Timberlakiella applanatonervus Compere 1936
Creators: name: Kresslein, Robert L.
name: Polaszek, Andrew
name: Burks, Roger A.
name: Mottern, Jason L.
name: Lahey, Zachary
name: Heraty, John M.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Aphelinidae
Timberlakiella
Timberlakiella applanatonervus

description: Timberlakiella applanatonervus Compere
(Figure 7)
Timberlakiella applanatonervus Compere, 1936: 279. Type data: PHILIPPINES: Los Baños, 1921, Woodworth, H. Holotype ♀. Type depository: USNM [examined].
Diagnosis
Dorsal mesosoma, legs, and ventral gaster densely setose with majority of setae uniform in length. Mesoscutellum (mss) strongly enlarged, posterior margin overhanging metanotum (no3) and propodeum, occluding the medial portion of both in dorsal view (Figure 7D). Metanotum with membranous projection (Figure 7E). Fore wing densely setose; submarginal vein (smv) strongly curved and enlarged, lacking elongate robust setae common in other genera of Coccophaginae (Figure 7G). Petiole (pet) short and gently constricted (Figure 7H). Third valvulae (3vl) considerably shorter than second valvulae, enlarged, elliptical and setose (Figure 7H).
Redescription
Female. Colour. Body gold with eyes silver and ocelli dull red-brown.
Antenna 8-segmented with all segments densely setose, antennal formula 1,1,3,3; scape cylindrical, densely setose at apex; pedicel shorter than Fu1, Fu1 longer than Fu2 and Fu3; all flagellar segments with numerous multiporous plate sensilla (Figure 7B). Head densely setose; face with fine reticulate sculpture; vertex with row of robust setae on occipital margin; frontomedial and transfacial lines intersect with scrobal depression (Figure 7C). Mandible with 2 teeth and a truncation; ventral margin with elongate peg. Maxillary palp 2-segmented. Mesosoma densely and uniformly setose with imbricate sculpture; pronotum (no1) undivided; mid lobe of mesoscutum (mlm) with more than 100 setae; side lobes of mesoscutum (slm) with 20+ setae, posterior portion hidden beneath lateral margin of midlobe of mesoscutum; axilla (ax) large and subtriangular with 45+ setae; mesoscutellum (mss) densely setose with 4 pairs of elongate setae at apex, strongly projecting posteriorly, dorsally overlapping medial portion of metanotum and propodeum; mesoscutellar scutellar sensilla (ss) pit-like and widely separated; metanotum (no3) with thin membranous asetose projection, visible laterally and dorsally at apex of mesoscutellum (Figures 7E). Fore wing broad, 2.5× as long as wide, hyaline, with wing disc broad and densely setose; marginal fringe very short; costal cell (cc) strongly curved; submarginal vein (smv) enlarged and strongly curved, 0.8× the length of the marginal vein; stigmal vein short; postmarginal vein absent (Figure 7G). Hindwing with submarginal vein and costal cell strongly curved. Tarsal formula 5-5-5. Mid tibia (tb2) with spur robust, 1.3× as long as mid basitarsus; mid basitarsus with row of stout robust setae (Figure 7H). Petiole short and slightly constricted, with mesophragma (2ph) extending just beyond the anterior margin (Figure 7F). Gaster with 7 segments, basal segment with reticulate sculpture, apical segments punctate; Gt1–2 with lateral setae, Gt3–5 with line of medial setae, Gt6–7 densely setose; gastral sternites densely setose (Figure 7H). Ovipositor originating towards the base of gaster, 1.6× as long as mid tibia, barely extruded past apex of gaster; third valvulae (3vl) enlarged, elliptical, densely setose, 0.1× length of second valvulae (Figure 7H).
Male. Unknown.
Material examined
Holotype: See above. Paratypes: PHILIPPINES: [Laguna]: Los Baños, 1921, Woodworth, H. [11♀, UCRC: UCRCENT498470, UCRCENT498678, UCRCENT498688, UCRCENT498432, UCRCENT436257, UCRCENT498475, UCRCENT498408, UCRCENT436255, UCRCENT498464, UCRCENT498443, UCRCENT498453].
Comments
Timberlakiella is a monotypic genus described from material collected from the Los Baños municipality in the Philippines (Compere 1936). It is a parasitoid of soft scale insects and has been reared from Coccus hesperidum (L., 1758) in Thailand (Tachikawa 1976). Like many species of the Coccophagini, Timberlakiella applanatonervus superficially resembles species of Coccophagus, but is distinguished by the above diagnostic characteristics. It shares the ram’s horn shape of the mesofurca with Euxanthellus but lacks a complete mesofurcal bridge. This suggests that Timberlakiella may represent a transitional taxon between Euxanthellus and the rest of the Coccophagini. It is essential that Timberlakiella be represented in future phylogenomic analyses. Until then we maintain its tribal position in Coccophagini.
description: Published as part of Kresslein, Robert L., Polaszek, Andrew, Burks, Roger A., Mottern, Jason L., Lahey, Zachary & Heraty, John M., 2025, Nomenclatural spring cleaning: tidying Aphelinidae of taxa that do not spark joy, and a new species of Prococcobius Hayat (Aphelinidae: Coccophaginae), pp. 609-653 in Journal of Natural History 59 (9 - 12) on pages 626-629, DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2024.2436124, http://zenodo.org/record/14970885