Psyllaephagus clavus Zou & Zhang, 2023

Zou, Boyu, Hu, Hongying, Zhang, Lanwei & Zhang, Yanzhou, 2023, A taxonomic study of Psyllaephagus Ashmead (Hymenoptera, Encyrtidae) from China, ZooKeys 1184, pp. 327-359 : 327

Psyllaephagus clavus Zou & Zhang sp. nov.

Fig. 3

Psyllaeohagus nartshukae Trjapitzin: Tang et al. 2016: 72-73 (misidentification).

Type material.

Holotype ♀ [on slide], China - Xinjiang, Shihezi, 21.Aug.2012, by sweeping, leg. HY Hu group (deposited in ICXU). Paratypes 4♀♀, same data as holotype.

Diagnosis.

Female. Body length ~ 1.0 mm; all coxae dark brown, but apical ~ 1/3 of fore coxa yellow; femora marked with dark brown (Fig. 3D-F ); all funicular segments transverse; clava longer than F3-F6 combined (Fig. 3A ); sculpture on scutellum deeper than that on mesoscutum (Fig. 3C ); ovipositor not exserted (Fig. 3G ), OL ~ 1.5 × MT.

Description.

Female. Body length ~ 1.0 mm, with metallic green-blue sheen; basal 1/3 of tegula yellow, remainder dark brown; scape and pedicel except apices dark brown, F1-F4 yellowish brown, F5, F6, and clava brownish yellow; all coxae dark brown except apex of fore coxa yellow; basal ~ 1/2 of fore femur (Fig. 3D ), mid femur except apices and hind femur medially dark brown; all tibiae yellow except mid and hind tibiae basally each with a dark brown spot; all tarsi yellow except apices dark brown; wings hyaline, venation brown.

Head with reticulate sculpture, HW ~ 3 × FV width, and ~ 2.9 × HL; ocelli forming obtuse angle of slightly more than 90°; OCL ~ 1.3 × diameter of posterior ocellus; OOL ~ 0.2 × diameter of posterior ocellus; POL ~ 3.9 × diameter of posterior ocellus; antenna with scape 3.7 × as long as wide; pedicel ~ 1.5 × as long as wide; F1-F6 broader than long; clava 3-segmented, ~ 2.0 × as long as wide, nearly as long as F2-F6 combined. Relative measurements: HW 16; HL 5.3; FV 7; OCL 1.7; OOL 0.3; POL 6.2; SL 6.9; SW 1.9.

Mesosoma. Scutellum slightly convex; mesoscutum dorsally with reticulate sculpture similar to that on frontovertex; sculpture on scutellum similar but clearly deeper than that on mesoscutum; marginal vein ~ 2.0 × as long as wide; postmarginal vein present, ~ 2.6 × as long as wide; stigmal vein 4.0 × as long as wide, STV ~ 2.7 × PMV (Fig. 3B ); mid tibia spur 0.5 × as long as basitarsus. Relative measurements: FWL 33; FWW 19.5.

Metasoma obviously shorter than mesosoma; cercal plates located on the apical 2/5 of metasoma, hypopygium reaching ~ 2/3 of metasoma; ovipositor slightly exserted or hidden (Fig. 3G ); OL ~ 5.6 × GL, and 1.9 × MT.

Male. Unknown.

Etymology.

The specific name refers to its enlarged clava.

Host.

Unknown.

Distribution.

China (Xinjiang).

Comments.

Psyllaephagus clavus was erroneously treated as P. nartshukae Trjapitzin, 1986 in Tang et al. (2016). A detailed study of the morphological characters shows that it is an undescribed species. Using the keys in Trjapitzin (1989), it runs to P. nartshukae Trjapitzin but can be separated from P. nartshukae by F1-F6 broader than long (in P. nartshukae , F1-F5 longer than broad); clava obviously longer than F3-F6 combined(in P. nartshukae , clava slightly shorter than F4-F6 combined, or as long as F4-F6 combined).

Figures

Figure 3. Psyllaephagus clavus sp. nov. ♀ A antenna B fore wing C mesonotum D fore leg E mid leg F hind leg G ovipositor.