Prochiloneurus armidus, 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 : 467-468

Prochiloneurus armidus sp.nov.

(Figs 1177-1180)

DIAGNOSIS. Female (length about 2.2mm): head orange, frontovertex slightly dusky, temple and gena with a dark brown streak; antenna (Fig. 1178) with funicle very pale yellow, F1-F3 brown ventrally; clava dark brown; thorax largely orange, posterior half of mesoscutum dark brown with a green and blue-green sheen and clothed with dense silvery setae; anterior half of mesopleuron orange, posterior half orange-brown; fore wing (Fig. 1179) with a group of 2 to 4 finer setae below proximal half of parastigma, without a distinct group of pale setae below distal half of parastigma; hyaline apex of fore wing slightly less than 1.5X as wide as length of marginal vein; fore wing with an inconspicuous subapical band of very slightly paler setae; propodeum orange, laterally orange-brown with a distinct blue-green and purple sheen and about 10-12 silvery setae around spiracle; gaster mostly orange, brown towards base dorsally; head in facial view (Fig. 1180) about as high as broad and about 4.6X as wide as frontovertex; antennal scrobes sharply margined, lateral margin carinate; antenna (Fig. 1178) with scape subcylindrical, about 5.4X as long as broad, broadest in middle; lateral and anterior, paler part of mesoscutum (Fig. 1177) mostly with obliquely elongate, strigose-reticulate sculpture, darker part with more regular, rounded, polygonally reticulate sculpture; apical scutellar tuft about 0.4X as long as scutellum; fore wing (Fig 1179) about 2.8X as long as broad; line of setae on ventral surface of costal cell continuous above parastigma; exserted part of ovipositor about as long as gaster. Male: Unknown.

Female (holotype): length, including ovipositor, 2.23mm; excluding ovipositor, 1.61mm ( CPD) .

Head generally orange; occiput with hypostomal area bordered brown; frontovertex and upper part of gena slightly dusky orange-brown; temple and gena with a dark brown streak from occipital margin to scrobal margin near torulus; area between occipital margin and posterior ocelli with weak purple and blue reflections, area between posterior ocelli with stronger blue, purple and green reflections, frontovertex otherwise with weak coppery, green and blue reflections, more strongly purple immediately above scrobes; area between eye and scrobe with a fairly strong blue, purple, coppery and brassy sheen, more coppery and brassy towards gena; temple with a green, pale blue and coppery sheen, more coppery on dark brown area; gena similar to temple, but less strongly shining; scrobes and interantennal prominence with a weak, metallic pale green sheen; frontovertex with inconspicuous, translucent, pale brown setae along inner eye margins, these continued below eye; gena with scattered setae; interantennal prominence with relatively dense scattered setae; maxillary palpus pale orange, terminal segment pale brown; antenna (Fig. 1178) with radicle orange, apex dark brown; scape largely orange, apical one-third white, extreme apex brown, ventral margin brown in proximal one-third, dorsal margin slightly dusky; pedicel mostly brown, but pale orange dorsally; funicle very pale yellow, F1-F3 largely brown ventrally; clava dark brown; pronotum orange with weak coppery and brassy reflections, posterior margin translucent, neck dark brown; propleuron and prosternum pale orange; mesoscutum with anterior half orange with weak brassy and coppery reflections and with relatively sparse, dark brown setae, posterior half brown with a distinct, metallic blue-green and green sheen and clothed with relatively dense silvery setae, posterior margin orange-brown with a weak brassy and purple sheen; tegula orange, apex orange-brown; axilla orange with very weak brassy and coppery reflections, with dark brown setae; scutellum orange with weak coppery and brassy reflections, with dark brown to black setae, tuft black, apical setae off-white and translucent; metanotum orange; anterior half of mesopleuron orange with a weak brassy and purple sheen, posterior half orange-brown with a weak green and purple sheen; mesosternum orange; fore coxa white; fore femur white proximally, otherwise fore leg pale orange; mid coxa orange, inner surface slightly dusky; mid femur white, extreme apex pale orange, tibia pale orange with an external dark brown streak along most of its length, spur and tarsus pale orange; hind coxa white, leg otherwise pale orange; fore wing (Fig. 1179) mostly infuscate but hyaline towards base and at apex, venation mostly pale orange, marginal vein brown; propodeum mostly orange with a weak brassy and purple sheen, area around spiracle orange-brown with a distinct metallic blue-green and purple sheen, about 9 or 10 translucent silvery setae anterolateral to spiracle; gaster mostly orange with weak green and purple reflections, Gt1 dark brown dorsally with a distinct green and purple sheen, Gt2-Gt3 orange-brown; gonostylus pale orange.

Head (Fig. 1180) about 4.6X as wide as frontovertex, in profile about 1.8X as high as deep, anteriorly fairly evenly curved from occipital margin to top of scrobes, then slightly angled towards mouth margin and less strongly curved, interantennal prominence weakly protuberant between toruli; occipital margin sharp, weakly carinate; vertex with a pair of small depressions behind each posterior ocellus; ocelli forming an angle of about 50°; frontovertex quite shiny, with moderately deep, fairly regular, fine, polygonally reticulate sculpture of mesh size slightly smaller than diameter of facet, deepest in ocellar area, sculpture immediately above scrobes slightly coarser, more irregular and transversely elongate; narrowest point between eye and scrobe about 0.17X length of scape, with polygonally reticulate sculpture; area immediately below lowest part of eye virtually completely smooth; temple with irregular, transversely elongate, polygonally reticulate sculpture that extends on to gena as more longitudinally elongate cells; scrobes deep, very broadly ∩-shaped, meeting, dorsally very smooth, sharply margined, lateral margin carinate; interantennal prominence without median ridge, broadly rounded and largely with weak, regular, polygonally reticulate sculpture but almost completely smooth dorsally; antenna as in Fig. 1178; scape subcylindrical, broadest about middle, about 5.4X as long as broad; all funicle segments slightly longer than broad, segments larger and broader distad, linear sensilla present only on F4-6; clava relatively slender, only about 1.5X as wide as F6, about as long as F2-F6 combined, sutures oblique, sensory area enlarged, extending ventrally about 0.7X length of clava, apex strongly obliquely truncate; eye reaching occipital margin, clothed in inconspicuous short setae that are much shorter than diameter of facet; inner eye margins clearly diverging below anterior ocellus; malar sulcus absent; clypeal margin slightly convex medially; mandible with three teeth; apical segment of maxillary palpus not enlarged, about as long as radicle. Relative measurements: HW 71, HH 71, FV 15.5, POL 7, OOL 0.5, OCL 7, AOL 9, EL 48, EW 35, MS 30.5, SL 45.5, SW 8.5.

Thorax (Fig. 1177) with polygonally reticulate sculpture on pronotum, mesoscutum, axilla and scutellum that is generally similar to that in ocellar area, but a little shallower along posterior margin of mesoscutum; lateral and anterior, paler part of mesoscutum mostly with obliquely elongate, strigose-reticulate sculpture, darker part with more regular, rounded, polygonally reticulate sculpture; visible part of mesoscutum about 2X as broad as long; scutellum about 1.1X as broad as long, with a distinct subapical tuft, setae about 0.4X as long as scutellum; mid tibia with a short inconspicuous external carina for about 0.3X its length; hind femur about 4.1X as long as broad; fore wing with venation and setation as in Fig. 1179; costal cell with 1 or 2 setae dorsally at apex; apices of postmarginal and stigmal veins connected by a naked, hyaline streak; propodeum (Fig. 1177) medially about 0.12X as long as scutellum and smooth. Relative measurements: FWL 102, FWW 36; HWL 76, HWW 19.

Gaster with syntergum about 0.6X as long as mid tibia; exserted part of ovipositor about as long as gaster or about 1.1X length of mid tibia. Relative measurements: OL 104.5, GL 56.5 [MT 42].

Variation. Only holotype examined.

Male. Unknown.

DISTRIBUTION. Costa Rica.

HOSTS. Unknown.

MATERIAL EXAMINED.

Type material. Holotype E: COSTA RICA, Guanacaste, Cacao (ACG), 1100 m, 26.i-24.ii.1996 (J.S. Noyes) . Holotype in NHMUK .