Astymachus phainae Sugonjaev, 1996

Noyes, John S. & Higashiura, Yoshimitsu, 2020, The species of Astymachus Howard (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) ı potentially important parasitoids of Aclerdidae (Hemiptera: Coccoidea) associated with grasses (Poaceae) ı with descriptions of three new species, Journal of Natural History 54 (9), pp. 665-679 : 671

5. Astymachus phainae Sugonjaev

( Figures 2f,g)

Astymachus phainae Sugonjaev, 1996: 193 – 195 . Holotype ♀, Vietnam, ZSIP, not examined.

Diagnosis. Female. Length, including ovipositor, 1.3 – 1.5 mm. Body generally slightly dusky pale orange, thorax dorsally and apical half of gaster little darker, antenna pale brown with F1 slightly darker; fore wing ( Figure 2f) more or less uniformly infuscate with a small, more strongly infuscate area below junction of marginal and stigmal veins that does not reach apex of stigmal vein and a slightly darker elongate streak parallel to posterior margin; head about 1.8× as long as eye; palp formula 4 – 3; antenna with F1 subquadrate and F2 – F5 anneliform, subequal, F6 transverse, larger, linear sensilla only on F6; clava entire; scutellum with about 7 – 10 setae; wings not shortened, fore wing about 3.0× as long as broad and 3.9× as long as mid tibia, reaching well past cercal plates; marginal vein ( Figure 2g) reaching anterior wing margin and about as long as stigmal vein; discal setae below marginal vein ( Figure 2g) about one-third distance between them or about 1.5× as long as diameter of socket; ovipositor about 2.6× mid tibia and 2.3× gonostylus. Male. Antenna with funicle segments subequal, subquadrate with F1 and F6 slightly larger; aedeagus about 1.2× as long as mid tibia.

Biology. Reared from aclerdids ( Hemiptera : Aclerdidae ) inhabiting shelters of Crematogaster sp. ( Hymenoptera : Formicidae ) in leaf sheaths on stems of bamboo ( Poaceae ) ( Sugonjaev 1996).

Distribution. Vietnam ( Sugonjaev 1996) and India (Uttar Pradesh) (Hayat, pers. comm.).

Material examined. Paratypes: VIETNAM, 2♀, 1♂, Ba Vi National Park , mount, 800 m above sea level, ex Aclerdidae associated with nests of Crematogaster on bamboo, 11 – 14 November 1995 (E. Sugonjaev) ( ZISP) .

Comments. Females of Astymachus phainae can be recognised by the conspicuously infuscate and relatively naked fore wing.