Sectiliclava, Hoffer, 1957

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 : 555-556

Genus SECTILICLAVA Hoffer

Sectiliclava Hoffer, 1957a:55 . Type species: Sectiliclava paliuri Hoffer , by monotypy.

Parapsyllaephagus Robinson, 1961:117 . Type species: Parapsyllaephagus adulticollis Robinson , by original designation and monotypy. Synonymy with Sectiliclava by Robinson (1962:755).

Female. Length about 1.0- 1.8mm.

Body generally squat, robust; head and thorax strongly metallic, thorax sometimes mostly yellow or pale orange; wings hyaline.

Head with occipital margin sharp, carinate; funicle 6-segmented; clava 3-segmented; mouth opening about one-third head width; mandibles with 2 close-set teeth and a broad truncation or appearing broadly and slightly obliquely truncate at apex with vestiges of 4 short, teeth.

Thorax with scutellum convex; apical segment of fore tarsus (e.g. Figs 1419, 1426), and sometimes also other tarsi, strongly enlarged, at least as long as rest of tarsus, usually much longer; fore wing about 2.3X as long as broad; marginal vein (e.g. Figs 1436, 1441) absent or very short, stigmal vein usually arising from submarginal vein before the submarginal vein reaches anterior wing margin; postmarginal vein about half as long as stigmal vein; linea calva entire; filum spinosum present; mesopleuron developed so that it posteriorly separates the propodeum and hind coxa and its posterior margin touches the base of the gaster.

Hypopygium reaching apex of gaster, strongly transverse, about 2.5-3X as broad as long, anterior margin straight or weakly emarginate, posteriorly with a distinct mucro (e.g. Figs 1427, 1435); syntergum with apex broadly concave; ovipositor about half as long as mid tibia and with gonostlyus immovably fused to second valvifer.

Male. Length about 1.1-1.6mm.

Generally very similar to female but funicle segments relatively longer and clava entire; genitalia with phallobase 2.5-3X as long as broad, parameres and digiti subequal in length and width, paramere with an apical seta, digitus with two apical hooks, aedeagus slender, at least about 15X as long as broad.

DISTRIBUTION. Holarctic and Central America.

HOSTS. Parasitoids of adult jumping plant lice ( Hemiptera : Psyllidae ). The life history has been

described by Robinson (1961 b).

COMMENTS. Sectiliclava is a very distinctive genus which is characterised by the enlarged apical segment of the fore tarsus, fore wing with a very short or absent marginal vein and the hypopygium reaching the apex of the gaster with a distinct mucro. The enlarged apical segment of the fore tarsus is probably used by the female parasitoid to hold on to the adult psyllid during oviposition.

IDENTIFICATION. Worldwide 8 species, including 5 described below as new. See: Robinson, 1961 (single Palaearctic species); Trjapitzin, 1989 (single Palaearctic species) and Noyes & Hanson, 1996 (key to two Caribbean species).