Dalek nationi, Noyes, 2023

Noyes, John Stuart, 2023, ENCYRTIDAE OF COSTA RICA (HYMENOPTERA: CHALCIDOIDEA), 4 Subfamily Encyrtinae: tribes Arrhenophagini, Habrolepidini, Cerapterocerini, Cheiloneurini, Trechnitini, Cercobelini, Polaszekiini, Protyndarichoidini, Gahaniellini and Syrphophagini (part), mainly primary parasitoids and hyperparasitoids of Coccoidea and Psylloidea (Hemiptera), Taxonomic Monographs on Neotropical Hymenoptera (Oxford, England) 2 (11), pp. 1-921 : 664-666

Dalek nationi sp.nov.

(Figs 1828-1835; Hab. E 272, G 273)

DIAGNOSIS. Female (length about 1.3-1.7mm): scape (Fig. 1833) dark brown, apical half pale orange; mesoscutum bright metallic blue-green; all coxae dark brown; clypeal margin with a short, broad, median lobe; OOL equal to OCL; antenna (Fig. 1833) with scape about 4.6X as long as broad; funicle segments with F1-F5 slightly longer than broad, F6 quadrate; linear sensilla on all segments; mesoscutum with sculpture shallower than on scutellum (Fig. 1828); scutellum with side and apex smooth and shiny; mid tibial spur slightly shorter than basitarsus; fore wing (Fig. 1831) about 2.6X as long as broad; propodeum with about 20 setae around spiracle; apex of syntergum rounded; ovipositor longer than mid tibia, exserted part about as long as mid tibial spur; gonostylus longer than mid tibial spur. Male (length about 1.2-1.4mm): generally very similar to female but for slightly wider frontovertex, higher placement of antenna and structure of antenna (Fig. 1834) and genitalia (Fig. 1830).

Female (holotype): length, including ovipositor, 1.63mm; excluding ovipositor, 1.50mm (AD) .

Head generally black, occiput and frontovertex with a moderate, metallic, dark green sheen mixed slightly coppery, coppery purple along occipital margin; scrobal area coppery purple; temple shining metallic coppery and brassy; anterior part of gena coppery and brassy mixed with some violet reflections; frontovertex, gena and interantennal prominence with moderately conspicuous, pale brown setae; antenna (Fig. 1833) with radicle dark brown; scape dark brown in proximal half or so, apical half pale orange; pedicel brown, pale orange ventrally and at extreme apex; flagellum brown, funicle mixed pale orange-brown ventrally; maxillary palpus pale yellow; thorax generally dark brown to black; pronotum with a moderate coppery purple sheen mixed brassy; mesoscutum relatively bright metallic blue-green, mixed dark green, narrowly coppery purple along posterior margin; tegula dark brown with a weak coppery purple sheen; axilla dark purple-brown with a weak coppery purple sheen; scutellum proximally relatively dull coppery purple, distinctly coppery medially in apical 0.5X, apical 0.4X and side strongly shining green and blue-green, side proximally dark blue, extreme apex mixed copper and metallic dark green; mesoscutum and scutellum clothed with inconspicuous, dark brown setae; metanotum dark purple-brown; mesopleuron very dark brown, with a brassy sheen mixed with some coppery purple; mesosternum dark brown; all coxae dark brown; fore femur dark brown with extreme base and much of apex pale orange, tibia mostly pale orange but broadly mixed orange-brown medially, tarsus pale orange, apical tarsomere brown; mid femur with proximal 0.4X pale yellow, extreme apex pale orange otherwise dark brown, tibia pale orange-brown at base with a subbasal brown band to about 0.3X, remainder pale orange, lightly marked brown externally, spur pale orange, tarsus pale orange, apical tarsomere brown; hind femur dark brown, extreme apices pale orange, tibia dark brown with extreme base pale orange, distal apex orange-brown, tarsus dark brown; wings (Fig 1831) hyaline; propodeum dark brown, with a weak purple and brassy sheen, side mainly with a metallic blue-green, green and coppery sheen with about 20 conspicuous, translucent, silvery setae outside spiracle, extending part way down side of propodeum and towards posterior margin; gaster dark brown, with a distinct coppery purple sheen, dorsal part of Gt1 with a distinct blue-green sheen, side of gaster with a mixed metallic green, brassy and coppery sheen; gonostylus dark brown.

Head about 2.6X as wide as frontovertex, in profile about 1.7X as high as deep; occipital margin sharp, strongly carinate; ocelli forming an angle of about 95°; frontovertex with irregular, moderately deep, polygonal sculpture, in ocellar area of mesh size smaller than eye facet, generally subequal or conspicuously larger in front of anterior ocellus; frontovertex with piliferous punctures shallow and indistinct, about 3 or 4 in front of anterior ocellus, a line of sparse setae along inner eye margin continued along lower eye margin on to gena; interantennal prominence with a few inconspicuous setae; temple completely smooth adjacent to eye, otherwise with relatively shallow, longitudinally elongate, polygonally reticulate sculpture of relatively large mesh; gena mostly quite smooth but posteriorly with similar sculpture to temple but of smaller mesh; eye reaching occipital margin, clothed with moderately conspicuous setae, each about as long as diameter of facet, separated from scrobal margin by very slightly less than diameter of ocellus, area between eye and scrobe partly with transversely elongate, polygonally reticulate sculpture, completely smooth towards gena; scrobes shallow, more or less ∩-shaped, meeting dorsally, very weakly margined dorsally and laterally; interantennal prominence shallow, dorsally acute, nearly meeting frontovertex; antenna as in Fig. 1833; scape slightly broadened and flattened, about 4.6X as long as broad, dorsal margin straight; funicle with F1-F5 slightly longer than broad, becoming broader and larger distad, F6 quadrate, linear sensilla on all funicle segments; clava hardly enlarged, about as long as F4-F6 combined, outer suture very slightly oblique, sensory area slightly enlarged, but hardly extending along ventral surface giving apex a weakly truncate appearance; malar sulcus absent; clypeal margin with a short, broad, truncate median lobe. Relative measurements: HW 82, HH 73, FV 31.5, POL 14.5, OOL 3.5, OCL 3.5, AOL 8, EL 50, EW 37, MS 28, SL 37, SW 8.

Thorax (Fig. 1828) in dorsal view with pronotum clearly visible behind head, its posterior margin concave, with polygonally reticulate sculpture that is generally similar to that on anterior part of frontovertex; mesoscutum with slightly irregular, polygonally reticulate sculpture that is similar to that on pronotum but of smaller mesh and posteriorly a little deeper and coarser; axilla with transversely elongate, polygonally reticulate to imbricate-reticulate sculpture that is very slightly shallower than that on posterior part of mesoscutum; scutellum dorsally convex, in proximal 0.6X or so with similar sculpture to that on posterior part of mesoscutum, but clearly much coarser and deeper, apical 0.4X completely smooth and shiny, this smooth area hardly extending anteriorly in middle; visible part of mesoscutum about 1.5X as broad as long; scutellum about 1.1X as long as broad, apex not flange-like; fore wing with venation and distribution of setae as in Figs 1831, 1835; costal cell with a single line of setae dorsally in apical 0.5X or so; mid tibial spur slightly shorter than basitarsus; propodeum (Fig. 1828) medially about 0.18X as long as scutellum, with 3 longitudinal carinae medially and some shallow, irregular sculpture; area around spiracle with about 20 setae, these extending part way down side towards hind coxa, clearly carinate posteriorly above hind coxa, this ending in a short, broad, truncate tooth a little way behind spiracle. Relative measurements: FWL 90, FWW 35; HWL 60.5, HWW 14.5.

Gaster with hypopygium reaching about 0.8X to apex; syntergum about 0.7X as long as mid tibia, with apex rounded; ovipositor clearly exserted, the exserted part very nearly as long as mid tibial spur or 0.2X as long as mid tibia.

Paratype. Clava about 1.1X as broad as F6; mandible with two acute teeth and a truncate upper tooth; hypopygium Fig. 1832; ovipositor Fig. 1829. Relative measurements: OL 58.5, GL 17 [MT 38, MTS 10].

Variation. Females vary in overall length from 1.29-1.68mm, F1 may have no linear sensilla, the propodeum may have 5 or 6 longitudinal carinae medially, otherwise little variation noted.

Male: length 1.16-1.39mm.

Generally, very similar to female but for slightly wider frontovertex, higher placement of antenna and structure of antenna and genitalia. Frontovertex about 0.5X head width; antenna as in Fig. 1834; antennal torulus about 2X its own length from mouth margin, its lower margin about level with lower eye margin; phallobase (Fig. 1830) with relatively short digiti, each about 1.4X as long as broad with a single apical tooth and a short outer seta; apex of aedeagus acute. Relative measurements: HW 77.5, FV 38.5, MT 71, AL 35.5.

DISTRIBUTION. Costa Rica.

HOSTS. Unknown.

MATERIAL EXAMINED.

Type material. Holotype E: COSTA RICA, Guanacaste, Est. Cacao (ACG), 1100 m, ii.2000 (J.S. Noyes). Paratypes: COSTA RICA, 3E, Guanacaste, SW side Volcan Cacao, Estac. Cacao, 1100 m, 1988- 1989; 1E, Guanacaste, Volcán Cacao, Cerro Pedregal, 1000 m, ii-iv.1989; 4E, 22G, same data as holotype; 1E, Guanacaste, San Lorenzo, Tienas Morenas, LN 287800 427500, iv.1995 (G. Rodriguez); 1E, San José, Zurqui de Moravia, 1600m, iv.1995 (P. Hanson); 2E, Puntarenas, San Vito, Las Cruces, Wilson Bot. Gdns, 8°46’N 82°57’W, 7-19.ii.2007 (C. Hansson). Holotype in MZUCR, paratypes in MZUCR and NHMUK.

COMMENTS. See comments under pomona (p. 662) and gubrana (p. 660).

This species is named in honour of Terry Nation, creator of the Daleks, an alien species that has terrified children for the past 60 years.