Entedonomphale margiscutum Girault, 1915

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 : 281-282

Entedonomphale margiscutum Girault, 1915 , stat. rev.

Figs 26, 27

Entedonomphale margiscutum Girault, 1915: 216 . (Type locality: Bank of Tweed River , Chindera

[= Chinderah], New South Wales, Australia)

Entedonomphale stalini Girault, 1934: 2 . Synonymised under Ceranisus margiscutum (Girault) by Boucek

1988: 734.

Entedonomphale margiscutum Girault : Dahms 1984: 792, 793.

Entedonomphale stalini Girault : Dahms 1986: 562.

Ceranisus margiscutum (Girault) : Boucek 1988: 734; Loomans & van Lenteren 1995: 130, 196.

Diagnosis: Female. Body mostly brown to dark brown; midlobe of mesoscutum (narrow stripes laterally and posteriorly only), antenna, and legs light brown. Head: malar sulcus apparently straight, not split ventrally; vertexal suture angulate (broadly V-shaped). Antenna ( Fig. 26 ) with scape relatively slender, 4.3–5.1 x as long as wide; F1 and F2 subequal and slightly longer than wide (F2 a little wider), both with several sensilla; clava oval, with several sensilla. Dorsal mesosoma with fine cellulate sculpture; notauli indistinct; midlobe of mesoscutum with 2 pairs of short setae. Forewing ( Fig. 27 ) about 2.5 x as long as wide; disc with numerous very short setae behind and beyond marginal and stigmal veins (these setae so inconspicuous that forewing disc appears asetose), slightly infumated behind stigmal vein (darker spot not reaching wing’s margins or base of marginal vein); longest marginal setae about 1/4 maximal width of forewing. Hind wing about 6.5 x as long as wide; disc hyaline and with numerous very short and inconspicuous setae, similar to ones on forewing; longest marginal setae about equal to maximal width of hind wing. Petiole trapezoidal, about as wide as long; ovipositor occupying about 4/5 length of gaster, not exserted; ovipositor length/metatibia length ratio about 1.6:1.

Male. Unknown.

Type material examined: Holotype female of E. margiscutum [ QMBA], labelled: 1. Type Hy/2544. 2545 A. A. Girault ”; 2. “ Queensland Museum Parzaommomyia tenuicorpus Gir. ^”; 3. “ Entedonomphale margiscutum Gir. ^” . Holotype dissected into many parts under two coverslips (middle and bottom ones, the upper coverslip contains parts of the holotype of another entedonine eulophid, Parzaommomyia tenuicorpus Girault, 1915 ); metasoma, mesosoma with all the legs, and one forewing mounted under the middle coverslip, head with antennae mounted under the bottom coverslip, one forewing is missing.

Holotype female of E. stalini [ QMBA], labelled: 1 . Holotype T.9997. E.C.D. 1985"; 2. “Dep.Ag. & Stk. Qld. ^ Entedonomphale stalini Girault Indooroopilly Type No. 11 Dec.1932 Window”. Only the metasoma (lateral), mesosoma, several legs (detached from the body), and a part of head remain from the holotype specimen, all are mounted under one broken coverslip.

Other material examined: AUSTRALIA: Queensland: Tea Tree Cave , 4 km SE Chillagoe, 17°11'S: 144°34'E, 25.iv.1997, C.J. Burwell, 1^ [ QMBA] .

Distribution: Australia (New South Wales, Queensland).

Hosts: Unknown.

Comments: Although Boucek (1988) transferred this taxon, which is the type species of the genus Entedonomphale , to Ceranisus , it is undoubtedly congeneric with the species placed by him in Entedonastichus .Availability of a high-quality slide-mounted specimen of E. margiscutum from Queensland, Australia, was crucial for confirmation of its true identity following my examination of the poorly mounted holotype of this species, the only specimen studied by Dr Z. Boucek. All morphological features of E. margiscutum fit well in the current generic concept of Entedonomphale with the exception of a straight malar sulcus, but this character does not seem to be reliable in differentiating Entedonomphale from Ceranisus as at least one species of the latter has a distinctly split malar sulcus whereas at least in E. margiscutum and E. quasimodo sp. n. it is clearly straight.

Boucek (1988) synonymised E. stalini under E. margiscutum and he might be right, based on the comparison between the fresh specimen of E. margiscutum from Queensland and the very short original description of E. stalini . However, the true identity of this species will never be revealed as only a few body parts remain from the holotype female specimen.

Figures

Figs 26, 27. Entedonomphale margiscutum, female (holotype): (26) antenna, (27) forewing. Scale lines = 0.1 mm.