Encarsia tennysoni (Girault)

Schmidt, Stefan & Polaszek, Andrew, 2007, The Australian species of Encarsia Förster (Hymenoptera, Chalcidoidea: Aphelinidae), parasitoids of whiteflies (Hemiptera, Sternorrhyncha, Aleyrodidae) and armoured scale insects (Hemiptera, Coccoidea: Diaspididae), Journal of Natural History 41 (33 - 36), pp. 2099-2265 : 2245-2246

88. Encarsia tennysoni (Girault)

( Figures 280–282 )

Coccophagus tennysoni Girault 1931 [435], p 3. Holotype ♀, Australia, Queensland, Nelson [5Gordonvale] (QMBA, T. 3876, examined).

Encarsia tennysoni (Girault) : Viggiani 1985c, p 251 –252. Change of combination.

Coccophagus tennysoni Girault : Dahms 1986, p 581.

Redescription (holotype)

Female. Colour: head and mesosoma yellow except pronotum, axilla, and mesopleuron brown. Gaster yellow with brown band at base and approximately in the middle of the gaster. Antenna yellow. Fore wing hyaline. Legs yellow.

Morphology: antennal formula 1,1,3,3, F6 appearing conical. Pedicel longer than F1 (1.45). F1 1.33 times as long as its maximum width, subequal in length to F2 and shorter than F3 (0.85). Fore wing about 2.7 times as long as width of disc. Basal cell with five setae. Marginal fringe 0.37 times as long as width of disc. Marginal vein anteriorly with six setae. Tarsal formula 5-5-5. Apical spur of midtibia subequal in length to basitarsus. Ovipositor longer than midtibia (1.44) and 1.94 times as long as clava. Third valvula 0.33 times as long as second valvifer.

Male. Unknown.

Species group placement. E. inquirenda group sensu Hayat (1989a).

Distribution. Australia: Queensland.

Host. Unknown.

Comments

The species is close to E. inquirenda (Silvestri) and Encarsia luoae Huang and Polaszek , but can be separated from the former by the longer ovipositor (subequal in length to middle tibia in inquirenda ) and the hyaline wings (fore wing of inquirenda with dark infuscation behind marginal vein), and from the latter by the shorter marginal fringe of the fore wing (0.64 times as long as the width of the disc) and the F1 which is subequal in length to F 2 in E. tennysoni , but shorter than F 2 in E. luoae . It also resembles E. silvifilia but has a longer ovipositor (1.44 times as long as midtibia, whereas in silvifilia it is 0.94–1.26 times).

Figures

Figures 280–282. Encarsia tennysoni (Girault), holotype female. (280) Overall view of type specimen. (281) Antenna. (282) Fore wing.