Aphelinus glycinis Hopper & Woolley, 2012

Hopper, Keith R., Woolley, James B., Hoelmer, Kim, Wu, Kongming, Qiao, Ge-Xia & Lee, Seunghwan, 2012, An identification key to species in the mali complex of Aphelinus (Hymenoptera, Chalcidoidea) with descriptions of three new species, Journal of Hymenoptera Research 26, pp. 73-96 : 76-79

Aphelinus glycinis Hopper & Woolley sp. n. Figs 1 14

Diagnosis.

Female. Head and mesosoma dark brown to black; legs with procoxa yellowish white, meso- and metacoxae dark brown to black, femora yellowish white, protibia yellowish white, mesotibia yellowish white with center greyish, metatibia dark grey to black with base pale; metasoma with base, apex, and venter yellow, remainder brown; antenna white to yellowish white; F3 1.3-1.7 times as long as broad; club 3.2 times as long as broad. Male similar except procoxa grey; pro- and mesofemur sometimes with darkened center; metasoma brown with base and apex yellow; scape dark greyish brown with greyish yellow distal tip, swollen in center, maximum width 3 × distal end width, with three to five volcano-shaped secretory pores in a single line on ventral surface, pedicel greyish yellow, third funicle more than 2 times as long as broad, club 3.9 times as long as broad.

Description.

Female ( Figs 2, 4, 6 , 8, 10, 11, 12, 13 ).

Body length. 0.77-0.93 (Holotype 0.90 mm).

Head. ( Figs 2 , 8 ) Head 1.3 × as broad as high in frontal view, about as broad as mesosoma; frontovertex width 0.4 × of head width, 1.2 × as long as broad, and 0.8 × as broad as scape length; posterior ocelli 1.0 × their diameter from eye margin, 3 × their diameter from one another, and 0.33 × their diameter from occipital margin; mandible with 2 acute teeth and a broad truncate surface below the teeth, antenna as in Fig. 8 with scape 4.8 × as long as broad, pedicel 2.2 × as long as broad, F1 anneliform, 1.7 × as wide as long, F2 1.2 × as broad as long, F3 1.6-1.7 × as long as broad, club 3.2 × as long as broad, 2.7 × times as long as F3, and with 6-7 longitudinal sensilla.

Mesosoma. ( Figs 4, 6 , 13 ) Mesoscutum and scutellum with fine reticulate sculpture, longest diameter of reticulations approximately twice the diameter of the scutellar sensilla, interior of reticulations with fine, granulate surface (visible only in slide-mounts under high magnification); mid-lobe of mesoscutum with 2 pairs of long setae and about 40 short setae, side lobes each with 2 long and 1 short setae; scutellum with 2 pairs of long setae and two sensilla directly posterior to the anterior pair of setae, scutellar sensilla slightly posterior to middle of scutellum; mesotibial spur 0.8 × mesobasitarsus; metatibial spur 0.6 × metabasitarsus.

Fore wing. ( Fig. 10 ) 2.3 × as long as broad; costal cell with 1 complete row of dorsal setae and 2 rows of ventral setae, the posterior row extending from under the proximal end of the marginal vein almost to stigma, costal cell 1.2 × longer than marginal vein; submarginal vein with 5-6 setae; marginal vein with 10 setae along the margin; stigmal vein short with stigma rounded; delta region proximal to linea calva with one complete line of 13-15 setae and 2-6 additional setae in angle with marginal vein, linea calva with no dorsal setae at its posterior edge; wing distal to linea calva with dense, evenly spaced, dorsal setae and much smaller ventral setae.

Hind wing. ( Fig. 11 )4.3 × as long as broad, marginal fringe 0.26 × wing width.

Metasoma. ( Figs 4, 6 , 12 ) 1.2 × as long as mesosoma; ovipositor inserted at middle of metasoma, slightly exerted distally, 1.3 × as long as meso- and metatibiae; third valvula one-third length of ovipositor.

Color. ( Figs 2, 4, 6 ) Head and mesosoma dark brown to black; legs with procoxa yellowish white, meso- and metacoxae dark brown to black, femora yellowish white, protibia yellowish white, mesotibia yellowish white with center greyish, metatibia dark grey to black base pale, tarsi pale brown with tips and metabasitarsus greyish brown; metasoma with base (T1 and T2), apex, and venter yellow, remainder brown; antennae yellowish white; compound eyes burgundy, and ocelli red in life, both silver-colored in dried specimens.

Male ( Figs 1, 3, 5 , 7, 9, 14 ). Similar to female except:

Head. ( Figs 1 , 7 ) Antenna with scape swollen in middle, 3.4 as long as broad, maximum width 3 × distal end width, with 3-5 volcano-shaped secretory pores in line on ventral surface, pedicel 2.1 × as long as broad, F1 anneliform, 1.8 × as wide as long, F2 1.5 × as broad as long, F3 2.0 × as long as broad, club 3.9 × as long as broad, 2.1 × as long as F3, and with 4-6 longitudinal sensilla.

Metasoma. ( Figs 3, 5 , 14 ) About the same length as mesosoma, phallobase of genitalia including digiti 4.5 × longer than broad, digiti about twice longer than broad and with two apical denticles.

Color. ( Figs 1, 3, 5 ) Legs with procoxa grey, pro- and mesofemora sometimes with darkened centers; metasoma brown with base and apex yellow; scape dark greyish brown with greyish yellow distal tip, pedicel greyish yellow.

Holotype female

(card-mounted, deposited in USNM, USNM ENT 00703637)."China: Liaoning, Xiuyan | 40°18'N, 123°14'E | 11.vii.2007, K. Hoelmer || ex: Aphis glycines | on: soybean | plots 1/3, 2007/007 || From Lab Culture | USDA-ARS-BIIRU | Newark, Delaware"

Paratypes

(USNM, TAMU, BMNH). 30 card-mounted and 4 slide-mounted ♀♀, 14 card-mounted and 4 slide-mounted ♂♂ with same data as holotype. 13 card-mounted and 4 slide-mounted ♀♀ and 9 card-mounted and 3 slide-mounted females: China, Liaoning, Xiuyan, 40°20'N, 116°6'E, 12.vii.2007, K. Hoelmer, ex: Aphis glycines on: soybean, plot 2, 2008/008, from Lab Culture, USDA-ARS-BIIRU, Newark, Delaware, all bearing TAMU accession numbers.

Hosts.

In the field, Aphis glycines is the only known host. In laboratory experiments, Aphelinus glycinis parasitizes Aphelinus glycines and closely related species in the genus Aphis .

Etymology.

This species is named for the host from which it was collected. The species epithet is a noun in genitive case.

Relationships.

Aphelinus glycinis is closest to Aphelinus engaeus and Aphelinus ficusae Prinsloo and Neser based on our matrix of traits ( Table 2 ). Aphelinus glycinis differs from Aphelinus engaeus in having elongated third funicle segments in males and females, and it differs from Aphelinus ficusae in having an ovipositor more than 1.2 × as long as the mesotibia and grey procoxa in males. It also differs from these species in its aphid hosts and geographical distribution. Aphelinus glycinis is a specialist on Aphis species close to Aphis glycines , but Aphelinus engaeus is reported from Schizaphis graminum (Rondani) and Sitobion ochnearum (Eastop) and Aphelinus ficusae was reared from an undetermined aphid on Ficus sycomorus ( Prinsloo and Neser 1994). Furthermore, Aphelinus glycinis was collected in northeastern China, whereas Aphelinus engaeus and Aphelinus ficusae have been reported only from South Africa.

Figures

Figures 1 - 6. Aphelinus glycinis sp. n. paratype specimens in 95 % ethanol. 1 male antennae and face 2 female antennae and face 3 male, lateral view 4 female, lateral view 5 male, ventral view 6 female, ventral view.

Figures 7 - 14. Aphelinus glycinis sp. n., slide-mounted paratypes. 7 male antenna (TAMU x 0616203) 8 female antenna (TAMU x 0616201) 9 male fore wing (TAMU x 0616206) 10 female fore wing (TAMU x 0616201) 11 female hind wing (TAMU x 0616204) 12 female metasoma (TAMU x 0616204) 13 female mesosoma (TAMU x 0616211) 14 male genitalia (TAMU x 0616206).