Aphelinoidea (Aphelinoidea) deserticola Nowicki, 1936

Triapitsyn, Ś. Serguei V., 2018, Review of the Palearctic Aphelinoidea (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae), with focus on the species described by Ś. Nowicki, Israel Journal of Entomology 48 (2), pp. 33-81 : 47-49

Aphelinoidea (Aphelinoidea) deserticola Nowicki, 1936

( Figs 20–26)

Aphelinoidea (Aphelinoidea) deserticola Nowicki, 1936: 141–144 . Type locality: Biskra, Biskra Pro-

vince, Algeria (“ one female taken” “at Biscra ( Northern Sahara ) by sweeping grass in the

palm orchard on June 24th, 1931 ”).

Aphelinoidea deserticola Nowicki : Doutt & Viggiani 1968: 529 (list); Lin 1994: 84 (compared with A.

retiruga); Fursov 2007: 968–969 (illustrations, key, distribution); Viggiani 2011: 104 (list);

Khan & Anis 2016: 90 (compared with A. yousufi ).

Aphelinoidea (Aphelinoidea) deserticola Nowicki : Trjapitzin 1995: 302 (listed in anatolica species

group of Aphelinoidea s.str.), 305 (key, distribution), 307 (compared with A. subexserta

Nowicki).

Diagnosis: Aphelinoidea deserticola belongs to the plutella species group of A. ( Aphelinoidea ) ­as­defined­by­Walker­ et al. (2005) (= the renamed anatolica species group of Trjapitzin 1995) because it has a hyaline, sparsely setose path on the fore­wing­disc­beyond­the­venation­(Fig.­25).­The­species­is­difficult­to­recognizefrom other similar members of the same species group ( Table 1) except for its characteristic fore wing with the disc strongly darkened behind venation, and darkening also projecting a little beyond the apex of venation ( Fig. 25).

Redescription: Female (holotype). See good original description of body color. In slide-mounted specimen, mesosoma mostly light brown except propodeum a little darker.

Antenna ( Fig. 23) with scape minus radicle 3.9× as long as wide; pedicel 1.85× as­long­as­wide;­first­anellus­larger­than­second,­the­latter­partially­imbedded­into­first­claval­segment;­clava­3.1×­as­long­as­wide­and­2.3×­length­of­pedicel;­apicalsegment of clava 2.3× length of basal segment, the latter incompletely, obliquely divided in middle on its inner side; basal segment of clava with 1 mps, apical segment with several mps.

Mesoscutum and scutellum ( Fig. 24) with faint cell-like sculpture. Fore wing ( Fig. 25) probably about 2.2× as long as wide (both are incomplete so it is impossible to measure their length precisely); disc faintly, inconspicuously infumate

and with very strong darker cloud (infuscation) behind venation (also projecting slightly beyond apex of venation), with distinct hyaline, sparsely setose (most setae very short and light-colored) path across wing just beyond venation, more or less uniformly setose in apical part of wing beyond hyaline area except for a few distinct setal lines; longest marginal seta 0.14× greatest width of wing. Hind wing ( Fig. 26) about 11.7× as long as wide, disc slightly infumate (more so behind the venation) and with 3 rows of setae; longest marginal seta 1.8× greatest width of wing.

Ovipositor 1.6× length of metatibia, occupying about 0.75× length of gaster ( Fig. 24), and not exserted beyond its apex.

Measurements of the remounted holotype (µm). Ovipositor, 239.Antenna: scape minus radicle, 85; pedicel, 56; clava (given as lengths of basal/apical segments), 40/91. Fore wing width, 218; longest marginal seta, 30. Hind wing, 351:30; longest marginal seta, 55. Metatibia, 148.

Variation (non-type specimen from Israel). Clava 2.4× length of pedicel, apical segment of clava 2.2× length of basal segment; fore wing about 2.0× as long as wide.

Male. Unknown.

Type material examined: ­ Holotype­ ♀ ­[ DEZA],­remounted­at­UCRC­in­December­2011­from­a­completely dried (cracked and leaving almost no medium around the body, Fig. 21), slightly darkened water-soluble mountant in the original Nowicki-style micro-slide on a pin ( Fig. 20) ( Viggiani 2011) onto a normal slide in Canada balsam ( Fig. 22) and labeled as follows: (1) [original label glued onto the underside of the original micro-slide with a fragmented specimen, faintly in pencil] “ Aphelinoidea deserticola ­Type­ ♀ ­4.VI.31.”,­(2)­[?original­identification­label]­ “ deserticola Nov.”, (3) [added after remounting] “Remounted from dry liquid Faure at UCR/ERM by V.V. Berezovskiy 2011 in Canada balsam”, (4) [added after remounting] “ Aphelinoidea deserticola Nowicki ,­1936­HOLOTYPE­ ♀ ­Det.­ by S. V. Triapitsyn 2011”. Most likely, “2” in the date of collection was cut off from the original label making it “4.VI.31”. The holotype is in very poor condition, now under three coverslips, with one fore wing missing (the following parts are detached from the body: head with one antenna attached, the other antenna, one fore wing, and both hind wings) .

Other material examined: Israel: ­ 1♀,­ Southern­ District ,­ Negev­ Desert,­Eilat­ Mountains­ Nature­ Reserve,­ 29°34'45"N­ 34°53'38"E,­440­m,­ 15–22.iv.1996,­M.E.­Irwin­[ UCRC] .

Distribution: Algeria, Ukraine (Nowicki 1936; Trjapitzin 1995; Fursov 2007), and­Israel­(new­record).­However,­its­records­from­Ukraine­need­to­be­verified­asit is unlikely that this desert-dwelling species would occur as far north in a temperate environment.

Hosts: Unknown.

Comments: The two female specimens of A. melanosoma Nowicki from Krasnodar, Karasnodar Territory, Russia, key to A. deserticola in Fursov (2007). His illus­trations­of­the­female­of­the­latter­taxon­(Fursov­2007:­968,­fig.­543)­seem­tobe­ based­ on­ a­ misidentified­ specimen,­quite­ possibly­ of­ A. melanosoma , as the drawing­of­the­adult­female­(Fursov­2007:­968,­fig.­543–1)­clearly­shows­a­veryshort­ovi­positor,­which­is­definitely­notably­shorter­(relative­to­the­length­of­metatibia) than that in the holotype of A. deserticola .