Selitrichodes kryceri Kim and La Salle

Kim, Il-Kwon, Mendel, Zvi, Protasov, Alexey, Blumberg, Daniel & Salle, John La, 2008, Taxonomy, biology, and efficacy of two Australian parasitoids of the eucalyptus gall wasp, Leptocybe invasa Fisher & La Salle (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae: Tetrastichinae), Zootaxa 1910, pp. 1-20 : 11-13

Selitrichodes kryceri Kim and La Salle sp. nov.

( Figs 2, 3 , 10–17 )

Female Length 1.35–1.75 mm. Color patterns are variable: body almost completely yellow or mainly yellow with dark brown markings. If with black markings, then as follows: scape dorsally black, median and lateral ocelli, on anterior half and each latero-posterior corner of pronotum just in front of prothoracic spiracle, apical half of axilla, anterior area between submarginal lines of scutellum, lateral panel of metanotum, medial area of propodeum, from Gt2 to Gt5 of gaster with a dark brown stripe dorsally. At a minimum, the pale forms will always have the following black or dark brown: a small spot on the lateral corner of the pronotum, a small spot around each ocellus, a thin transverse stripe on the hind margin of the propodeum. All legs testaceous.

Head ( Figs 12–14 ). Ocellar triangle without grooves; sometimes grooves can be seen only on a shrunken specimen. POL about 5 times as long as OOL. Frontal suture transverse medially with lateral sides turning ventrally, placed ventral to median ocellus, separated from the median ocellus by about its diameter,. Frons with median carina extending halfway to toruli and a small transverse crack-like suture present at the end of the carina. The ventral margin of torulus lower than ventral margin of eye. A broad depression below torulus extending close to clypeus and with some pilosity on the depression. Gena swollen and with distinctly curved malar sulcus. Clypeal margin bidentate.

Antenna ( Fig. 10 ) with 3 funicular segments and 3 anelli; dorsal side of anellus shorter than ventral side; A2 very thin and generally not visible in dorsal view. Funicular segments with dorsal side slightly shorter than ventral side, from subquadrate to slightly transverse: length/width ratio of F1 0.8–0.89; F2 0.75–0.85; F3 0.62–0.68 (ventral side measured for length). Relative length of funicular segments to pedicel as follows: PDL: F1: F2: F3 = 1: 0.17–0.21: 0.19–0.2: 0.18–0.19. Clava without distinct terminal spine (or very hard to see because of sensilla around the apical end of C3) and claval segments slightly asymmetrical with its sutures rather oblique; C3 very short and its end broad, not tapering apically and with micropilose area (MPA) dorsoapically. Scape flat and expanded from base to apical end; not exceeding above the vertex.

Mesosoma ( Fig. 16 ). Pronotum very short medially in dorsal view. Mid lobe of mesoscutum with very weak median line and with one row of 7–9 adnotaular setae on each side. Mesosternum convex just in front of the trochantinal lobes and without precoxal suture. Scutellum with all setae located behind middle. Dorsellum semicircular. Propodeum medially shorter than dorsellum in dorsal view; anterior and posterior margin almost abutting, so that median carina absent. Propodeal spiracle with its whole rim exposed and separated from the anterior margin of propodeum by its longest diameter; spiracle longer than propodeum, about 2 times as long as propodeum in dorsal view. Paraspiracular carina absent. Callus with 2 setae. Hind corner of propodeum with very small protuberance projected posteriorly.

Fore wing ( Fig. 15 ). Submarginal vein usually with 2 dorsal setae, rarely 1 or 3 on one wing. Costal cell mostly asetose except usually with one or two very small dorsal setae just in front of marginal vein. Parastigma with a hyaline break, no hyaline break on stigmal vein. Relative length of wing veins to stigmal vein as follows: CC: MV: STV: PMV = 4.5–4.6: 4.8–5.0: 1: 0.5–0.6. Speculum small and open posteriorly, not closed by basal and cubital setal lines; cubital line close to but not reaching to the level of basal line; speculum with a few small setae on underside of wing. Small patch without pilosity present apical to STV and PMV. Wing disk beyond speculum densely pilose.

Gaster ( Fig. 17 ) slightly longer than head plus mesosoma. Hypopygium reaching to level of 4th gastral tergite. Cercus with 3 setae subequal in length and slightly curved. Ovipositor sheath slightly protruding, very short in dorsal view.

Male Length 1.0– 1.15 mm. Body color patterns similar with female, but with more black markings on vertex, mid lobe of mesoscutum, scutellum, propodeum and gaster.

Antenna ( Fig. 11 ) with 3 anelli and only 3 funicular segments; F1 virtually quadrate and as long as broad; F2 subquadrate and very slightly wider than long; F3 distinctly shorter than the other segments and wider than long. Each successive segment slightly getting broader. Funicle and clava without compact subbasal whorls of long setae MPA on clava bigger than that of female. Ventral plaque about 0.3–0.4 length of scape and the lower margin of the plaque located nearly in the middle of the scape.

Etymology. The species is named for Joe Krycer, Jewish National Fund (KKL) of Australia, who believed in this project from the beginning.

Material examined. Holotype Ψ: Australia, Queensland, Mareeba, 14.x.2005, J. McDonald & H. Nahrung, ex galls on E. camaldulensis x grandis ( ANIC).

Paratypes (32Ψ, 19ɗ): Same data as Holotype (17Ψ, 9ɗ ANIC; 3Ψ, 2ɗ each: QMB, BMNH, USNM, CNC, PPRI). Quarantine Reared, Bet Dagan, Israel, (originally Australia, from locations given above under parasitoid collection sites) (11 Ψ, 11ɗ ANIC).

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 3. Habitus. 1. Quadrastichus mendeli Ψ; 2. Selitrichodes kryceri “ dark ” specimen Ψ; 3. Selitrichodes kryceri “ light ” specimen Ψ

FIGURES 10 – 17. Selitrichodes kryceri. 10. Antenna Ψ; 11. Antenna ♂; 12. Head Ψ, frontal view; 13. Malar sulcus Ψ; 14. Head Ψ, dorsal view; 15. Base of fore wing, Ψ; 16. Mesosoma Ψ; 17. Gaster Ψ.