Encarsia plana Viggiani & Ren

Wang, Zhu-Hong, Huang, Jian & Polaszek, Andrew, 2014, Two new species of Encarsia Förster (Hymenoptera, Aphelinidae) and first description of the male E. plana Viggiani & Ren from China, Zootaxa 3889 (4), pp. 574-588 : 582-587

Encarsia plana Viggiani & Ren

( Figs 20–33 )

Encarsia plana Viggiani & Ren, 1987: 28 . Holotype female, China: Guangdong, Guangzhou, 8 October 1986 (coll. Hui Ren), ex? Bambusaspis sp. on bamboo (IEUN, examined).

Encarsia plana Viggiani & Ren: Viggiani & Ren, 1993 : 226; Huang, 1994: 213; Huang & Polaszek, 1998: 1939.

Material examined. 1 ♂, China: Fujian, Fuzhou, Jinshan, 30 September 2013 (coll. Zhu-Hong Wang), ex. unidentified armoured scale on bamboo ( FAFU); 2 ♀, China: Hainan, Sanya, 10 January 2014 (coll. Zhu-Hong Wang), ex. unidentified armoured scale on bamboo ( FAFU); 4 ♀, China: Fujian, Fuzhou, Forest Park, 22 October 1989 (coll. Jian-Qing Huang), by yellow pan trap ( BMNH, FAFU).

Description. Male ( Figs 20–26 ). Body length: 0.54 mm.

Colour. Head yellow except occiput, and facial prominence brown, clypeus and malar space dark brown, and a dark brown stripe on occipital foramen; eyes dark red, ocelli red-brown ( Fig. 21 ). Mandible brown. Antenna brown-yellow with scape mostly pale yellow; longitudinal sensilla on each flagellar segment dark brown ( Fig. 24 ). Mesosoma yellow except pronotum, axillae and propodeum brown to dark brown, mid-lobe of mesoscutum anteromedially with a large dark brown patch; prosternum and mesopleuron dark brown ( Fig. 20 ). Wings hyaline ( Fig. 23 ). Legs mostly white, but hind coxae basally brown. Petiole brown, tergites and sternites of metasoma dark brown except apex of T7 brown-yellow ( Fig. 20 ); genitalia with basal three-fourths dark brown and apical onefourth white ( Fig. 26 ).

Head. Head slightly wider than mesosoma; frontovertex large, with two brown carinae starting from middle of vertex margin and, forming a V-shape, extending laterally to ocelli ( Fig. 21 ). Maxillary palps short, 2-segmented, and labial palps 1-segmented. Mandibles with three teeth. Antennal formula 1:1:0:6; pedicel shorter than each flagellar segment; lengths of F1–F6, 44: 50: 47: 49: 50: 52; each flagellar segment with 5–7 longitudinal sensilla ( Fig. 24 ).

Mesosoma. Mid-lobe of mesoscutum mostly with longitudinal hexagonal cells or reticulation, with 2+1+2 setae; side-lobe of mesoscutum with 1 seta, axilla with 1 seta; scutellum with placoid sensilla distantly placed, closer to fore pair than to hind pair of setae, distance between fore pair of scutellar setae slightly greater than that between hind pair ( Fig. 25 ). Fore wing 2.69× as long as maximum width of wing disc; marginal fringe rather long, 0.42× as long as maximum width of disc; submarginal vein with 2 setae, anterior margin of marginal vein with 6 setae, basal cell with 1 seta; wing disc densely setose ( Fig. 23 ); stigmal vein short, and postmarginal vein absent ( Fig. 22 ). Tarsal formula 5: 5: 5.

Metasoma. Metasoma 1.67× as long as mesosoma; petiole with distinct sculpture; tergites 1–7 with setae as follows: T1, 0+0; T2–T4, 2+2 each; T5, 6; T6, 4 between cercal plates; T 7, 4 in one row. Genitalia without distinct digital lobes ( Fig. 26 ).

Female ( Figs 27–33 ). Detailed characters for the female are given in Huang & Polaszek (1998: 1939). Body rather flat and narrow. Head slightly wider than mesosoma; frontovertex large, with two brown carinae starting from middle of vertex margin and, forming a V-shape, extending laterally to ocelli ( Fig. 28 ). Fore wing 2.72–2.82× as long as maximum width of wing disc, with narrow stigma, ciliation on disc unusual, consisting of scattered, very short setae with a rather large base ( Fig. 30 ).

Species group placement. Not established.

Host. An unidentified diaspidid ( Hemiptera : Diaspididae ) scale on bamboo. Viggiani & Ren (1987) recorded this species from a diaspidid,? Bambusaspis sp.

Distribution. China (Fujian, Hainan, Guangdong).

Figures

FIGURES 20 – 24. Encarsia plana, male: 20, body in dorsal view; 21, frontovertex; 22, stigmal vein; 23, fore wing; 24, antenna.

FIGURES 25, 26. Encarsia plana, male: 25, mesosoma; 26, male genitalia.

FIGURES 27 – 31. Encarsia plana, female: 27, body in dorsal view; 28, frontovertex; 29, stigmal vein; 30, fore wing; 31, antenna.

FIGURES 32, 33. Encarsia plana, female: 32, mesosoma; 33, ovipositor.