Jian Huang parasitoid wasp (Proaphelinoides huangi) from China strongly supported as sister group to Aphytis

NEWS - Jian Huang parasitoid wasp (Proaphelinoides huangi Chen & Jiang, sp. nov.), reported from China based on standard DNA barcode COI, partial nuclear ribosomal 28S-D2 and 28S-D2 rDNA. The new species is similar to P. bendovi, P. elongatiformis, P. australis, P. assamensis and the genus Proaphelinoides is strongly supported as the sister group to Aphytis.

Proaphelinoides Girault is a small genus in the Aphelinidae with 7 species worldwide. P. elongatiformis (Girault 1917) from Sri Lanka is the type species. P. australis from Australia (Girault 1922), P. bendovi Tachikawa (1984) from China, and 4 other species, P. anomalus Hayat (1984), P. chidambaramensis Manickavasagam & Menakadevi (2012), P. assamensis Hayat (2012) and P. ematus Hayat & Veenakumari (2016) from India.

P. huangi can be distinguished from other species by yellow antennae, forewings with 10–14 feathers below the marginal vein, linea calva bordered proximally by a single row of setae, F3 1.0–1.2× as wide, distance between posterior pair of setae of middle lobe of mesoscutum longer than distance from seta to edge of next plate; length of Gt8 0.8× as long as distance between two cercal plates.

Females have a body length of 0.9–1.2 mm (holotype, 1.2 mm). Head with face pale yellow, vertex orange, ocelli red and setae on vertex dark. Mandible brown to dark brown. Antenna yellow.

Pronotum pale with brown suffusion. Dorsum of mesosoma yellow, except dark-brown posterior margin of mesoscutellum. Lateral sides of propodeum and mesopleuron brown yellow.

Fore wing with following infused areas: two small patches below end of submarginal vein, a pale brown band below proximal third of marginal vein, a large area below stigmal vein.

Hind wing mostly hyaline, with slight infusion below end of marginal vein. Legs pale yellow, with metafemur infuscate dorsally. Gaster with anterior half of Gt1, Gt2 and Gt8 pale, posterior half of Gt1 pale brown, remaining tergites dark brown.

Head 0.8× as high as wide, with weakly reticulate sculpture. Vertex 0.3–0.4× the width of head, with approximately 14 setae. Ocellar triangle with apical angle obtuse. Mandible with three teeth. Face with 7 setae along inner margin of eyes.

Antenna with scape 4.2–5.1× as long as wide; pedicle 1.4–1.8× as long as wide; F1 and F2 small and transverse, F1 0.6–0.7× as long as wide, with ventral margin a little longer than F2; F2 0.5× as long as wide; F3 1.0–1.2× as long as wide, with 3 longitudinal sensilla; clava 2.9× as long as wide, a little longer than combined length of pedicle and funicle, with 9–11 longitudinal sensilla.

Mesoscutum with reticulate sculpture. Mid lobe of mesoscutum 0.8× as long as wide, with approximately 16 setae, side lobe with 2 setae. Mesoscutellum 0.6× as long as wide, about as long as the mid lobe of mesoscutum, with 2 pairs of setae. The distance between anterior of scutellar setae 1.5× that between posterior pair.

Placoid sensilla located in median region of mesoscutellum; distance between sensilla about equal to that between posterior scutellar setae. Metanotum narrow medially. Propodeum long, with median length 0.5× as long as mesoscutellum, with 3 or 4 setae proximal to each spiracle.

Fore wing 2.4–2.9× as long as wide. Costal cell 0.7× length of marginal vein, with 5 or 6 fine setae and 2 long setae distally; submarginal vein with 2 setae; parastigma with 1 seta; marginal vein with 10 setae along anterior margin; postmarginal vein short, about 0.5× as long as stigmal vein.

Basal cell with 2 setae below end of submarginal vein; 10–14 dark bristles present in a group below proximal third of marginal vein; linea calva proximally bordered by a single line of setae, and closed posteriorly by 1 line of setae. Hind wing 3.8–4.6× as long as wide, with longest marginal fringe 0.3× wing width.

Mesotibial spur about as long as corresponding basitarsus. Metasoma about 1.5× as long as mesosoma measured from slide-mounted specimens. Gaster with setae on each tergite as follows: Gt1–Gt3 2 (left side) +2 (right side)), Gt4 3+2, Gt5 12–15 setae, arranged in 3 lines; Gt6 1+1, Gt7 1+1, Gt8 with approximately 11 setae.

Ovipositor originating from apex of Gt2, clearly exerted, and 2.1–2.4× as long as mesotibia. The second valvifer 2.7–3.0× as long as the third valvula, the latter 1.5× as long as the mesobasitarsus.

The specific name is derived from the genus name Jian Huang, in honor of his contributions to the taxonomic study of the Aphelinidae of China. The new species has a distribution in Yunnan. Hosts is a diaspidid scale of the genus Odonaspis Leonardi (Hemiptera, Diaspididae) that is a parasite of bamboo plants.

The new species is also similar to P. elongatiformis, but differs from the forewings by having 10–14 feathers below the proximal third of the marginal vein (vs. 15–17 setae in P. elongatiformis); the linea calva is bounded proximally by a complete (incomplete) line of setae; the distance between the posterior pairs of setae of the middle lobe of the mesoscutum is greater than the distance from the setae to the edge of the next plate (smaller); Gt8 length is 0.8× longer than the distance between the two cercal plates (1.2×).

The new species differs from P. australis with F3 1.0–1.2× across its width (vs. F3 1.5× across its width in P. australis); Gt8 length 0.8× along the distance between the two cercal plates (Gt8 longer, 1.8×); ovipositor 2.1–2.4× along the mesotibia (2.6×).

From P. assamensis, the new species can be distinguished by the forewings with 10–14 dark bristles below the proximal third of the marginal vein (vs. 17–20 in P. assamensis); the linea calva proximally bordered by a single row of setae (bordered by 2 rows of setae into 3 rows in the posterior third); Gt8 0.8× longer than the distance between the two cercal plates (equal in length); ovipositor derived from the apex of Gt2 (ovipositor derived from the posterior half of Gt1).

Proaphelinoides is strongly supported as the sister group to Aphytis in both BI and ML analyses with a posterior probability of 100 and bootstrap support of 92%. Aphytini was found to be polyphyletic in both analyses. Eretmocerinae as the sister group to Aphelininae.

Original research

Jiang Y-y, Zhao H, Chen Y (2024). A new species of Proaphelinoides Girault (Hymenoptera, Aphelinidae) from China, with a phylogenetic analysis. ZooKeys 1217: 263-272, DOI:10.3897/zookeys.1217.132291

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