Metaphycus fusiscapus, Wang, Ying, Li, Cheng-De & Zhang, Yan-Zhou, 2013

Wang, Ying, Li, Cheng-De & Zhang, Yan-Zhou, 2013, A taxonomic study of Chinese species of the alberti group of Metaphycus (Hymenoptera, Encyrtidae), ZooKeys 285, pp. 53-88 : 73-75

Metaphycus fusiscapus sp. n. Figs 63-69

Holotype.

♀, China, Sichuan, Chengdu: 2012.VI.30, ex. Ceroplastes floridensis , coll. J. Deng (IZCAS).

Paratypes.

3♀♀, same as holotype. 1 ♀, Fujian, Shaowu, 2012.IV.17, ex. Ceroplastes floridensis , coll. A. K. Deng (IZCAS).

Female: Body length, including ovipositor, 0.9-1mm. Frontovertex orange; very pale brown in ocellar area, pale brown between occipital margin and posterior ocelli; gena with brown-grey; mouth margin narrowly pale brown below torulus; rest of head, except occiput, white; antenna (Fig. 63) with radicle dark brown; scape with both faces black, dorsal margin black, extreme apex white; pedicel in proximal four fifths dark brown, distal one fifth white, dark brown area extending slightly towards apex externally and internally; F1-F3 dark brown, F4 pale brown to pale yellow, F5-F6 white, clava proximal half dark brown, becoming white towards apex; neck of pronotum dark brown, posterior margin translucent brown, lateral spots relatively large and distinct, rest white; dorsum of thorax dark orange; sides and posterior margin of mesoscutum and axillae inconspicuously bordered brown; scutellum slightly darker in center; setae translucent pale brown, silvery in most lights; tegula white with apex brown; metanotum black; mesopleuron white; prosternum and mesosternum pale brown; legs (Figs 66-68) with insides white, and outsides very pale brown, coxae white, but tibiae at knees narrowly dark brown and fore tibia with faint brown rings, mid and hind tibiae with a pair of dark brown rings at about 0.2 × and 0.5 ×; fore wing (Fig. 65) hyaline and venation brown; hind wing hyaline, and with linea calva interrupted; propodeum medially black, laterally white; gaster dorsally black, sides and venter white; ovipositor sheath pale brown.

Head ocelli forming an angle of about 40°; eye not quite reaching occipital margin, separated by much less than diameter of a facet; frontovertex parallel-sided; scrobes shallow and U-shaped; antenna (Fig. 63) with scape about 2 × as long as broad; funicle with F1-F4 smallest, subequal and transverse, F5 a little larger, F6 largest and quadrate; linear sensilla only on F5 and F6; clava 3-segmented, its apex more or less rounded but with a short slightly oblique truncation; mandible relatively broad with three subequal, apical teeth; palpal formula 2-2 (Fig. 64). notaular lines reaching about 0.5 × across mesoscutum; fore wing venation and setation as in Fig. 65; ovipositor (Fig. 69) hardly exserted, about 4.1 × as long as ovipositor sheath.

Relative measurements: HW 11, FV 4, FVL 6, POL 2, AOL 2.5, OOL 1, OCL 1, POD 1, AOD 1, EL 7, EW 5, MS 3, SL 6, SW 3, FWL 40, FWW 15, HWL 22, HWW 6, OL 14, GL 3.5, MT 12.

Male. Unknown.

Host.

Ceroplastes floridensis .

Distribution

. China (Sichuan, Fujian).

Etymology.

This specific epither of this new species is referring to the dark brown scape.

Diagnosis.

Scape with both faces black, dorsal margin black, extreme apex white, and about 2 × as long as broad; legs (Figs 66-68) with inner sides white, and outer sides very pale brown, coxae white, but tibiae at knees narrowly dark brown and fore tibia with faint brown rings, mid and hind tibiae with a pair of dark brown rings at about 0.2 × and 0.5 ×; ovipositor hardly exserted, about 4.1 × as long as ovipositor sheath.

Using the key of Guerrieri and Noyes (2000), Metaphycus fusiscapus runs to Metaphycus pretiosus (key couplet 8), but can be separated from the latter by scape about 2 × as long as broad and head 4.1 × as broad as frontovertx (in pretiosus, scape about 4 × as long as broad, head 3 × as broad as frontovertex). Using the key of Zeya and Hayat (1993), this species goes to Metaphycus agarwali . Both of these two species having two dark bands on mid tibiae and scape about 2 × as long as broad. It can be separated from Metaphycus agarwali as follows: dorsal margin of scape black only base apex white, F1-F4 subequal and F5 distinctly larger (in Metaphycus agarwali , scape dorsal margin white, and F1-F5 subequal). Both of the two species are distributed in Asia, perhaps they are closely related. In China, Metaphycus fusiscapus is very similar to Metaphycus wui (see comments under Metaphycus wui ).