Cerchysius laticeps Kerrich

Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea: Encyrtidae

Female: Dorsal side dark metallic bluish green, head mainly dark brown with bronzy-violet lustre on frontovertex, rarely with faint bluish-green and with relatively large punctures; wings hyaline. Head with frontovertex broad, slightly less than one-third of head width. Antenna (Fig. 1) with scape distinctly expanded in apical third, F1 longer than pedicel and F2 individually. Ovipositor (Fig. 3) strongly exserted, with sheaths (Fig. 4) flattened laterally and slightly downcurved towards apex. Exserted part of ovipositor about half the length of gaster. Fore wing (Fig. 2) with discal setae beyond linea calva and a few setae proximad of linea calva pale brown; setae proximad of linea calva to base and narrowly along apex of wing hyaline, not visible in balsam.

   Fig. 1. Antenna (left); Fig. 2. Fore wing (right) in female
 Fig. 3. Gaster in female, lateral view
 Fig. 4. Ovipositor sheath

   Female, dorsal view

India: Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Karnataka, Meghalaya. Malaysia (Hayat, 2006).

The species of Cerchysius are parasitoids of Chamaemyiidae and Drosophilidae (Hayat, 2006). Cerchysius laticeps is mainly associated with predators of aphids and mealybugs such as Leucopis spp. (Chamaemyiidae) and Cacoxenus spp. (Drosophilidae).