Cheiloneurus nasica, 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 : 439-441

Cheiloneurus nasica sp.nov.

(Figs 1114-1120; Hab. E 161)

DIAGNOSIS. Female (length about 0.9-1.6mm): body mostly orange with some dark brown to black areas with a weak to moderate metallic sheen on head, mesoscutum, and gaster; mouth margin brown, temple and gena with a diagonal, brown streak; antenna (Fig. 1120) with scape mostly pale orange with ventral margin brown; pedicel pale orange with a dark brown longitudinal streak; funicle generally orange-brown, sometimes proximally brown, distally pale orange; clava dark brown; posterior half of mesoscutum with dense silvery setae; coxae pale orange, sometimes fore and hind coxae white; legs mostly pale orange with some brown areas; fore wing (Figs 1115, 1118) mostly infuscate with basal cell almost completely hyaline, a small hyaline area at apex of venation and an opposite hyaline area on posterior wing margin, apex with a moderately large, subtriangular hyaline area; head (Fig. 1117) about 4.5-7X as wide as frontovertex, in facial view very slightly broader than long, subcircular with genae strongly converging, moderately curved, but more strongly so near mouth margin; frontovertex naked medially or with up to four setae medially above scrobes; eye separated from scrobe by about 1.3-1.5X diameter of anterior ocellus, area between eye and scrobe completely smooth, scrobal margin sharp, carinate; interantennal prominence with about 10-25 inconspicuous setae and with a distinct median keel dorsally; mandible with one tooth teeth and a broad slightly concave truncation; antenna (Fig. 1120) with scape about 2.3X as long as broad; funicle segments quadrate or slightly transverse; head width about equal to flagellum length; linear sensilla on F4-F6, sometimes absent from F4; clava 3-segmented, slightly longer than F2-F6 combined; sensory area large and forming an oblique truncation, extending about 0.4X along ventral margin; mesoscutum (Fig. 1114) anteriorly with fine striate sculpture, posteriorly with fairly uniform polygonally reticulate sculpture; scutellum with a distinct apical tuft of setae; wings fully developed; fore wing (Figs 1115, 1118) about 2.3- 2.5X as long as broad; parastigma clearly downcurved; costal cell dorsally more or less naked at apex, sometimes with 1 or 2 setae, and ventrally with a single line of setae that is broadly interrupted above parastigma; area below proximal part of parastigma with a line of pale setae; apices of postmarginal and stigmal veins connected by a naked hyaline area that extends someway into disc (Fig. 1116); apical bristle of postmarginal vein about 0.7X as long as marginal vein; mid tibial spur about as long as basitarsus; propodeum with up to 4 setae adjacent to spiracle, side naked; syntergum about as long as mid tibia; ovipositor (Fig. 1119) about 3.7-4.0X gonostylus or 1.4-1.6X as long as mid tibia; gonostylus about 1.0-1.3X as long as mid tibial spur; exserted part of ovipositor about 0.5X as long as mid tibial spur. Male: unknown.

Female (holotype): length, including ovipositor, 1.49mm; excluding ovipositor, 1.40mm ( CPD) .

Head mostly orange; occiput pale orange; ocellar area to top of scrobes with a weak metallic blue and purple sheen, relatively strong between posterior ocelli, area immediately above scrobes more strongly purple; area between eye and scrobe with a very weak purple sheen; a narrow, brown streak on temple from about mid way along occipital margin to half-way down gena, this with a weak purple sheen; anterior part of gena weakly metallic purple and blue; scrobes delimited dorsally by a narrow dark brown line that extends laterally to level with outer margin of torulus; mouth margin dark brown between mandibular bases, this line not connected to the genal stripe and curving away from mouth margin between toruli so that clypeal margin is orange medially; frontovertex clothed with inconspicuous, pale brown setae; antenna (Fig. 1120) with radicle pale orange, apex brown; scape mostly pale orange, dorsal margin slightly dusky, ventral margin narrowly bordered dark brown nearly to apex; pedicel mostly pale orange with a dark brown streak internally along its length; F1-F3 brown, darker dorsally, F4 slightly dusky pale orange, a little darker dorsally, F5-F6 pale orange, clava dark brown, almost black; pronotum mostly pale orange, neck brown; mesoscutum orange in anterior half, posterior half dark brown with a distinct metallic blue and green sheen, paler area clothed in relatively sparse brown setae, darker area clothed in relatively dense, translucent silvery setae, posterior margin purple-brown; tegula orange with apex translucent dark brown; axilla and scutellum orange, axilla clothed with brown setae, scutellum clothed with translucent pale brown setae, subapical tuft black; metanotum orange; mesopleuron pale orange-brown, a little darker posteriorly, anteriorly with a weak brassy and purple sheen, posteriorly with a weak copper and purple sheen; fore coxa very pale orange, almost white; fore femur concolourous with coxa basally, apex slightly darker orange, marked brown on dorsal margin, tibia pale orange with a diffuse brown, subbasal ring in proximal half, tarsus orange; mid coxa pale orange; mid leg otherwise coloured similarly to fore leg; hind leg, including coxa, coloured similarly to fore leg, but apical half of tibia and tarsus conspicuously paler orange; fore wing (Fig. 1115) mostly infuscate, hyaline towards base and at apex; submarginal vein yellow, rest of venation brown; propodeum medially orange, laterally and on side brown with a moderate metallic blue and purple sheen, some translucent setae outside spiracle; gaster largely dark brown with brassy, coppery, purple and green reflections, basal tergite with a much stronger blue-green, coppery and brassy sheen, syntergum pale orange, sides and venter brown, proximally pale orange; outer plates of ovipositor with weak blue, brassy and purple reflections; gonostylus pale orange, brownish proximally.

Head (Fig. 1117) about 7X as wide as frontovertex, in profile about 1.8X as high as deep, anteriorly quite straight below top of scrobes, interantennal prominence hardly protuberant level with torulus; occipital margin sharp, not carinate; ocelli forming an angle of about 50°; frontovertex quite shiny, with shallow, fairly regular, polygonally reticulate sculpture of mesh size conspicuously smaller than diameter of eye facet; scrobes deep, meeting dorsally, sharply margined above, carinate below eye, but roundly margined outside lower part of torulus, very broadly ∩-shaped; dorsal half of interantennal prominence with a distinct, median keel and completely smooth, lower part with similar sculpture to frontovertex, scrobe completely smooth; temple and posterior gena with shallower, more irregular and longitudinally elongate sculpture than on main part of frontovertex, anterior gena with relatively coarse, irregular, reticulate sculpture; area between eye and scrobe completely smooth; antenna as in Fig. 1120; scape broadened and flattened, about 2.3X as long as broad; funicle with F1 and F5 quadrate, remaining segments slightly transverse, segments broadest distad; clava broadened, hardly longer than F2-F6 combined, sutures oblique, sensory area enlarged, extending ventrally about 0.4X along clava, giving it an obliquely truncate appearance; eye very slightly overreaching occipital margin, appearing naked, but clothed with extremely short setae that are very much shorter than diameter of facet; inner eye margins converging slightly below anterior ocellus before diverging above scrobes; malar sulcus absent; clypeal margin very slightly emarginate medially; mandible with 1 tooth and a broad, slightly concave, truncation, almost tridentate; apical segment of maxillary palpus not enlarged, about as long as radicle. Relative measurements: HW 73, HH 70, FV 10.5, OD 4.5, POL 5, OOL 0, OCL 5.5, AOL 8, EL 49, EW 38, MS 32, SL 36, SW 16.

Thorax (Fig. 1114) with irregular, polygonally reticulate sculpture on pronotum that is similar to that on frontovertex; mesoscutum in anterior three-fifths with fine, striate sculpture, posterior part with fairly regular, polygonally reticulate sculpture that is slightly deeper and finer than that on pronotum; axilla and scutellum with similar sculpture to disc of mesoscutum, but clearly a little deeper and coarser; visible part of mesoscutum about 2X as broad as long; scutellum a little broader than long with a distinct subapical tuft, setae mostly about 0.4X as long as scutellum; hind femur about 4.1X as long as broad; fore wing with venation and setation as in Figs 1115, 1116; costal cell naked dorsally at apex; apices of postmarginal and stigmal veins connected by a distinct, naked, hyaline streak; mid tibia with a distinct longitudinal carina externally for about 0.4X its length; propodeum with only 4 or 5 anterior to spiracle, side completely smooth, medially about 0.17X as long as scutellum and virtually smooth. Relative measurements: FWL 53, FWW 21.5; HWL 42.5, HWW 16.5.

Gaster with hypopygium reaching about 0.4X to apex; syntergum about as long as mid tibia, with apex narrowly rounded; ovipositor hardly exserted, the exserted part about half as long as mid tibial spur or about 0.2X as long as mid tibia.

Paratype. Funicle with linear sensilla present only on F4-F6; gaster without “gland-like” structures on Gt1 or Gt5; ovipositor Fig. 1119. Relative measurements: OL 48, GL 13 [MT 34].

Variation. Females vary in overall length from 0.90-1.61mm, the funicle varies from generally orange-brown, to proximally brown and distally pale orange, some specimens have F6 brown other F6 yellow, the fore and hind coxae vary from white to pale orange, the mid coxa may or may not have an external brown spot; the head may be 4.5-7.0X frontovertex width, the eye may separated from the scrobe by about 1.3-1.5X the diameter of the anterior ocellus, the interantennal prominence may or may not be connected to frontovertex by a very fine carinate ridge, linear sensilla may be absent from F4; mandible varies from tridentate to one tooth and a broad truncation, the fore wing varies from about 2.3-2.5X as long as broad, the costal cell dorsally may be naked or may have 1 or 2 apical setae, the ovipositor varies from about 3.7-4.0X gonostylus or 1.4-1.6X as long as mid tibia and the gonostylus may be about 1.0-1.3X as long as the mid tibial spur.

Male. Unknown.

DISTRIBUTION. Costa Rica.

HOSTS. Reared as a hyperparasitoid of Acerophagus alexte Noyes parasitising Nipaecoccus nipae (Maskell) ( Hemiptera : Pseudococcidae ) on Psidium guajava Linnaeus ( Myrtales : Myrtaceae ), and also reared from Orthezia Bosc d’Antic ( Hemiptera : Ortheziidae ) on Impatiens Linnaeus ( Ericales : Balsaminaceae ).

MATERIAL EXAMINED.

Type material. Holotype E: COSTA RICA, Heredia, Santo Domingo, ex Nipaecoccus nipae on Psidium guava , i.1987 (P. Hanson). Paratypes: COSTA RICA, 7E, Guanacaste, Maritza ( ACG), 700m, MT/YPT, 20.i-24.ii.1996 (J.S. Noyes); 1E, Guanacaste, PN Palo Verde, LN 260952 385020, 0-50m, red de golpe, #53999, xi.1999 (I. Jiménez); 1E, Guanacaste, ZP Nosara, Fila Maravilla, LN 221350 381700, 800m, #66663, xi-xii.2001 (I. Jiménez); 1E, Guanacaste, BN Diría, Ret. Alr. Torre Control de Incendio, 600-700m, #66659, xii.2001 - i.2002 (I. Jiménez); 31E, Heredia, same data as holotype; 1E, Heredia, Santo Domingo, 1100m, cafetal, 9.ix.1994 (M. Cerda, P, Hanson); 10E, Heredia, Santo Domingo, INBio Parque, LN 217300 526200, 1100m, various dates i.2001 - 6.x.2002 (R. Zuñiga, J.S. Noyes, D. Rubí, J. Azofeifa ); 1E, Heredia, Santo Domingo, INBio Parque, 9°59’N 84°6’W, 1100m, 12.ii.2011 (J.S. Noyes); 1E, Heredia, Santo Domingo, INBio Parque, 9°59’N 84°6’W, 1100m, 11.ii.2012 (J.S. Noyes); 1E, San José, Zurqui de Moravia, 1600m, i.1996 (P. Hanson); 1E, San José, San Pedro, Montes de Oca, 1100m, Impatiens Orthezia , ix.1991 (P. Hanson); 1E, San José, San Pedro, 1200m, 19.ii.2001 (J.S. Noyes); 1E, San José, San Gerardo de Dota, El Manantial, 9°34’N 83°48’W, 2250m, 18-20.ii.2010 (J.S. Noyes); 1E, Puntarenas, RF Golfo Dulce, Est. Agujas, La Bonanza, LS 275500 521950, 15.vi-15.vii.1999 (J. Azofeifa). Holotype in MZUCR, paratypes in NHMUK, MZUCR and USNM.

COMMENTS. Cheiloneurus nasica is superficially very similar in general habitus and colour to inimicus Compere , a species that has been recorded from many parts of the New World as a hyperparasitoid of soft scales ( Hemiptera : Coccidae ). It is possible that some records of inimicus are based on misidentifications of nasica . Cheiloneurus inimicus can be separated from nasica by lacking a distinct, brown, oblique, genal stripe, the scape being about 2.6-2.7X as long as broad and the antennal scrobes having rounded dorsal margins. In nasica there is a strong, dark brown, oblique, genal stripe, the scape is about 2.2-2.3X as long as broad and the scrobes are sharply margined.

Cheiloneurus praenitens Waterston , known from Jamaica and Cuba , is also very similar to nasica and would run to nasica in the key presented here. However, in praenitens the head is less than 4X as wide as the frontovertex, the sensory area of the clava reaches a little less than one third along its ventral surface, the mid tibia is less than 0.6X as long as the mid tibia and the hind tibia as a pair of brown rings. In nasica the head is at least 4.5X as wide as the frontovertex, the sensory area of the clava reaches 0.4X along the ventral surface, the mid tibia is about 0.7X as long as the ovipositor and the hind tibia does not have a pair of brown rings.

See also comments under betes (p. 403).