Scientific name

Psyllaephagus phylloplectae Sushil & Khan

Taxonomic position

Insecta: Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea: Encyrtidae

Diagnosis

Female: (Fig. 1) Length: 2.50mm. Head and mesosoma (thorax) brilliant metallic green, shining; metasoma (gaster) medially dark brown to black, lateral margins of tergites metallic green; antennae brownish-yellow with scape apically and basally yellowish, median 3/5th dark brown, F1- F6 brownish-yellow, club yellowish-brown, with apical two segments darker; legs whitish, fore coxae white, middle coxae basally dark metallic green, apically and ventrally whitish-yellow, hind coxae dark metallic green, apically narrowly whitish; tegulae yellowish. Antenna with scape flattened and expanded, 2.2x as long as wide, F1-F6 longer than wide, slightly but gradually increasing in width apically; club 3-segmented, compact, 1.85x longer than wide, blunt at apex. Mesoscutum wider than long, more or less uniformly punctate with strong, reticulate sculpture in interspaces; scutellum longer than wide, with slightly larger and sparser punctures and reticulate sculpture. Forewing with marginal vein and postmarginal vein distinctly shorter than stigmal vein. Metasoma elongate triangular, apically pointed.

Male: (Fig. 2) Length: 2.10-2.30mm. Resembles female, but antennae distinctly sexually dimorphic; scape yellow, cylindrical, with outer and inner margins sinuate, with a T-shaped dark brown marking apically extending to distal 2/3rd in dorsal inner half; pedicel yellow, obtriangular, apically slightly brownish. FI-III yellowish, basally dark brown, distinctly transverse; FIV-VI narrowly yellow, with basal and lateral margins brown, longer than broad; club more or less suffused with brown, shorter than F5 and F6 combined.

Images

Psyllaephagus Female Fig. 1. Female - dorsal view
Psyllaephagus Male Fig. 2. Male - dorsal view

Distribution

India (Karnataka).

Biology

ex: Megatrioza hirsuta (Crawford) on leaf galls of Terminalia sp.

Reference

  • Beeson, C.F.C. (1941). The Ecology and Control of the Forest Insects of India and the Neighbouring Countries. Vasant Press, Dehra Dun, 1007pp.
  • Gupta, A., V. Naveenkumar & J. Poorani (2009). New record of Psyllaephagus phylloplectae Sushil & Khan (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea: Encyrtidae) from Karnataka, with notes on its taxonomy and host, Megatrioza hirsuta (Crawford) (Hemiptera: Triozidae). Journal of Threatened Taxa 1(3): 174-176.
  • Hayat, M. (2006). Indian Encyrtidae (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea). Department of Zoology, Aligarh Muslin University, India, 496pp.
  • Mathur, R.N. (1949). On the immature stages of some Psyllidae. Indian Journal of Entomology 8(2): 231-233.
  • Mathur, R.N. (1975). Psyllidae of the Indian Subcontinent. Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi, 429pp.
  • Noyes, J.S. & M. Fallazadeh (2005). Psyllaephagus zdeneki sp. nov. (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) from Iran, a parasitoid of Euphyllura pakistanica (Hemiptera: Psyllidae). Acta Societatis Zoologicae Bohemoslovemocae 69: 203-208.
  • Sushil, S.N. & M.A. Khan (1995). Two new species of Psyllaephagus (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) from northern India. Journal of Insect Science 8: 20-23.

Credits

Factsheet prepared by Dr. Ankita Gupta, Scientist, NBAIR. Web content added by Lavanya, 03-03-2018.