Ammonoencyrtus, De Santis, 1964

Noyes, John Stuart, 2023, ENCYRTIDAE OF COSTA RICA (HYMENOPTERA: CHALCIDOIDEA), 4 Subfamily Encyrtinae: tribes Arrhenophagini, Habrolepidini, Cerapterocerini, Cheiloneurini, Trechnitini, Cercobelini, Polaszekiini, Protyndarichoidini, Gahaniellini and Syrphophagini (part), mainly primary parasitoids and hyperparasitoids of Coccoidea and Psylloidea (Hemiptera), Taxonomic Monographs on Neotropical Hymenoptera (Oxford, England) 2 (11), pp. 1-921 : 518-519

Genus AMMONOENCYRTUS De Santis

Ammonoencyrtus De Santis, 1964:376-378 . Type species: Cerapterocerus bonariensis Brèthes , by original designation and monotypy.

Female. Overall length about 0.9-2.3mm.

Body not dorsoventrally flattened; fore wing generally infuscate with base, a small area below parastigma, area at apex of venation and apex hyaline, area near anal angle usually partially hyaline, main infuscate area not apically enclosed by a curved darker band; apex of postmarginal vein and stigmal vein more or less connected by a hyaline streak.

Head with shallow, inconspicuous piliferous punctures on frontovertex; scrobal area delimited dorsally by a weak transfacial ridge above which is a shallow, smooth and shiny transverse depression that contains a transverse band of silvery setae that are more dense below eye; transfacial ridge interrupted medially by interantennal prominence where it meets frontovertex; ocellar area with shallow, but distinct polygonally reticulate sculpture that fades gradually towards transverse depression above the transfacial ridge; each scrobal depression delimited dorsally by transfacial ridge; malar sulcus absent; antenna inserted near mouth; scape strongly broadened and flattened, subtrapezoidal, lamina apically rounded; upper margin of scape broadened and slightly overhanging the basal part of the flagellum; apically quite smooth and shiny but not flattened; pedicel about half as wide as F1, subtriangular in profile, often very asymmetric being dorsally produced towards apex, dorsal margin always flat or concave and very shiny, usually flat surface tilted outwards; flagellum strongly flattened from side to side, segments subequal in width, produced ventrally and much wider than long, F1 largest, segments becoming progressively shorter dorsally and longer ventrally; clava 3-segmented, sutures entire, oblique, sensory area very enlarged giving apex a strong obliquely truncate appearance; mandible tridentate with two lower teeth acute and a rounded or obliquely truncate upper tooth; palp formula 4-3.

Mesoscutum with notaular lines sometimes visible anteriorly; fore wing with marginal vein longer than stigmal vein; postmarginal vein about half as long as stigmal; submarginal vein with parastigma slightly widened and usually slightly downcurved; basal cell largely naked and with a smaller naked area below parastigma; filum spinosum present;

Gaster with hypopygium transverse, anteriorly bilaterally concave, posteriorly with a shallow to moderate median invagination; ovipositor at least 1.5X as long as mid tibia and slightly to strongly exserted; gonostylus free; paratergites absent.

Male. Length about 0.9-1.5mm.

Head and body very dark brown with a moderate metallic sheen on head and a weaker metallic sheen on thoracic dorsum and gaster; antenna mostly brown; wings hyaline; frontovertex about half head width, with polygonally reticulate sculpture, gena and scrobal area with similar, but shallower sculpture; scape hardly broadened and not flattened; funicle with all segments longer than broad, clothed with setae, the longest about 1.5-4X as long as diameter of segment; phallobase with a single apical hook on each digitus.

DISTRIBUTION. New World.

HOSTS. Primary, or possibly secondary, parasitoids of soft scales ( Hemiptera : Coccidae ) ( Compere, 1925; De Santis, 1964; Annecke, 1967; Meyer et al., 2001) and of lac insects ( Hemiptera Kerriidae ) ( Schauff, 2005).

COMMENTS. Ammonoencyrtus is very similar to Anicetus Howard and Homosemion Annecke and can be distinguished using the key provided by Annecke (1967). Females of Ammonoencyrtus can be separated from those of Anicetus by lacking a strong, entire transfacial carina or ridge and not having the infuscate area of the fore wing delimited by a darker curved band. In addition, the pedicel is never more than half as wide as F1and is always dorsally flattened or concave and very shiny and the funicle segments are broadest proximally so that F6 is broader than F1. In Anicetus the pedicel is at least as wide as F1 and partially encloses it and it is often convexly rounded and not shiny, F1 is always narrower than F6. Females of Ammonoencyrtus can be separated from those of Homosemion by having the transfacial ridge interrupted medially, the dorsal surface of the pedicel flattened or concave and very shiny, F1 being slightly broader than F6 and the hyaline area below the parastigma being completely enclosed. In Homosemion the transfacial ridge is continuous, the dorsal surface of the pedicel is convexly rounded and dull and the hyaline area below the parastigma is open posteriorly.

IDENTIFICATION. Three species have been described previously. There is no single treatment available for identifying all three, but two have been treated by Annecke (1967) and a third by Schauff (2005).