Ceranisus femoratus (Gahan, 1932)

Triapitsyn, Serguei V., 2005, Revision of Ceranisus and the related thrips-attacking entedonine genera (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) of the world, African Invertebrates 46, pp. 261-315 : 299-300

Ceranisus femoratus (Gahan, 1932)

Figs 46–48

Thripoctenus femoratus Gahan, 1932: 747 , 748. (Type locality: Laguna, Luzon Island , Philippines) Ceranisus femoratus (Gahan) : Baltazar 1966: 112; Loomans & van Lenteren 1995: 130, 196.

Diagnosis: Superficially, this species can be confused with some C. menes (those which have distal metasomal terga brown). Unlike C. menes , basal metasomal terga are completely brown to dark brown in C. femoratus (yellow to light brown in C. menes ); also the vertexal suture is notably angulate in C. femoratus (straight in C. menes ).

Redescription: Female (n=2, holotype and specimen from Hyderabad , India). Body, coxae, and femora dark brown, basal metasomal terga sometimes a little, but not contrastingly, lighter (brown); antenna, tibiae and tarsi pale to light brown .

Vertexal suture angulate (broadly Y-shaped).Antenna ( Figs 46, 47 ) with scape slightly broadened medially, about 4.4 x as long as wide; funicle segments subequal, F1 a little longer than wide and with 1 or 2 sensilla, F2 as long as wide and with 2 sensilla; clava about 1.7 x as long as wide, its distal segment about 2 x as long as basal claval segment. Mesosoma shorter than metasoma, almost smooth; midlobe of mesoscutum with 2 pairs of setae. Forewing ( Fig. 48 ) about 2.4 x as long as wide; longest marginal setae about 1/4 maximal width of forewing; disc hyaline, with numerous short setae, more or less uniformly setose beyond base of marginal vein except for a narrow bare area along posterior margin behind base of marginal vein (this bare area not as prominent as in C. menes , cubital setal line demarcating it just a little sinuate); postmarginal vein slightly longer than stigmal vein. Hind wing about 6 x as long as wide; longest marginal setae about 0.7 x its maximal width. Coxae and femora with faint cellulate sculpture.

Petiole about 2 x wider than long. Ovipositor occupying 3/5–7/10 length of gaster, not or barely exserted; ovipositor length/metatibia length ratio about 1.6:1.

Measurements (n=1, holotype). Body: about 1100. Antenna: scape: 121; pedicel: 50; F1: 27; F2: 27; clava: 73. Forewing: 576/239; longest marginal seta: 58. Hind wing: 539/86; longest marginal seta: 61. Ovipositor: 300.

Male. Unknown.

Type material examined: Holotype female on slide [ USNM], labelled as follows: 1. (red) “ Thripoctenus femoratus Gahan^ Type Type No. 43920 U.S.N.M.”; 2. “ Thripoctenus Ex thrips Laguna, P. i. 1931 D. T. Fullaway, coll. KOH - Hoyer mount Hym. lot 7157”. Despite what is indicated on the label, the holotype specimen is uncleared and mounted in Canada balsam; the head is crushed and one antenna (except for the scape) is detached.

Other material examined. CAMEROON: M’balmayo, v.1998, M. Tamò, 3^ (ex. Megalurothrips sjostedti (Trybom)) . INDIA: Andhra Pradesh: Hyderabad , iv.1997, M. Tamò, 1^ (in flowers of Pongamia glabra ) [ UCRC] .

Distribution: Benin (introduced), Cameroon, India,?* Kenya (see comments below), and the Philippines.

Hosts:? Megalurothrips usitatus Bagnall (by association only, as Taeniothrips longistylus Karny ) (Gahan 1932) and M. sjostedti (Trybom) . C. femoratus was successfully introduced from Cameroon to Benin against M. sjostedti ( Tindo 2001) ; also attempts were made to introduce it to Ghana ( Tamò et al. 2003).

Comments: A very similar form, but slightly differing from other specimens of C. femoratus in the colour of gaster (all brown) and legs (all pale except for the coxae) was collected from bean flowers in Meru, Kenya, in February 1997 by S. Michalik (3 females in UCRC, material sent by M. Tamò, initially misidentified by me as C. menes ). Most likely it is just a mere colour form of C. femoratus .

Figures

Figs 46–48. Ceranisus femoratus, female: (46) antenna (holotype), (47) antenna (Hyderabad, India), (48) forewing (holotype). Scale lines = 0.1 mm.