Cheiloneurus origo, 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 : 342-344

Cheiloneurus origo sp.nov.

( Figs 854-858; Hab. E 126)

DIAGNOSIS. Female (length about 2.5-2.9mm): head and thorax mostly orange to orange-brown with dark brown areas with a weak to moderate metallic sheen, rest of body dark brown to black with a weak to moderate metallic sheen; antenna ( Fig. 855) with scape white margined brown to dark brown; pedicel and flagellum dark brown with some funicle segments mixed pale orange; mesoscutum with uniformly distributed silvery setae; fore and hind coxae white, mid coxae dark brown; legs largely orange with dark brown areas; fore wing ( Fig. 857) mostly infuscate with basal cell hyaline except proximally, a small hyaline area at apex of venation and opposite on posterior wing margin, apex slightly paler with a hyaline, apical triangular area; head about 6X as wide as frontovertex, in facial view very slightly longer than broad, subrectangular, genae slightly converging and more strongly curved inwards towards mouth margin; frontovertex naked medially below anterior ocellus but with 1 or 2 setae above scrobal area; eye separated from scrobe by about 0.8X diameter of ocellus, area between eye and scrobe completely smooth, scrobal margin carinate; interantennal prominence dorsally rounded with about 50 inconspicuous setae; mandible with two short teeth and a short, broad, rounded, upper tooth; antenna ( Fig. 855) with scape about 4.4X as long as broad; funicle with F1-F4 clearly longer than broad, F5 subquadrate or transverse, F6 transverse; head width a little more than 0.8X length of flagellum; linear sensilla on F2-F6; clava 3-segmented, slightly longer than F4-F6 combined; sensory area large and forming an oblique truncation, extending about 0.5X along ventral margin; mesoscutum ( Fig. 858) with coarse, very fine, polygonally reticulate sculpture, a little elongate anteriorly and on sides; scutellum with a distinct apical tuft of setae; wings fully developed; fore wing ( Fig. 857) about 2.6X as long as broad; parastigma very distinctly curved downwards; costal cell dorsally naked at apex and ventrally with a single line of setae that is broadly interrupted above parastigma; area below proximal part of parastigma with about 20 pale setae; apices of postmarginal and stigmal veins connected by a naked hyaline area that clearly extends a little way into disc ( Fig. 856); apical bristle of postmarginal vein about 0.7X as long as marginal vein; mid tibial spur clearly a little longer than basitarsus; propodeum with about 8 setae around each spiracle, side naked; syntergum about as long as mid tibia; ovipositor about 3.2X gonostylus or 1.9X as long as mid tibia; gonostylus about 1.5X as long as mid tibial spur; exserted part of ovipositor about 1.2X as long as mid tibial spur. Male: unknown.

Female (holotype): length, including ovipositor, 2.55mm; excluding ovipositor, 2.19mm (CPD).

Head mostly orange-brown, occiput pale orange, marked dark brown above and around foramen; top and sides of scrobes pale orange, dorsally with a very slight metallic lustre; area above mouth margin and posterior gena pale orange; dorsal part of interantennal prominence and temple dark brown with a strong metallic green sheen, temple also mixed coppery and brassy; gena dark brown with a metallic green, coppery and purple sheen; area between eye and scrobe shining purple and green; antenna ( Fig. 855) with radicle pale orange-brown, distally dark brown; scape white, with proximal two thirds of ventral margin dark brown, upper margin internally dark brown, proximally paler brown or orange-brown; pedicel and flagellum dark brown, virtually black, F4 and F5 partially mixed pale orange dorsally; apical segment of maxillary palpus dark brown, contrasting with white proximal segments; thorax mostly orange; posterior margin of pronotum translucent, neck dark brown; mesoscutum virtually black with slight to moderate purple, blue, blue-green and green reflections, clothed with evenly distributed silvery setae, these slightly golden to golden brown anteriorly; tegula basally orange, apically dark brown; scutellum anteriorly with golden brown setae, posterior setae and subapical tuft conspicuous and black, a few anterior setae of subapical tuft white; metanotum dark brown with a slight purple sheen; mesopleuron orange weakly margined brown, anteriorly with a slight brassy, green and purple sheen, posteriorly with a very weak purple and brassy sheen; fore and hind coxae white, mid coxa dark brown; fore femur dark brown, largely white to pale brown internally and externally white proximally with a distal pale orange-brown, median stripe, tibia dark brown, tarsus orange-brown; mid femur white, distal half of dorsal margin with an elongate chevron-shaped dark brown mark merging into an oblique subapical dark brown ring, distal apex pale orange, mid tibia narrowly dark brown basally with a narrow, white subbasal ring, remainder dark brown, gradually becoming orange distally, spur orange-brown, tarsus orange; hind femur, tibia and tarsus dark brown, femur with an external, subapical orange area; fore wing ( Fig. 857) mostly infuscate, hyaline towards base and hyaline at apex; submarginal vein yellow-brown, rest of venation dark brown; propodeum dark brown, medially with a green, brassy and coppery lustre, side near spiracle metallic blue-green mixed purple, outside this shining metallic green mixed coppery; side of propodeum with only 5 or 6 inconspicuous silvery setae near spiracle; gaster dark purple-brown, mixed coppery, purple and brassy, sides and outer plate of ovipositor additionally with some metallic blue and green; visible part of gonostylus pale yellow.

Head about 6X as wide as frontovertex, in profile anteriorly virtually straight below top of scrobes, about 1.6X as high as deep; occipital margin sharp, occiput without a median groove above foramen; ocelli forming an angle of about 40°; frontovertex slightly shiny, with fine, fairly regular, polygonally reticulate sculpture of mesh size much less than diameter of eye facet, a little coarser, of larger mesh and more transversely elongate above scrobes; scrobal area and mouth margin and gena with similar, shallower sculpture, interantennal prominence dorsally smooth and shiny; temple with distinct, but shallow, longitudinally elongate sculpture; area between eye and scrobe smooth and shiny; scrobes deep, meeting dorsally, very broadly ∩-shaped, dorsal and lateral margins clearly defined, sharp, lateral margins clearly carinate, carina extending a little below top of torulus; antenna as in Fig. 855; scape slightly broadened and flattened, about 4.4X as long as broad; funicle with F1-F4 clearly longer than broad, F5 slightly longer than broad, F6 slightly transverse, segments broadest distad; clava clearly broadened, very slightly longer than F4-F6 combined, sutures oblique, sensory area enlarged, extending ventrally very slightly more than half-way along clava, giving it a distinct, obliquely truncate appearance; eye just reaching occipital margin, appearing naked but clothed with short, inconspicuous setae, each a little shorter than diameter of facet; inner eye margins diverging slightly anteriorly; malar sulcus absent; mandible with 3 teeth; apical segment of maxillary palpus not enlarged, about as long as radicle. Relative measurements: HW 98, HH 100, FV 16, OD 7, POL 6, OOL 0, OCL 12, AOL 13.5, EL 70, EW 53, MS 41, SL 53, SW 12.

Thorax ( Fig. 858) with shallow, irregular, polygonally reticulate sculpture on pronotum, about as deep as that on frontovertex and generally of mesh size a little less than diameter facet; sculpture on most of mesoscutum similar to that on frontovertex, but perhaps very slightly deeper, shallower posteriorly; axillae with similar sculpture to anterior part of mesoscutum, that on scutellum similar but a little deeper, extreme sides completely smooth and shiny, extreme apex with shallow, reticulate sculpture; visible part of mesoscutum about 2X as broad as long; scutellum very slightly broader than long, with a very distinct subapical tuft, setae mostly about half as long as scutellum; hind femur about 4.4X as long as broad; fore wing with venation and setation as in Figs 856, 857; costal cell more or less naked dorsally at apex; apices of postmarginal and stigmal veins connected by a distinct, naked, hyaline streak ( Fig. 856); propodeum ( Fig. 858) with only a few setae anterior and lateral to spiracle, area posterior to spiracle and side naked, side almost completely smooth and shiny, but anteriorly some shallow, distinct polygonally reticulate sculpture, medially about 0.14X as long as scutellum, smooth and with a very shallow median, longitudinal depression. Relative measurements: FWL 96, FWW 36.5; HWL 83, HWW 22.

Gaster with hypopygium reaching about half-way to apex; syntergum very nearly as long as mid tibia, with apex acute; ovipositor clearly exserted, the exserted part about 1.2X as long as mid tibial spur or about 0.45X as long as mid tibia.

Paratype. Antenna with linear sensilla present only on F2-F6; gaster without “gland-like” structures on Gt1 or Gt5. Relative measurements: OL 121, GL 38 [MT 63.5].

Variation. Females vary in overall length from 2.52-2.90mm, F2-F5 may be largely mixed pale orange, otherwise very little in the material available.

Male. Unknown.

DISTRIBUTION. Costa Rica.

HOSTS. Unknown.

MATERIAL EXAMINED.

Type material. Holotype E: COSTA RICA, Heredia, La Selva BS, 10°26’N 84°01’W, 50-150m, fog Carapa guianensis, FOT /02, 5.iii.1993 (INBio-OET) . Paratypes: COSTA RICA, 3E, Heredia, same data as holotype, but 15.iii.1993; 1E, Heredia, 11km SE La Virgen , 10°20’N 84°04’W, 450-550m, 05/N/TN, 22.ii- 20.iv.2003 (INBio-OET-ALAS) . Holotype in MZUCR, paratypes in NHMUK and MZUCR .