Protyndarichoides, Noyes, 1980

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 : 535-536

Genus PROTYNDARICHOIDES Noyes

Protyndarichoides Noyes 1980 :136,224. Type species: Protyndarichoides nigriceps Noyes , by original designation and monotypy.

DIAGNOSIS. Female. Overall length about 0.8-1.3mm.

Body orange to dark brown with a weak to moderate metallic sheen; wings hyaline, fore wing sometimes weakly infuscate below marginal vein. or uniformly weakly infused pale brown.

Head about 1.9-3.1X as wide as frontovertex, in profile anteriorly quite evenly curved from occipital margin to mouth margin; occipital margin sharp; eye with pale setae that are at least nearly as long as diameter of facet; scrobes very shallow, narrowly ∩-shaped; antenna inserted at about level of lower eye margin or slightly below; scape about 4.4-5.9X as long as wide; funicle 6-segmented, segments at least slightly longer than broad but becoming broader distad; clava 2- or 3-segmented with apex pointed or slightly obliquely truncate; malar sulcus present; clypeal margin medially concave; mandible with three equal, acute teeth; palp formula 4-3.

Thorax with notaular lines present at extreme anterolateral parts of mesoscutum, visible only in paler species; scutellum slightly convex, about as long as broad; mid tibial spur at least slightly shorter than basitarsus; fore wing about 2.4-2.8X as long as broad; parastigma slightly swollen; costal cell dorsally with a single line of setae in at least apical half; marginal vein about 3X as long as broad, at least 1.5X as long as stigmal vein and about 3X as long as postmarginal vein, although postmarginal vein sometimes as long as stigmal vein; stigmal vein subsessile with 3 apical campaniform sensilla; linea calva entire; filum spinosum present; propodeum about 0.2- 0.3X as long as scutellum.

Gaster with hypopygium nearly reaching apex, varying from about 2X as broad as long to nearly 1.5X as long as broad; posterior margin medially broadly invaginate; apex of syntergum truncate or broadly rounded; ovipositor not exserted or hardly exserted, at most about 0.5X as long as mid tibia; second valvifer curved upwards towards apex, semicircular sheet reduced, only slightly broadened proximally, its outer margin hardly curved; gonostylus short, less than 0.25X length of ovipositor; outer plate broadly triangular, about 1.5X as long as broad.

Male. Overall length about 1.0- 1.3mm.

Similar to female apart from antennal structure and genitalia. Head about 2-2.3X frontovertex width, scape about 4X as long as wide; all funicle segments clearly longer than broad and clothed with long setae, the longest of which is about 6X as long as diameter of segments, ventral setae shorter; genitalia with phallobase about 2-3.5X as long as broad paramere developed with a subapical seta, cuspis seta absent or present, digitus about 2.5-5X as long as broad with 1 or 2 apical teeth, aedeagus about 4.0-7.0X as long as broad and about one-third to half length of mid tibia with apex acute.

DISTRIBUTION. Cosmopolitan.

HOSTS. Unknown.

COMMENTS. Protyndarichoides is a distinctive genus. It can be recognised by the unique combination of the sharply tridentate mandible; subsessile stigmal vein and the relatively short ovipositor with upwardly curved second valvifers, short gonostyli and broad, triangular outer plates.

IDENTIFICATION. 12 World species, including 6 species described below as new. Singh & Agarwal, 1993 (key to four species); Zhang & Huang, 2006 (key to five species); single species description Hayat & Veenakumari, 2017 ( India).