Encarsia justicia Girault, 1913

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 : 2175-2176

42. Encarsia justicia Girault

( Figures 136, 137 )

Encarsia justicia Girault 1913 [167], p 187. Holotype ♀, Australia, Queensland, Nelson [5Gordonvale] (Cairns), 9 July 1913 (A. P. Dodd) (QMBA, type no. Hy. 1726, examined). Encarsia justicia Girault : Dahms 1984, p 734. Girault: Viggiani 1985c, p 242.

Redescription (holotype)

Female. Colour: body orange yellow, head pale yellow green, antenna and legs pale yellow. Wings hyaline.

Morphology: stemmaticum with rugose-reticulate strigose surface sculpture. Antennal formula 1,1,4,2, clava not very distinct. Pedicel longer than F1 (1.24). F1 almost two times as long as its maximum width (1.89), shorter than F2 (0.85) and F3 (0.71). F2 slightly shorter than F3 (0.83). F1 and F2 without longitudinal sensilla, F3 with one or two, F4 with three distinct, and each claval segment with three distinct sensilla. Scutellar sensilla rather closely placed (approximately three to four times the maximum width of a sensillum). Distance between anterior pair of scutellar setae appearing less than distance between posterior pair. Fore wing about 3.1 times as long as width of disc. Marginal fringe about half as long as width of disc (0.52). Submarginal vein with two setae, marginal vein anteriorly with six setae. Basal cell with two setae. Tarsal formula 5-5-5. Apical spur of midtibia slightly longer than half the length of the corresponding basitarsus (0.60). Tergites laterally with the following numbers of setae: T1: 0, T2: 2, T3: 2, T4: 2, following segments indiscernible. Ovipositor slightly longer than midtibia (1.15). Third valvula relatively long, half as long as second valvifer.

Male. Unknown.

Species group placement. E. perflava group.

Distribution. Australia: Queensland.

Host. Unknown.

Comments

The species is similar to E. bothrocera from Taiwan and E. perflava from China and India, and perhaps is conspecific with one of the two. Females of several species in the perflava group are very similar but males are strikingly different. However, for many species in this species group males have not been associated with females. See also comments on E. antiopa which could represent the male of E. justicia .

Figures

Figures 136, 137. Encarsia justicia Girault, holotype female. (136) Overall view of type specimen. (137) Antenna.