Prochiloneurus olax, 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 : 465-466

Prochiloneurus olax sp.nov.

(Figs 1170-1176)

DIAGNOSIS. Female (length about 2.3mm): head orange, frontovertex slightly dusky, temple and gena with a dark brown streak; funicle and clava dark brown; thorax largely orange, posterior half of mesoscutum dark brown with a pale blue metallic sheen and clothed with dense silvery setae; mesopleuron orange; fore wing (Fig. 1171) with a group of 7 or 8 paler setae below proximal half of parastigma which converges slightly with delta of darker setae below marginal vein, 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 without a subapical band of very slightly paler setae; propodeum orange, laterally a little dusky with a weak purple and blue sheen and about 20 silvery setae around spiracle; gaster entirely dark brown with a metallic sheen; head (Fig. 1174) in facial view very slightly higher than broad and about 5.3X as wide as frontovertex; antennal scrobes sharply margined, lateral margin carinate; antenna (Fig. 1170) with scape subcylindrical, about 6.5X as long as broad, broadest in middle; anterior, paler part of mesoscutum (Fig. 1173) generally with fine, obliquely elongate, striate-reticulate sculpture, darker part with more regular, rounded, polygonally reticulate sculpture; apical scutellar tuft about 0.4X as long as scutellum; fore wing (Fig. 1171) about 2.7X as long as broad; line of setae on ventral surface of costal cell broadly interrupted above parastigma; exserted part of ovipositor nearly as long as gaster. Male: Unknown.

Female (holotype): length, including ovipositor, 2.29mm; excluding ovipositor, 1.69mm (AD) .

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 faint coppery reflections, area between posterior ocelli with purple and green reflections, frontovertex otherwise with weak purple and pale blue reflections, more strongly purple immediately above scrobes; area between eye and scrobe with a coppery, purple and blue-green sheen; temple with a purple sheen, brown streak with a slightly stronger green and coppery sheen, gena generally with a weak purple sheen; top of scrobes with a weak purple sheen, interantennal prominence with a weak brassy 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, most dense just above mouth margin; maxillary palpus pale orange, terminal segment brown; antenna (Fig. 1170) with radicle orange, apex dark brown; scape largely orange, apical one-quarter white, extreme apex brown, ventral margin narrowly brown for most of its length; pedicel mostly brown, apex and venter partially orange; flagellum dark brown; pronotum orange with weak coppery and brassy reflections, posterior margin translucent; 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 weak, pale blue, metallic 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 slightly dusky orange; mesopleuron orange with a weak brassy and purple sheen; mesosternum orange; fore coxa orange; fore femur margined dark brown towards apex, otherwise fore leg orange; mid coxa orange, inner surface brown; mid femur white to very pale orange, dorsal margin pale brown, tibia orange, white at base, external carina brown, spur and tarsus orange; hind coxa orange; hind femur orange, extreme apex dark brown, tibia dark brown, tarsus white with part of basitarsus and apical segment brown; fore wing (Fig. 1171) mostly infuscate but hyaline towards base and at apex, submarginal vein very pale orange, rest of venation brown; propodeum orange with a weak brassy sheen, a little dusky with a purple and blue sheen around spiracle, about 20 translucent silvery setae around spiracle; gaster dark brown, mainly with a purple and coppery sheen with brassy, blue and green reflections, sides of tergites largely metallic blue and green mixed with some copper; gonostylus pale orange.

Head (Fig. 1174) about 5.3X as wide as frontovertex, in profile about 2.1X as high as deep, anteriorly fairly evenly curved, interantennal prominence weakly protuberant between toruli; occipital margin sharp, weakly carinate; vertex with a short, very indistinct groove 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, area above scrobes mainly with slightly coarser, more irregular, transversely elongate sculpture; narrowest point between eye and scrobe about 0.25X length of scape, with similar, coarse, transversely elongate sculpture that extends on to temple and gena; 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. 1170; scape subcylindrical, broadest about middle, about 6.5X as long as broad; F1-F5 slightly longer than broad, F6 slightly transverse, segments larger and broader distad, linear sensilla present only on F3-F6; clava clearly broadened, slightly longer than F3-F6, sutures oblique, sensory area enlarged, extending ventrally about 0.75X 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 virtually straight medially; mandible with three teeth; apical segment of maxillary palpus not enlarged, about as long as radicle. Relative measurements: HW 87, HH 91.5, FV 16.5, POL 7, OOL 0, OCL 8.5, AOL 10.5, EL 62, EW 43, MS 38, SL 49, SW 7.5.

Thorax (Fig. 1173) with polygonally reticulate sculpture on pronotum and mesoscutum that is a little shallower and finer than that in ocellar area; anterior, paler part of mesoscutum generally with fine, obliquely elongate, striate-reticulate sculpture, darker part with more regular, rounded, polygonally reticulate sculpture; sculpture on axilla and scutellum similar to that in ocellar area, but perhaps very slightly deeper; visible part of mesoscutum about 2.3X as broad as long; scutellum about 1.2X as broad as long, with a distinct subapical tuft, setae about 0.4X as long as scutellum; mid tibia with a conspicuous external carina for about 0.6X its length; hind femur about 4.3X as long as broad; fore wing with venation and setation as in Figs 1171, 1175; costal cell with 1 or 2 seta dorsally at apex; apices of postmarginal and stigmal veins connected by a naked, hyaline streak; propodeum medially about 0.16X as long as scutellum and smooth. Relative measurements: FWL 106.5, FWW 39; HWL 78.5, HWW 22.5.

Gaster with syntergum about 0.5X as long as mid tibia; hypopygium Fig. 1176; ovipositor Fig. 1172, exserted part nearly as long as gaster or mid tibia. Relative measurements: OL 115.5, GL 55 [MT 50].

Variation. Only holotype examined.

Male. Unknown.

DISTRIBUTION. Costa Rica.

HOSTS. Unknown.

MATERIAL EXAMINED.

Type material. Holotype E: COSTA RICA, Puntarenas, PN Corcovado, Los Patos / Sirena, LS 509200 275700, 70m, #65127, 1.viii-20.ix.2001 (J. Azofeifa) . Holotype in NHMUK .