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Cirrospilus ambiguus Hansson & La Salle, 1996

 
   
  C. ambiguus, female
     
   
 
 
     
     

Distribution

     

Biology

     

Comments

     
       
           

Classification

 

Subfamily

Tribe

Eulophinae

Cirrospilini

           
 
 
 

Diagnosis

 


   
 
Fore wing with submarginal vein (SMV) with 4-8 setae dorsally. Postmarginal vein (PMV) 0.7 times as long as stigmal vein.
Scape not swollen and not exceeding apex of vertex. Flagellum with 2 anelli, 2 funicular segments in both sexes and club 3-segmented.
Malar space 0.8 times the height of the eye. Malar sulcus present and straight. Anterior margin of clypeus almost straight. Frons and vertex with strong small-meshed reticulation, hence dull. Fronto-facial suture (ffs) adjacent to anterior ocellus; one transverse slight short groove (gr) between eye margin and scrobal cavity placed about halfway between ocellus and torulus.
Mesosoma strongly reticulated. Notauli complete and curving to axilla (ax) at a distance well separated from posterior margin of mesoscutum; midlobe of mesoscutum with 2 pair of setae. Scutellum with 1 pair of longitudinal grooves and with 2 pair of setae close to grooves. Propodeum without median carina; propodeal callus with 2-4 setae. Petiole not distinct.
Body colour: dorsum of mesosoma predominantly metallic, with posterior half of axilla yellow and non-metallic; head and metasoma with extensive yellow markings (Hansson & La Salle, 1996).

 
         
     
 
 

Distribution


 
Cirrospilus ambiguus is recorded in India, Malaysia, South Africa, Taiwan, Tanzania and Vietnam.
         
 
 

Biology

     

The species was collected from the agromyzid leafminers Liriomyza sativae Blanchard, L. trifolii (Burgess) and Calycomyza lantanae (Frick) (Hansson & La Salle, 1996; Noyes, 2001).

       
                                       
 
 

Comments

 
Cirrospilus belongs to the tribe Cirrospilini, having funicle 2-segmented in both sexes, propleura separated posteriorly, submarginal vein with 3 or more setae dorsally and 2 pairs of scutellar setae.
We have considered C. ambiguus separately, as this species has morphological features unique within Cirrospilus. Indeed, C. ambiguus may be quite easily distinguished from all the other Cirrospilus by the notauli, which curve to meet the anterior margin of axilla, rather than extending to the hind margin of mesoscutum. This character has usually been used as one of the main features to distinguish Cirrospilus from Zagrammosoma and Diglyphus. In the description of C. ambiguus (Hansson & La Salle, 1996), the authors preferred to place this species in Cirrospilus because it doesn’t have other characters usually associated with Zagrammosoma or Diglyphus: it is mainly metallic in coloration and without a vaulted vertex, while Zagrammosoma has vaulted vertex and is always non-metallic; some yellow markings are present, while Diglyphus are always completely metallic.
C. ambiguus may be distinguished from the other Cirrospilini included in the key as follows: Danuviella, Meruana and Semielacher have a distinct petiole; moreover, Meruana has propodeal plicae which converging posteriorly; Semielacher has notauli reaching mesoscutum posteriorly; Diaulinopsis has postmarginal vein long at least 1.50 the stigmal vein length and notauli reaching posterior margin of mesoscutum.
                       
                                                             
                         
 
                                                             
     
 
 

 

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