Cheiloneurus letos, 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 : 410-413

Cheiloneurus letos sp.nov.

(Figs 1048-1053; Hab. E 154)

DIAGNOSIS. Female (length about 1.3-1.4mm): body mostly orange with posterior part of mesoscutum, propodeum and gaster at least partially dark brown, sometimes completely so, mouth margin brown, temple and gena with a diagonal brown streak, paler areas with a weak metallic sheen, darker areas with a weak to moderate metallic sheen; antenna (Fig. 1053) with scape mostly pale orange, ventral margin brown; pedicel white or pale orange with a dark brown streak; funicle pale orange and mixed brown to almost completely dark brown; clava dark brown; mesoscutum with silvery setae in posterior half; fore and hind coxae white, mid coxa orange-brown; legs otherwise white to pale orange, with some brown areas; fore wing (Fig. 1050) mostly infuscate with basal cell mostly hyaline, a small hyaline area at apex of venation, a larger one opposite and a subtriangular hyaline area at apex; head (Fig. 1051) about 5.7-7X as wide as frontovertex, in facial view very slightly broader than long, subcircular, genae converging, moderately curved inwards, more strongly so near mouth; frontovertex with 1 or 2 setae medially between anterior ocellus and scrobes; eye separated from scrobe by about diameter of anterior ocellus, area between eye and scrobe completely smooth; scrobes deep, sharply margined and carinate below eye; interantennal prominence dorsally rounded, without a median ridge and with about 20-30 inconspicuous setae; mandible tridentate; antenna (Fig. 1053) with scape about 2.3-2.4X as long as broad; funicle with segments hardly longer than broad or transverse; linear sensilla on F5-F6; clava 3-segmented, about as long as funicle, sensory area enlarged, extending about 0.6X along ventral surface of clava, apex obliquely truncate; head width greater than flagellum length but slightly less than pedicel and flagellum combined; mesoscutum (Fig. 1052) anteriorly with fairly coarse, longitudinally elongate, striate to striate-reticulate sculpture, posteriorly with shallower polygonally reticulate sculpture; scutellum with a distinct, apical tuft of setae; wings fully developed, fore wing (Fig. 1050) about 2.6-2.7X as long as broad; parastigma downcurved; costal cell dorsally naked but for 1 or 2 setae at apex, ventrally with a nearly complete line of setae; area below proximal part of parastigma with an irregular line of 4 to 8 setae; apices of postmarginal and stigmal veins connected by a naked hyaline area that continues a little way into disc (Fig. 1049); apical bristle of postmarginal vein about 0.6X as long as marginal vein; mid tibial spur about as long as basitarsus; propodeum with about four to eight silvery setae adjacent to spiracle, side naked; syntergum very nearly as long as mid tibia with apex more or less rounded; ovipositor (Fig. 1048) about 3.8-4.0X gonostylus or about 1.4-1.6X as long as mid tibia; gonostylus about 1.2-1.4X as long as mid tibial spur; exserted part of ovipositor about 0.4X as long as mid tibial spur. Male: unknown.

Female (holotype): length, including ovipositor, 1.34mm; excluding ovipositor, 1.28mm (CPD).

Head largely orange; occiput pale orange to orange-brown; frontovertex orange-brown, ocellar area brown between posterior ocelli and with a purple and green sheen, this continued towards occipital margin; area around anterior ocellus with a slight coppery sheen, frontovertex otherwise mostly with a green to blue-green sheen, slightly purplish above scrobes; area between eye and scrobe bordered metallic blue and purple laterally towards middle, otherwise with a green and brassy lustre, weakly mixed purple; temple and gena with a weak brassy, purple and green sheen; scrobal area with a very weak brassy and purple sheen; a curved brown line between mouth margin and toruli; temple with a brown line from occipital margin connecting outside torulus with brown line along mouth margin, the latter with a metallic green sheen; frontovertex clothed with inconspicuous, pale brown setae, a line of more conspicuous, translucent setae below eye; interantennal prominence with moderately dense, short, translucent setae; antenna (Fig. 1053) with radicle pale orange, apex narrowly dark brown; scape very pale orange, apex white, ventral margin brown nearly to apex, brown area more extensive on inner surface; pedicel mostly white with a dark brown streak along inner surface; funicle brown to dark brown, F1-F4 clothed dorsally with contrasting, pale, translucent setae; clava dark brown; maxillary palpus white; pronotum mostly orange, neck dark brown, area above coxa slightly dusky; propleuron orange, in front of coxa dark brown; prosternum yellow; mesoscutum orange in anterior half, posterior half dark brown with a strong metallic blue-green and green sheen, posterior margin purple-brown with a slight brassy and purple sheen, anterior part clothed in relatively sparse golden brown and dark brown setae, posterior part with relatively dense silvery setae, mixed with a few dark brown setae; tegula orange, apex orange-brown; axilla and scutellum orange, clothed in translucent golden brown and dark brown setae, scutellar tuft black; metanotum orange-brown; mesopleuron mostly orange with a weak brassy sheen, posteriorly brown with a distinct purple and green sheen; mesosternum orange; fore coxa white; fore femur mostly white, apical one-third orange and pale brown, tibia pale orange, dorsal margin pale brown proximally, tarsus pale orange-brown; mid coxa orange-brown, apex white dorsally; mid femur white, slightly dusky towards apex, tibia largely pale orange with knee brown, an incomplete brown subbasal ring and dorsal margin brown along half its length, spur and tarsus very pale orange, almost white; hind coxa white; hind femur white at extreme base, otherwise pale orange but margined brown distally with a small, brown, apical spot, tibia pale orange, with an incomplete, subbasal brown ring, tarsus pale orange; fore wing (Fig. 1050) mostly infuscate, hyaline towards base and at apex; submarginal vein largely pale orange, otherwise venation brown; propodeum brown, medially with a slight brassy lustre, laterally with a slight green and purple sheen, side with a blue-green and brassy sheen, 1 or 2 translucent, pale setae anterior to spiracle and 1 or 2 outside it; gaster dark brown with a coppery, purple and green sheen, Gt1 metallic green and brassy, medially purple, side and venter mainly with coppery, green, blue and brassy reflections; gonostylus very pale orange.

Head (Fig. 1051) about 5.7X as wide as frontovertex, in profile about 1.5X as high as deep, frontovertex quite flat just above scrobes then abruptly curved towards mouth margin, interantennal prominence slightly protuberant; occipital margin sharp, weakly carinate; ocelli forming an angle of about 55°; frontovertex quite shiny, with shallow, fairly regular, polygonally reticulate sculpture, slightly deeper in ocellar area, mesh size generally slightly smaller than diameter of eye facet; area immediately above scrobes with slightly transversely elongate sculpture, interantennal prominence with shallow sculpture, temple virtually completely smooth adjacent to eye, otherwise with shallow, irregular, longitudinally elongate sculpture, gena with slightly deeper, irregular, reticulate sculpture; area between eye and scrobe about as wide as diameter of anterior ocellus and completely smooth; scrobes deep, meeting dorsally, sharply margined, carinate below eye, very broadly ∩-shaped, interantennal prominence dorsally rounded and without a median ridge; antenna as in Fig. 1053; scape strongly broadened and flattened, broadest in middle, about 2.4X as long as broad; F1 very slightly longer than broad, F2 quadrate, F3-F6 transverse, segments wider and larger distally so that F6 is largest and widest; clava strongly broadened, about as long as funicle, sutures oblique, sensory area very enlarged, extending about 0.6X along ventral surface, giving it a distinct, strongly, obliquely truncate appearance; eye reaching occipital margin, clothed with very inconspicuous short setae that are much shorter than diameter of facet; inner eye margins subparallel and diverging below anterior ocellus; malar sulcus absent; clypeal margin medially weakly concave; mandible with 1 acute tooth and a broad, slightly concave truncation, virtually tridentate; apical segment of maxillary palpus not enlarged, hardly longer than radicle. Relative measurements: HW 74, HH 72, FV 13, POL 5.5, OOL 0, OCL 5, AOL 7, EL 55, EW 40, MS 30, SL 34, SW 14.

Thorax (Fig. 1052) with pronotum hardly exposed behind head and about as long as mesoscutum; pronotum with fairly regular, polygonally reticulate sculpture that is about as deep as that between posterior ocelli; mesoscutum in anterior half with fairly coarse, longitudinally elongate, striate to striate-reticulate sculpture of similar depth to that on pronotum, posterior part with slightly shallower polygonally reticulate sculpture; axilla and scutellum with fairly coarse polygonally reticulate sculpture of similar depth to that on pronotum but axilla with slightly larger mesh, and scutellum medially of smaller mesh, but laterally of larger mesh and conspicuously longitudinally elongate; visible part of mesoscutum about 2.3X as broad as long; scutellum hardly broader than long with a distinct subapical tuft, setae mostly about one-third as long as scutellum; hind femur about 4X as long as broad; fore wing with venation and setation as in Figs 1049, 1050; costal cell naked dorsally or with a single seta at apex; apices of postmarginal and stigmal veins connected by a distinct, naked, hyaline streak (Fig. 1049); mid tibia with a weak external subbasal carina for about half its length; propodeum (Fig. 1052) medially about 0.12X as long as scutellum and virtually smooth. Relative measurements: FWL 67, FWW 25.5; HWL 58, HWW 13.5.

Gaster with hypopygium reaching about 0.4X to apex; syntergum about as long as mid tibia, with apex slightly angular, more or less rounded; ovipositor slightly exserted, about 0.4X as long as mid tibial spur or 0.13X as long as mid tibia.

Paratype. Funicle with linear sensilla present only on F5-F6; gaster without “gland-like” structures on Gt1 or Gt5; ovipositor Fig. 1048). Relative measurements: OL 47.5, GL 12 [MT 30.5].

Variation. Females vary in overall length from 1.34-1.41mm, the funicle varies from almost completely pale orange or dark brown, the hind tibia may have the incomplete, subbasal brown ring extended into a longitudinal brown streak running for about two-thirds length of tibia, the head is about 5.7-7X as wide as frontovertex, the interantennal prominence has about 20- 30 inconspicuous setae, scape is about 2.3-2.4X as long as broad; F1 may be quadrate and F2 transverse, the fore wing varies from 2.6-2.7X as long as broad, there may be 7 or 8 translucent setae in the vicinity of the propodeal spiracle, the ovipositor is about 3.8-4.0X as long as the gonostylus or about 1.4-1.6X as long as mid tibia and the gonostylus is about 1.2-1.4X as long as the mid tibial spur;

Male. Unknown.

DISTRIBUTION. Costa Rica.

HOSTS. Unknown, but one paratype was collected from Virola Aubl .. ( Magnoliales : Myristicaceae ).

MATERIAL EXAMINED.

Type material. Holotype E: COSTA RICA, Heredia, Est. Biol. La Selva , 10°26’N 84°01’W, iv.1996 ( OET / INBio) . Paratypes: COSTA RICA, 1E, Guanacaste, Santa Cruz, PN Marino las Baulas , LN258040 332690, 0m, #59488, 16.viii.2000 (V. Cardenas); 1E , Heredia, La Selva BS, 10°26’N 84°01’W, 50-150m, fog Virola, FVK /01, i.1993 (INBio-OET); 1E , Heredia, Est. Biol. La Selva , 10°26’N 84°01’W, ii.2003 (J.S. Noyes) . Holotype in MZUCR, paratypes in NHMUK .

COMMENTS. See comments under diaces (p. 405) and fautrix (p. 425).