Selitrichodes utilis Fisher & La Salle, 2014

Fisher, Nicole, Moore, Aubrey, Brown, Bradley, Purcell, Matthew, Taylor, Gary S. & Salle, John La, 2014, Two new species of Selitrichodes (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae: Tetrastichinae) inducing galls on Casuarina (Casuarinaceae), Zootaxa 3790 (4), pp. 534-542 : 539-541

Selitrichodes utilis Fisher & La Salle , sp. n.

( Figs 14–19 )

Female. Length 0.85–1.55 mm. Head generally dark brown to metallic green, with the following areas light brown to yellow: eye margin, both anteriorly and posteriorly, extending from ventral eye margin to vertex (although weaker on vertex) and frontovertex extending from ocelli down to clypeus. Malar sulcus with a dark mark near junction with eye. Antenna with scape light brown on dorsal margin; yellow on lateral and ventral margins; flagellum light brown. Mesosoma with a distinct dark metallic green tinge, tegulae and notauli yellow. Gaster light brown to yellow; gastral tergites dark brown along posterior margin. Fore coxa yellow; middle coxa brown, yellow apically; hind coxa dark metallic green; trochanters, femora and tibiae yellow; tarsi light brown, dark brown at tip.

Fore wing ( Fig. 15 ) hyaline, venation pale brown. Submarginal vein usually with 3 dorsal setae; tapering apically and joining with parastigma at base of parastigma. Veins light brown to brown. Stigma darker and swollen compared to other veins. Relative length of wing veins: CC: MV: STV: PMV = 0.27–0.36: 0.26–0.37: 0.09–0.11: 0.05–0.07. PMV over half the length of STV vein. Speculum small and open below; cubital line of setae not extending to basal vein, basal vein usually without setae or with 1 seta. Wing disk beyond speculum densely pilose.

Antenna ( Fig. 16 ) with 3 funicular segments and 3 segmented club. Length/width ratio of F1 0.7–0.4; F2 0.65–0.45; F3 0.65–0.60. Clava 2.5× longer than wide, wider than funicle, and with distinct terminal spine. Sensilla nearly as long as the funicular segments. Scape slightly flattened ventrally.

Head ( Fig. 17 ). Ocellar triangle not surrounded by grooves. POL about 1.5× as long as OOL. Scrobal area with a small cracklike suture present about halfway between frontal suture and torulus. Torulus located at middle of face, above level of lower margin of eye. Face with a broad depression (supraclypeal area) below torulus extending to clypeus and with pilosity. Malar sulcus slightly curved. Mandible bidentate. Clypeal margin bilobed.

Mesosoma (Figs 18,19). Pronotum very short medially in dorsal view. Mid lobe of mesoscutum with a very weak median groove and with one row of 4 or 5 adnotaular setae on each side; notauli quite deep. Mesosternum convex just in front of the trochantinal lobes and without precoxal suture. Scutellum with 2 pairs of setae, occasionally a third seta may be present. Dorsellum rounded posteriorly and very slightly overhanging propodeum. Propodeum with median carina, medially shorter than dorsellum in dorsal view. Propodeal spiracle with entire rim exposed and separated from anterior margin of propodeum by less than half its longest diameter, with shallow groove descending from spiracle to posterior margin of propodeum. Paraspiracular carina absent. Propodeal callus with 2 setae.

Metasoma. Gaster equal in length to mesosoma. Hypopygium reaching nearly two-thirds the length of gaster. Cercus with 3 setae, 2 longest subequal in length and slightly curved. Ovipositor sheaths slightly protruding beyond apex of gaster.

Male. Unknown.

Type material. Holotype ♀: AUSTRALIA: Qld , 5.3km SSW Brisbane, Long Pocket Labs., 27°30.70'S 152°59.81'E, 2 Nov. 2010, B.Brown, em. tip of Casuarina glauca ABCL 2009071.V076-100, Database no. 32- 059016 ( ANIC).

53♀ Paratypes. 20♀: same data as holotype (11♀ ANIC; 3♀ QMB; 3♀ USNM; 3♀ ESUG) . 1♀: same data as holotype except 2 Nov. 2010, ABCL 2009071.V075 ( ANIC) . 18♀: same data as holotype except 21 Oct. 2010, ABCL 2009071.V049-071 ( ANIC) . 8♀: same data as holotype except 13 Mar. 2009, ABCL 2009029.V012-022 ( ANIC) . 6♀: same data as holotype except 6 Apr. 2009, ABCL 2009071 V001-007 ( ANIC) .

Distribution. Australia: Queensland (Brisbane) and New South Wales (Byron Bay).

Etymology. The Latin word utilis indicates the useful or beneficial nature of this species, which is being investigated as a biological control agent against invasive Casuarina species in North America.

Figures

FIGURES 14–19. Selitrichodes utilis, ♀. 14. Holotype, habitus, lateral view. 15. Fore wing. 16. Antenna. 17. Head, frontal view. 18. Mesosoma, dorsal view. 19. Mesosoma, lateral view.