Signiphora flavella Girault

Schmidt, Stefan, Hamid, Hasmiandy, Ubaidillah, Rosichon, Ward, Samantha & Polaszek, Andrew, 2019, A review of the Indonesian species of the family Signiphoridae (Hymenoptera, Chalcidoidea), with description of three new species, ZooKeys 897, pp. 29-47 : 29

Signiphora flavella Girault Fig. 6 A–F

Signiphora flavella Girault, 1913: 214. Female. For a full list of synonyms see Woolley and Dal Molin (2017).

Material examined.

Indonesia: • 4 ♀ (on slide); East Java, Malang, Selorejo, Junrejo; 7.940S, 112.529E; 1015 m a.s.l.; 1-Jul-2012; S. Schmidt leg.; screen-sweep net; MZB BC- ZSM-HYM-20770-G02, BC- ZSM-HYM-20770-E12, BC- ZSM-HYM-20770-G04 (slide with right fore wing only), BC- ZSM-HYM-20770-F12 • 2 ♀; same data as preceding; ZSM BC- ZSM-HYM-20770-F05, BC- ZSM-HYM-20770-F09 • 1 ♀; same data as preceding; NHMUK BC- ZSM-HYM-20770-F10 • 2 ♀; same locality; 8-Jul-2012; S. Schmidt leg.; screen-sweep net; MZB • 1 ♀; East Java, Jalan Kandangan, Kasembon; 7.808S, 112.313E; 305 m a.s.l.; 14-Jul-2012; S. Schmidt leg.; screen-sweep net; NHMUK.

Diagnosis (female).

Colour of body yellow ( Fig. 6A ) with variable extent of brown markings, clava only apically or completely dusky brown ( Fig. 6D ). Discal seta on fore wing missing, seta M1 on marginal vein present (rarely absent) ( Fig. 6E ). Mt8 in female transverse, without a medial emargination.

Description (female).

Colour. Body yellow ( Fig. 6A ), head yellow except occiput with curved brown band along occipital carina ( Fig. 6B ). Antenna with scape yellow and flagellum brown, apical half of clava darker brown ( Fig. 6D ). Fore wing with dark band behind marginal vein that is proximally and distally diffusely delimited ( Fig. 6E ). Third valvula brown.

Morphology. Head 1.76 times as broad as frontovertex width ( Fig. 6B ), frontovertex width 0.77 times length of clava, distance from mouth margin to facial ridge 0.57. Antenna with 3 anelli, F1 0.4 times as long as broad, F2 0.8 times as long as broad, F3 subquadrate, clava about 6 times as long as broad and 1.7 times as long as scape length ( Fig. 6D ), pedicel 0.77 times as long as scape length. Midlobe of mesoscutum with 2 setae on disc and anteriorly with 6 setae, scutellum with 6 setae along posterior margin. Fore wing 2.9 times as long as broad ( Fig. 6E ), longest setae of marginal fringe 1.4 times as long as width of disc, seta M1 present, M2b absent. Midtibial spur subequal in length to corresponding basitarsus ( Fig. 6C ), the latter 0.56 times as long as midtibia. Ovipositor 2.1 times as long as midtibia and 1.4 times as long as hind tibia.

Male.

The species reproduces primarily parthenogenetically; males are very rare ( Woolley and Dal Molin 2017) and were not recorded in the study area.

Host.

Polyphagous on many species of Diaspididae ( Hemiptera ). For a full list of host records see Woolley and Dal Molin (2017).

Distribution.

Cosmopolitan and, apart from Indonesia, occurring in the following countries (after Woolley and Dal Molin 2017): Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, Honduras, Honduras, Greece, India, Israel, Mexico, Morocco, New Zealand, Peru, Puerto Rico, South Africa, Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, USA, Venezuela.

DNA barcode data.

The sequence data did not reveal any intraspecific variation and a distance of 9.7% to the nearest neighbour species, S. perpauca (Suppl. material 1, Genbank Accession Numbers: MH407235, MH407237, MH407239, MH407240, MH407243).

Remarks.

The species exhibits variation in colour patterns and several similar looking species that had been described mainly based on colour differences were synonymised with S. flavella by Woolley and Dal Molin (2017). It resembles S. perpauca (see below) but lacks the discal seta in the fore wing.

Figures

Figure 6. Signiphora flavella Girault, female A body in dorsal view B head in frontal view C middle leg D antenna E fore wing F hind wing.