Rhopus nigroclavatus (Ashmead)

Hayat, Mohammad, Ahmad, Zubair & Khan, Farmanur Rehman, 2014, Encyrtidae (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea) from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Zootaxa 3793 (1), pp. 1-59 : 51-52

Rhopus nigroclavatus (Ashmead)

( Figs 127–129 )

Xanthoencyrtus nigroclavatus Ashmead, 1902: 302 , ♀. USA.

Rhopus nigroclavatus (Ashmead) : Noyes, 2000: 127–128, ♀, ♂, diagnosis, figures, distribution, synonymy.

Material examined. KSA: AL-BAHA: Qunfudah, vi.2012, (MT), Coll. Z. Ahmad (3 ♀, two on slides, EH.1588 and EH.1589); Al-Qassim: Unaizah, 30.v.2013 (35F), Coll. F.R. Khan (2 ♀, on slides, EH.1677 and EH.1678) ( ZDAMU).

Comments. This species has been dealt with in details by Noyes & Hayat (1994) as Rhopus nigriclavus (Girault) and by Noyes (2000). It has seven other names as its synonyms. As noted by Noyes & Hayat (1994), it is a very variable species, varying in body colour, dimensions of the antennal segments and colour of funicle segments, and in the length of the marginal fringe of the fore wing. We give some figures ( Figs 127–129 ) which will help in its recognition.

This is species widely distributed the Australian-Pacific, Nearctic ( USA), Neotropical ( Costa Rica), Oriental ( India, Nepal, Malaysia, Bangladesh), and the Palaearctic ( Spain) regions. It is newly recorded from Saudi Arabia .

Figures

FIGURES 127 – 129. Rhopus nigroclavatus (Ashmead). Female: 127, antenna; 128, head, frontal view; 129, fore wing.