Masnerium wellsae Polaszek, 2009

Polaszek, Andrew, 2009, Masnerium wellsae gen. n., sp. n. (Hymenoptera, Platygastridae, Sceliotrachelinae) a parasitoid of Aleuroduplidens wellsae Martin (Hemiptera, Aleyrodidae) in Australia, ZooKeys 20 (20), pp. 119-125 : 121-124

Masnerium wellsae Polaszek , gen. n.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:291D8883-A6DE-4460-8B69-D0BF0F84F31C

Description. Male: Length: 0.89 mm. Colour. Black (melanic), legs and antennae yellow-brown, wings hyaline.

Figures 3–8. Masnerium wellsae 3 Head, frontal view 4 dorsal mesosoma and metasoma 5 antenna 6 fore wing 7 detail of head showing mandibles 8 detail of head showing maxillary and labial palps

Morphology. Malar region / gena broad, approximately equal to eye width. Sculpture of occiput and malar region / gena reticulate-coriaceous. Sculpture of frons reticulate, central keel arising from the inter-antennal process to about half the eye height. Mandibles small, with two teeth, and weakly sclerotised apically. Maxillary and labial palps both 1-segmented. Antennal scape elongate, with evident reticulate sculpture, slightly shorter than A1-A8 combined. Radicle short, approximately equal in length to A6. Pedicel equal to A3+A4; A3 (F1) half the length of A4 (F2); A5-A7 the smallest flagellomeres, gradually increasing in size and each as long as broad; A8 (club / clava) composed of three (or possibly four) fused segments, without any visible sutures (as in Aleyroctonus ). An elongate ovoid sensory area clearly present, occupying ¾ of the length of the clava (clearly present in both antennae).

Mesosoma dorso-ventrally flattened. Pronotal shoulders angular, with raised reticulate sculpture. Notauli very well-developed, deep and broad posteriorly, narrow anteriorly, extending the length of the mesoscutum. Mesoscutum with shallow reticulate sculpture, less conspicuous centrally.

Mesoscutellum (scutellum) approximately semicircular, with broad transscutal articulation consisting of approximately 16 large foveae. Propodeum densely setose, with foamy structures moderately developed. Wing fully-developed, without any trace of a submarginal vein; marginal cilia short. Tibial spur formula 1-1-2.

Metasoma short and dorsoventrally depressed, with eight visible tergites. T1 strongly transverse, with an anterior transverse carina and a pair of central longitudinal carinae diverging posteriorly (as in Helava alticola Masner & Huggert, 1989 ). T2 with two shallow transverse hairy pits anteriorly; strongly longitudinally striate laterally. T3–T8 setose. Genitalia with three teeth per digitus; aedeagal lobe apparently truncate.

Derivatio nominis. Named for Alice Wells, discoverer of this new genus and its host.

Material examined. Holotype Ƌ AUSTRALIA: Victoria: Merbein South, near Mildura. 27.I.1997 (A. Wells) ex Aleurodupidens wellsae Martin on Acacia melvillei ( ANIC). The holotype has been dissected and mounted under six cover slips.

Biology. Masnerium wellsae is a primary endoparasitoid in the larvae of the aleyrodid Aleuroduplidens wellsae Martin.