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JHR 46: 85-90 (20 I 5) JOURNAL CRF Apeenreviewed open-access Journal
Beene (4) Hymenoptera

http://jhr.pensoft.net The inzrational Society of ymenoptersts. RESEARCH

A new species of Encarsia (Hymenoptera, Aphelinidae)
developing on ficus whitefly Singhiella simplex
(Hemiptera, Aleyrodidae) in China and Taiwan

Chiun Cheng Ko!, Yuan Tung Shih', Stefan Schmidt’, Andrew Polaszek?

| Department of Entomology, National Taiwan University, Taipei 106, Taiwan 2. SNSB-Zoologische Staats-
sammlung Miinchen, Miinchhausenstr. 21, 81247 Munich, Germany 3 Department of Life Sciences, the Na-
tural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, UK

Corresponding author: Stefan Schmidt (hymenoptera@zsm.mwn.de)

Academic editor: H. Baur | Received 22 April 2015 | Accepted 9 August 2015 | Published 30 November 2015
http://zoobank. ore/C5ABD 120-99B0-4BE2-BFFE-B67CA5BLAF80

Citation: Cheng Ko C, Shih YT, Schmidt S, Polaszek A (2015) A new species of Encarsia (Hymenoptera, Aphelinidae)
developing on ficus whitefly Singhiella simplex (Hemiptera, Aleyrodidae) in China and Taiwan. Journal of Hymenoptera
Research 46: 85—90. doi: 10.3897/JHR.46.5155

Abstract

Encarsia singhiellae Polaszek & Shih, sp. n., is described and illustrated. It is known so far from Taiwanand
China. All specimens were reared from the ficus, or fig, whitefly Singhiella simplex (Singh), an Asian species
recently attaining pest status in California, Colombia, and Florida.

Keywords

Parasitoid, invasive species, potential biocontrol agent

Introduction

The ficus or fig whitefly Singhiella simplex was described from India (Singh 1931),
and appears to have a natural distribution across South and Southeast Asia that in-
cludes China, India, Myanmar and Taiwan (EPPO 2014, Natural History Museum,
London, unpublished data). It was first recorded as an invasive species established in
Florida (2007) and California (2012), has since become widespread in Central and
South America and the Caribbean, and was recorded from Cyprus in 2014. It appears
to be restricted to developing on several Ficus species, and is commonly recorded from

Copyright Chiun Cheng Ko et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC
BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

86 Chiun Cheng Ko et al. / Journal of Hymenoptera Research 46: 85—90 (2015)

F. benjamina L. and F. microcarpa L.f. Some Ficus species appear to be unsuitable for
its development (EPPO 2014).

There are three published records of parasitoids of this species, all apparently from
Florida. Hodges (2007), recording S. simplex for the first time from Florida, cited Encar-
sia tricolor Forster, 1878 a species that occurs nowhere in the New World, nor anywhere
within the natural Old World distribution of S. simplex. We therefore consider this para-
sitoid record to be a misidentification. Encarsia protransvena Viggiani, 1985, and Amitus
bennetti Viggiani & Evans, 1992 were recorded from S. simplex in Florida (Avery et al.
2011) and, although no identification authority was cited, these seem to have been iden-
tified correctly. Given the origin of S. simplex in the Old World tropics, it seems likely
that a native parasitoid, screened for a reasonable degree of host-specificity, might be a
good candidate for classical biological control of S. simplex in the New World. Such a
possible candidate is described below. Terminology follows Huang and Polaszek (1998).

Abbreviations

FAFU — Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, CHINA.
NHM Natural History Museum, London, U.K.
NTU National Taiwan University, Taipei, TAIWAN.

Material and methods

A single series of reared specimens collected in September 2010 by the second author
(YTS) was studied in detail for taxonomically useful morphological characters by the
second and fourth (AP) authors. A single specimen reared one month later from the
same host from mainland China proved to be morphologically identical. DNA was
successfully sequenced from four individuals from the original sample, using the pro-
tocol described in detail by Polaszek et al. (2013). This “non-destructive” extraction
method has proven extremely effective for the smallest parasitoids. Sequence data for
the ribosomal 28S-D2 region were aligned using MUSCLE (Edgar 2004) and analysed
using RAxML (Stamatakis 2014) by the third author.

Results

Encarsia singhiellae Shih & Polaszek, sp. n.
http://zoobank.org/3EQEO6D7-3280-44E4-B2C3-56BED3E54000
Figs 1-15

Description of female. Colour: Head yellow, antenna yellow, slightly darker towards
apex. Mesosoma yellow except following light brown: pronotum, posterior margin of

A new species of Encarsia (Hymenoptera, Aphelinidae)... 87

mesoscutum, anterior margin of scutellum, axillae and sides of propodeum. Metasoma
yellow except [5 dark brown in strong contrast. Base of T1, and T4, infuscate cen-
trally. Fore wing slightly infuscate below marginal vein. Legs yellow.

Morphology: Mandibles each with three small teeth. Stemmaticum with five ro-
bust setae and reticulate surface sculpture. Antennal formula 1,1,4,2. Fl, F2, F3 ap-
proximately equal in length, with any of the three antennomeres the longest in differ-
ent specimens. Pedicel with two robust setae dorsally. F4 0.9 times F1 (0.85 in holo-
type); F5 0.7-0.9x F1 (0.73 in HT); F6 0.8—1.0times F1 (0.9 in HT); funicle length
2.5times clava length (2.3 in HT). F1—F6 with the following numbers of multiporous
plate sensilla: F1:0; F2:2; F3:2; F4:3; F5:3 F6:3. Mid lobe of mesoscutum with 4 or 5
pairs of setae, 1 lateral pair and 3-4 centrally (one central seta unpaired in holotype);
side lobes with three setae. Scutellar sensilla closely placed, separated by less than the
maximum width of one sensillum. Distance between posterior pair of scutellar setae
2 times distance between posterior pair (2.1 times in HT). Fore wing 2.8 times maxi-
mum width of disc (2.84 in HT). Marginal fringe 0.26 times maximum width of disc
(0.25 in HT). Submarginal vein with 3 setae; marginal vein anteriorly with 7—9 setae
(8+9 in HT). Basal cell with 9-15 setae (11+12 in HT). Tarsal formula 5-5-5. Mid
tibial spur 0.56 times corresponding basitarsus. Mid tibia with a prominent spine-like
seta apically. Metasomal tergites with the following numbers of setae: T1: 0, T2: 2, T3:
2, T4: 2, T5: 4, T6: 4, T7: 4. Ovipositor 1.2 times mid tibia; 2nd valvifers 3.8 times
third valvulae (3.7 in HT).

Male. Unknown.

Material examined. Holotype female (NHM) on slide, labelled “TAIWAN:
Taoyuan, Kuanyin (25.034°N, 121.113°E), 07 July 2011, ex Singhiella simplex on
Ficus microcarpa Y.1. Shih col. Holotype Encarsia singhiellae Shih & Polaszek”; para-
types: 9 females, same data as holotype (NHM, NTU). CHINA: Fujian, Xiamen
(24.481°N, 118.089°E), 6.x.2010 ex Singhiella simplex on Ficus microcarpa, J Huang,
A Polaszek, Z-H Wang col. (1 female, FAFU).

Species group placement. The close proximity of the scutellar sensilla, coupled
with three setae on the submarginal vein might suggest placement of the new species
in the £. strenua group, but the shape of the stigma vein indicates that this placement
would be incorrect. E. strenua group species have a distinct constriction between the
marginal and stigmal veins. DNA analysis of the 28S D2 region places E. singhiellae
sp. n. far away from the monophyletic £. strenua group, in an assemblage that includes
E. tricolor Foerster, E. tachii (Polaszek & Hayat), and E. mineoi Viggiani (S. Schmidt,
unpublished data). Encarsia singhiellae is therefore currently unplaced with respect to
any known species group of Encarsia. The sequence has been deposited in GenBank
under accession number KT279403.

In the key to Chinese Encarsia species (Huang and Polaszek 1998), E. singhiellae
sp. n. keys to E. noyesana Huang & Polaszek, 1998. It can be easily distinguished from
that species by the three setae on the submarginal vein (two in E. noyesana); 2-segment-
ed clava (3-segmented in E. noyesana); and the distinct colour pattern of the metasoma.

Host. Singhiella simplex (Singh) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae).

88 Chiun Cheng Ko et al. / Journal of Hymenoptera Research 46: 85—90 (2015)

Caer

tps SIT IO

Figures 1-9. £. singhiellae sp. n.: | Head, frontal view 2 Head, back view 3 Fore leg 4 Mid leg 5 Hind

leg 6 Dorsal mesosoma 7 Dorsal metasoma 8 Antenna 9 Fore wing.

Remarks. Encarsia singhiellae sp. n. is not closely related to any known Encarsia
species, either in the Oriental Region or elsewhere. It has several unusual characters as
follows: antenna with two robust setae on the pedicel, and F1 having distinct sculp-
ture; anterior apex of mid tibia with one distinct long spine-like seta. The following

A new species of Encarsia (Hymenoptera, Aphelinidae)... 89

Figures 10-15. £. singhiellae sp. n.: 10 Apex of antenna I Detail of compound eye 12 Articulation

of tibia and femur, fore leg 13 Ventral habitus 14 Mouth 15 Articulation of tibia and femur, mid leg.

character states place the new species in the genus Encarsia: fore and hind tarsi five-
segmented, eight antennomeres (excluding radicle), scutellum with two pairs of setae,
marginal vein longer than submarginal vein, stigmal vein very short and postmarginal
vein absent.

It is the first recorded parasitoid of Singhiella simplex in Asia, and appears to show a
high degree of host specificity, as there are no host records from other whitefly species.
The species is currently only known from the type locality.

90 Chiun Cheng Ko et al. / Journal of Hymenoptera Research 46: 85—90 (2015)

Acknowledgements

This study was funded by the Taiwan Ministry of Science and Technology (Project No.
102-2628-B-002-019-MY3 to CCK and YTS). Field work in China by AP was facili-
tated by a grant from the Chinese Academy of Sciences to Prof Huang Jian, Fujian Ag-
ricultural and Forestry University. We are grateful to the following for useful comments

on earlier versions of the MS: John Heraty, John Huber, John Noyes, Jim Woolley.

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