femora light brown and hind femora dark brown. Head of equal length and wide, frontovertex 0.26–0.27× head wide, ocelli forming an acute triangle; scape slightly cylindrical, 5.71–5.87× as long as broad, fore wing hyaline, 2.68–2.75× as long as wide, ovipositor 1.35– 1.38× as long as mid tibia, clearly exserted. Male (length, 1.06–1.29 mm). Similar to female, but differs as follows: head yellowish brown, pronotum apically yellowish white, mesoscutum dark brown; frontovertex 0.30–0.31× head wide; scape 4.57–5.91× as long as wide; fore wing 2.50–2.53× as long as wide; aedeagus 0.56–0.60× as long as mid tibia.

Description. Female Holotype. Length, 1.60 mm (excluding ovipositor). Body dark brown, frontovertex orange, but brown behind posterior ocellus, genae brown; antennal radicle, scape and pedicel pale yellowish brown, clava white with basal 1/5 dark; pronotum yellowish brown, mesonotum dark brown, axillae and scutellum yellow, tegula yellowish white, mesopleuron and propodeum dark brown; fore wing hyaline except base with a small pale brown patch, a large infuscate patch in about middle third, and a pale subapical infuscate band, hind wing hyaline; leg yellowish white, except as follows: both margins of mid tibia brown; hind with femora apical 1/3 yellowish brown and hind tibia in about proximal half or more dark brown; metasoma dark brown.

Head ( Fig. 2A ). Frontovertex 0.27× head wide, ocelli forming an acute triangle, OCL about 1.10× the diameter of posterior ocellus, OOL about 0.27× the diameter of posterior ocellus, antennal torulus with its dorsal margin slightly below lower margin of eyes. Antennal scape ( Fig. 2B ) about 5.87× as long as wide, pedicel 2.31× as long as wide, 5.40× as long as F1, funicle with F1–F6 gradually large, clava three segmented, 1.87× as long as wide and equal to the combined length of F4–F6, slightly obliquely truncate apically. Mandible with three acute teeth. Measurements (μm): HH, 410; HW, 410; FV, 110; OD, 25; POL, 48; OOL,13; OCL, 53; AOL, 63; EL, 330; MS, 80; length (width): radicle, 50; scape, 223 (38); pedicel, 81 (35); F1, 15 (25); F2, 20 (30); F3, 23 (30); F4, 24 (38); F5, 35 (43); F6, 38 (48); clava, 140 (75).

Mesosoma ( Fig. 2C ). Mesoscutum with shallow scale-like sculpture, scutellum with fine irregular polygonal sculpture. Scutellum 0.82× as long as wide. Fore wing ( Fig. 2D ) 2.68× as long as wide, marginal vein 1.52× as long as postmarginal vein, stigmal vein 1.26× as long as marginal vein; linea calva closed by one line of setae posteriorly, uninterrupted; hind wing ( Fig. 2E ) 5.13× as long as wide. Mid tibial spur ( Fig. 2G ) 0.30× as long as mid tibia and shorter than basitarsus. Measurements (μm): FWL, 990; FWW, 370; SMV, 450; MV, 50; PMV, 33; SV, 63; HWL, 770; HWW, 150; MT, 460; mid tibial spur, 139; mid basitarsus, 188.

Metasoma ( Fig. 2F ). Ovipositor 1.38× as long as mid tibia, strongly exserted, third valvula 0.31× as long as ovipositor. Measurements (μm): OL, 635. [MT, 460]

Male. Body length 1.06 mm, generally similar to female, with body color lighter than that of female, pronotum apically yellowish white. Head in frontal view ( Fig. 3A ), with length equal to width, frontovertex 0.31× head wide; scape ( Fig. 3B ) 5.91× as long as wide; fore wing ( Fig. 3D ) 2.50× as long as wide; hind wing ( Fig. 3E ) 5.33× as long as wide; aedeagus ( Fig. 3C ) 0.56× as long as mid tibia ( Fig. 3F ).

Host. Unknown.

Etymology. The species name refers to the dark brown head.

Comments. Aphycus nigriceps sp. nov. is most similar to A. sulamanidzei Japoshvili, 2016 and A. secundus ( Mercet, 1925) , which all have 2 dark transverse bands on their fore wing, and the exserted part of ovipositor less than 1/4× as long as metasoma, but A. nigriceps can be distinguished from A. sulamanidzei and A. secundus by the characters given in Table 1.

Figures

FIGURE 1. A–F: Aphycus nigriceps sp. nov. A, dorsal habitus (female); B, lateral habitus (female); C, ventral habitus (female); D, dorsal habitus (male); E, lateral habitus (male); F, ventral habitus (male).

FIGURE 2. Aphycus nigriceps sp. nov. (female, holotype): A. head; B. antenna; C. mesosoma; D. fore wing; E. hind wing; F. metasoma; G. legs. Scale bars = 100 μm.

FIGURE 3. Aphycus nigriceps sp. nov. (male): A. head; B. antenna; C. mesosoma and metasoma; D. fore wing; E. hind wing; F. legs. Scale bars = 100 μm.