Coccobius Ratzeburg, 1852

Wang, Zhu Hong, Huang, Jian & Pan, Dong Ming, 2013, Taxonomic review of Coccobius species (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) from China, with notes on their use in biological control of scale insect pests (Hemiptera: Diaspididae), and description of a new species, Journal of Natural History (J. Nat. Hist.) 48 (5 - 6), pp. 359-373 : 360-362

Genus Coccobius Ratzeburg, 1852

Coccobius Ratzeburg, 1852 . Ichneum. Forstin., 3: 195. Type species: Coccobius annulicornis Ratzeburg , by subsequent designation ( Gahan & Fagan 1923).

Physcus Howard, 1895 . Tech. Ser. U.S. Dept. Agr. Div. Ent., 1: 43. Type species: Coccophagus varicornis Howard , by monotypy.

Encyrtophyscus Blanchard, in De Santis, 1948 . Rev. Mus. La Plata (N.S.), 5 Sec. Zool.: 192. Type species: Physcus flavoflagellatus De Santis , by monotypy and original designation. Synonymized by Hayat (1983).

Physculus Jasnosh, 1977 . Zool. Zh., 56: 1115. Type species: Physculus danzigae Jasnosh , by monotypy and original designation. Synonymized by Hayat (1983).

Coccobius species can be distinguished from all other genera of Aphelinidae as follows.

Female. Body yellow to black; antenna often with some segments pale and others brown to dark brown; wings usually hyaline, rarely slightly and evenly infuscated. Antenna seven-segmented, with funicle three-segmented, clava two-segmented; mesopleuron large, undivided; mid lobe of mesoscutum large, with numerous setae, axillae small and widely separated, each with a single seta, scutellum with four to six setae. Fore wing without linea calva, often with narrow area basally asetose. Postmarginal vein absent or very short. Tarsal formula 5-5-5.

Male. Differing from the female mainly in genitalia and antennal shape. Antenna eight-segmented, funicle not differentiated from clava, flagellum uniformly coloured.

Key to the species of Coccobius (females) from China

1. Mesosoma (“thorax”) yellow to yellow-brown............................ 2 Mesosoma dark brown to black......................................... 6

2. Antenna with contrastingly coloured flagellomeres....................... 3 Antennal flagellum uniformly dark....................... C. furviflagellatus

3. F2 dark brown.......................................................... 4 F2 pale................................................................. 5

4. F1–F3 each more than twice as long as wide.................... C. flaviceps F1–F3 each less than twice as long as wide........................ C. fulvus

5. Scutellum with eight setae.................................. C. annulicornis Scutellum with four setae............................... C. curtifuniculatus

6. Metasoma brown....................................................... 7 Metasoma pale, or sides of metasoma with dark stripes or markings laterally....................................................................... 11

7. Antennal flagellum uniformly either pale, or dark brown except clava distally pale.................................................................... 8 Antenna flagellum differently coloured................................... 9

8. Scutellum with two pairs of setae.............................. C. languidus Scutellum with three pairs of setae........................... C. longialatus

9. Pedicel brown......................................................... 10 Pedicel pale.................................................... C. azumai

10. Clava pale............................................. C. longifuniculatus Clava dark...................................................... C. furvus

11. Metasoma uniformly pale.............................................. 12 Metasoma with dark stripes or markings laterally....................... 13

12. Pedicel pale; mid lobe of mesoscutum with 12–18 fine setae (excluding pair of robust setae posteriorly)..................................... C. abdominis Pedicel dark; mid lobe of mesoscutum with approximately 36 fine setae (excluding pair of robust setae posteriorly......................... C. chaoi

13. Metasoma with separated dark markings laterally....................... 14 Metasoma with continuous dark stripes laterally........................ 15

14. F1 and clava dark brown..................................... C. maculatus F1 and clava pale............................................. C. wuyiensis

15. F1 and clava dark............... C. albiscutellum Wang and Huang , sp.nov. F1 and clava pale............................................ C. flavicornis

Species accounts