Polaszekius nemesis, 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 : 533-535

Polaszekius nemesis sp.nov.

(Figs 1339-1345; Hab. E 195)

Female (holotype): length, including ovipositor, 1.60mm; excluding ovipositor, 1.37mm (CPD).

Head generally black with a coppery purple sheen; ocellar area with a metallic dark blue sheen; temple metallic green and brassy near eye; lower part of interantennal prominence and middle of mouth margin with a slight metallic, dark green sheen; frontovertex, gena and interantennal prominence with inconspicuous, brown setae; antenna (Fig. 1339) with radicle dark brown; scape mostly dark brown, only extreme apex yellow; pedicel dark brown; funicle yellow; clava pale brown; maxillary palpus white; thorax generally dark brown to black; pronotum mostly metallic dark blue with some blue-green, posterior margin narrowly coppery purple; mesoscutum mostly metallic dark blue with some purple reflections, posterior margin narrowly coppery purple; tegula dark brown with a coppery purple sheen; axilla dark brown with a coppery purple and brassy sheen; scutellum dorsally relatively dull purple-brown medially, margined metallic blue-green, vertical sides and apex bright metallic dark blue, green and brassy; mesoscutum clothed with slightly translucent, brown setae, scutellum with 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 and tibia dark brown, each with extreme apices very pale orange, tarsus pale orange, apical tarsomere pale brown; mid femur white in proximal 0.5X, apical 0.5X dark brown, tibia dark brown at extreme base, a white subbasal ring, followed by a dark brown ring to about 0.5X, apex yellow, spur and tarsus white to very pale yellow, apical tarsomere pale orange-brown; hind femur dark brown, tibia almost completely dark brown with a very narrow, pale orange subbasal ring, hind tarsus brown; wings mostly hyaline, but fore wing (Fig. 1340, 1345) with a small, weakly infuscate area immediately below marginal and stigmal veins; propodeum dark brown, with a weak purple and brassy sheen, side with a metallic green, dark blue and coppery sheen with about 20 conspicuous, translucent, silvery setae outside spiracle, extending towards posterior margin and part way towards hind coxa; gaster dark brown, with a distinct coppery purple sheen, dorsal anterior part of Gt1 with a distinct, dark blue, green, brassy and coppery sheen, side of gaster with a mixed metallic green, brassy and coppery sheen; gonostylus dark brown.

Head (Fig. 1341) about 1.9X as wide as frontovertex, without a depression adjacent to eye margin behind posterior ocellus; ocelli forming an angle of about 115°; frontovertex with irregular, fairly deep, polygonal sculpture, in ocellar area of mesh size smaller than eye facet, slightly transversely elongate and partly imbricate-reticulate in front of anterior ocellus with relatively large mesh, subequal to that of eye facet or conspicuously larger; frontovertex with piliferous punctures shallow and indistinct, about 2 pairs of setae 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 and gena with relatively shallow, longitudinally elongate, polygonally reticulate sculpture of relatively small mesh, area immediately below eye completely smooth; eye nearly reaching occipital margin, separated by very slightly less than diameter of facet, clothed with fairly conspicuous setae, each slightly shorter than diameter of facet, separated from scrobal margin by about diameter of ocellus, area between eye and scrobe partly with shallow, transversely elongate, polygonally reticulate sculpture; scrobes meeting dorsally, very weakly margined dorsally and laterally; interantennal prominence shallow, dorsally rounded; antenna as in Fig. 1339; scape broadened and flattened, only about 2.3X as long as broad, dorsal margin very slightly convex; F1 and F6 subquadrate, F2-F5 clearly transverse, segments becoming progressively broader distad; clava slightly enlarged, about 1.25X as wide as F6, about as long as F2-F6 combined, outer suture strongly oblique, sensory area enlarged, extending about 0.25X along ventral surface of clava giving it a slight, obliquely truncate appearance; clypeal margin (Fig. 1341) with a short, distinct, truncate, bilobed projection. Relative measurements: HW 69, HH 63, FV 36, POL 17, OOL 6, OCL 4, AOL 9, EL 37, EW 26, MS 25, SL 29, SW 12.5.

Thorax (Fig. 1344) in dorsal view with pronotum clearly visible behind head, its posterior margin concave, with polygonally reticulate sculpture that is generally similar to that on frontovertex; mesoscutum with fairly regular, polygonally reticulate sculpture that is a little deeper and coarser than that on pronotum, slightly longitudinally elongate laterally; axilla with shallow, fine, transversely elongate, polygonally reticulate sculpture; scutellum with similar sculpture to that on posterior part of mesoscutum, but clearly coarser and deeper, slightly longitudinally elongate and more or less arranged in whorls, sides and apical one-third more or less vertical and completely smooth and shiny; visible part of mesoscutum about 1.7X as broad as long; scutellum nearly 1.1X as long as broad, extreme apex slightly flange-like; fore wing with venation and dis- tribution of setae as in Figs 1340, 1345; propodeum (Fig. 1344) medially about 0.16X as long as scutellum, virtually smooth but with some shallow, polygonally reticulate sculpture posteriorly, side posteriorly sharp above hind coxa, but not carinate, with a minute, triangular tooth a little above half way towards spiracle. Relative measurements: FWL 85.5, FWW 37; HWL 59, HWW 15.

Gaster with syntergum about 0.75X as long as mid tibia, with apex rounded (Fig. 1342); ovipositor strongly exserted, the exserted part about 1.25X as long as mid tibial spur or about 0.4X as long as mid tibia.

Paratype. Funicle with linear sensilla only on F4-F6; hypopygium Fig. 1343; ovipositor Fig. 1342. Relative measurements: OL 101.5, GL 59 [MT 85, MTS 28].

Variation. Females vary in overall length from 1.48-1.66mm, the frontovertex or pronotum may be metallic dark blue, dark green or blue-green and may have a slight coppery sheen, the mesoscutum or scutellum may have a distinct violet sheen, the head varies from 1.6-1.7X as high as deep and from 1.9-2.2X as wide as the frontovertex, the reticulate sculpture on the frontovertex may be of mesh size slightly larger than an eye facet, there may be from 4-10 setae in middle of frontovertex in front of anterior ocellus and the fore wing varies from about 2.3-2.4X as long as wide.

Male. Unknown.

DISTRIBUTION. Costa Rica.

HOSTS. Unknown.

MATERIAL EXAMINED.

Type material. Holotype E: COSTA RICA, Heredia, 6km ENE Vara Blanca , 10°11’N 84°07’W, 2000m, 20/M/TN, iv.2002 (INBio-OET-ALAS) . Paratypes: COSTA RICA, 5E, Heredia, 6km ENE Vara Blanca , 10°11’N 84°07’W, 2000m, 20/M/NOTN, iv.2002 (INBio-OET-ALAS); 8E, Heredia , 9km ENE Vara Blanca , 10°14’N 84°06’W, 1450-1550m, 15/M/TN, iii-iv.2005 (INBio-OET-ALAS) . Holotype in MZUCR, paratypes in MZUCR and NHMUK .