Encarsia iris (Girault)

Encarsia iris female (slide preparation)

Diagnosis

Female

Colour: head brown. Mesosoma brown except following parts yellow: mesoscutum posteriorly, posteromesal corner of axilla, scutellum, and metanotum. Gaster predominantly brown or basal tergites paler. Antenna yellow. Fore wing with dark band behind marginal vein. Legs yellow except mid and hind coxae and occasionally hind femur brown.

Morphology [measurements of holotype in square brackets]: stemmaticum with rugosely strigose surface sculpture. Antennal formula 1,1,3,3. Pedicel longer than F1 (1.14–1.26). F1 1.31–1.53 times as long as its maximum width, shorter than F2 (0.72– 0.88) and F3 (0.72–0.77). F2 slightly shorter than or subequal in length to F3 (0.88– 1.00). (In holotype antennae damaged/distorted, resulting in different measurements for left and right antenna, as follows: pedicel longer than F1 (1.33/1.58), F1 1.19/1.43 times as long as its maximum width and 0.61/0.65 times as long as F2.) Flagellomeres with the following numbers of sensilla: F1: 0(–1), F2: 2, F3: 3–4, F4: 3–4, F5: 3–4, F6: 3–4. Midlobe of mesoscutum with eight 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 slightly smaller than, or subequal to, distance between posterior pair. Fore wing 2.3–2.4 times as long as width of disc. Marginal fringe 0.17–0.23 [0.21] times as long as width of disc. Basal cell with three to seven [four] setae. Submarginal vein with two setae, marginal vein anteriorly with six to seven setae. Tarsal formula 5-5-5. Apical spur of midtibia distinctly longer than half the length of the corresponding basitarsus (0.81–0.90) [0.90], the latter distally with four to five pegs. Ovipositor longer than midtibia (1.72–2.17) [1.95] and 2.90–3.46 [3.30] times as long as clava. Third valvula 0.51–0.66 [0.51] times as long as second valvifer.

Male

Body dark brown except mesoscutellar midlobe posteriorly and scutellum lighter. Legs pale, coxae and hind femur brown. Antenna light brown (radicle, scape, and pedicel slightly darker). Flagellum six-segmented with apical two segments partially fused and sensilla overlapping.

Species group placement

Encarsia opulenta group.

Distribution

Australia: New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia.

Hosts

Aleyrodidae: Orchamoplatus citri (Takahashi).

References

• 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

Encarsia iris on Wikispecies
Type information
Encyclopedia of Life
Univeral Chalcidoidea Database
Encarsia on Wikipedia