Encarsia adusta Schmidt & Naumann
Diagnosis
Female
CColour: head predominantly brown, upper head partly lighter. Overall coloration of mesosoma light brown, scutellum slightly lighter and propodeum darker than rest of mesosoma. Metasoma predominantly brown, petiole brown, gaster at base with sharply defined narrow dark brown band. Antenna yellow with scape, pedicel and apical segments darkened. Fore wing hyaline. Legs yellow except coxa basally brown and hind femora darkened.
Morphology: stemmaticum with rugose-reticulate surface sculpture. Antennal formula 1,1,4,2. Pedicel longer than F1 (1.35–1.62). F1 1.44–1.80 times as long as its maximum width, shorter than F2 (0.72–0.85) and F3 (0.68–0.81). Flagellomeres with the following numbers of sensilla: F1: 0, F2: 2, F3: 2, F4: 3, F5: 3, F6: 3. Mesoscutal midlobe with eight (or nine) setae, arranged symmetrically, side lobes with three setae each. Scutellar sensilla widely separated (approximately five to six times the maximum width of a sensillum). Distance between anterior pair of scutellar setae greater than between posterior pair. Fore wing 2.6 times as long as width of disc. Marginal fringe 0.35–0.38 times as long as width of disc. Submarginal vein with two setae, marginal vein anteriorly with seven setae. Basal cell with four to five setae. Tarsal formula 5-5-5. Apical spur of midtibia subequal to half the length of the corresponding basitarsus (0.44–0.55). Tergites laterally with the following numbers of setae: T1: (2–)3–6(–8), T2: 3–6, T3: 3–6, T4: 4–6, T5: 4–6, T6: 3, T7 with four setae. Ovipositor slightly shorter than or subequal in length to midtibia (0.90–1.03). Third valvula 0.44–0.46 times as long as second valvifer.
Male
Body predominantly brown with mesoscutal midlobe posteriorly and scutellumlighter. Legs light brown except coxae brown, femora, in particular hind femur, lighter brown and tibiae slightly darkened. Apical two segments of antenna fused and sensilla partly overlapping.
Species group placement
Encarsia inaron group.
Distribution
Australia: Northern Territory, Queensland, Western Australia.
Hosts
Aleyrodidae: Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius), Lipaleyrodes euphorbiae David and Subramaniam, Trialeurodes vaporariorum (Westwood).
Remarks
Some specimens of Encarsia adusta are difficult to distinguish from E. azimi but usually the latter species has a pale gaster and only one or two (rarely three) setae on each side of T2 and T3. Encarsia accenta is similar but can be separated by its distinct colour pattern and morphologically by the short tibial spur of the middle leg.
References
- Schmidt, S.; Naumann, I.D.; De Barro, P. 2001: Encarsia species (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) of Australia and the Pacific Islands attacking Bemisia tabaci and Trialeurodes vaporariorum (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) — a pictorial key and descriptions of four new species. Bulletin of entomological research, 91: 369–387. doi
- Schmidt, S.; Polaszek, A. 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: 2099–2265. doi
External links
Wikispecies
Type information
Universal Chalcidoidea Database
Encyclopedia of Life
Genbank
Encarsia on Wikipedia
