Cheiloneurus lydia, 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 : 358-361

Cheiloneurus lydia sp.nov.

( Figs 898-914; Hab. E 131)

DIAGNOSIS. Female (length about 1.3-1.8mm): body mostly dark brown to black with a weak to moderate metallic sheen, head and pronotum with orange areas, scutellum orange; antenna ( Figs 908, 912, 913, 914) with scape mostly white margined dark brown; pedicel and flagellum dark brown; posterior two-thirds of mesoscutum with dense silvery setae; fore and hind coxae white, mid coxa mostly brown; legs mainly white or pale orange with areas of dark brown; fore wing ( Figs 898, 902) mostly infuscate with basal cell mostly hyaline, a small hyaline area at apex of venation and opposite on posterior wing margin, apex slightly paler; head ( Figs 907, 909, 910, 911) about 6X as wide as frontovertex, in facial view about 1.1X as long as broad, variable but more or less horse-shoe shaped, genae converging but fairly straight and more strongly curved near mouth margin; frontovertex naked medially; eye separated from scrobe by about 1.3X diameter of anterior ocellus, area between eye and scrobe completely smooth, scrobal margin carinate; interantennal prominence dorsally rounded with about 35 inconspicuous, translucent setae; mandible with one tooth teeth and a broad slightly concave truncation; antenna ( Figs 908, 912, 913, 914) with scape about 3.8X as long as broad; funicle with F1-F3 longer than broad, F4-F6 subquadrate or transverse; head width slightly less than length of flagellum; linear sensilla on F3-F6, sometimes absent from F3; clava 3-segmented, at least as long as F3-F6 combined; sensory area large and forming an oblique truncation, extending about 0.4X along ventral margin; mesoscutum ( Fig. 906) with fairly uniform coarse polygonally reticulate sculpture medially, anterior one-third or so and sides with sculpture a little more elongate and becoming striate-reticulate; scutellum with a distinct apical tuft of setae; wings fully developed; fore wing ( Fig. 898, 902) about 2.6-2.7X as long as broad; parastigma clearly downcurved; costal cell dorsally more or less naked at apex, sometimes with one or two setae, and ventrally with a single line of setae that is broadly interrupted above parastigma; area below proximal part of parastigma with a group of about 8-20 pale setae; apices of postmarginal and stigmal veins connected by a naked hyaline area that extends a little way into disc ( Figs 899, 901); apical bristle of postmarginal vein about 0.6-1.0X as long as marginal vein; mid tibial spur slightly longer than basitarsus; propodeum with from one to six setae adjacent to spiracle, side naked; syntergum about 0.7-0.8X as long as mid tibia; ovipositor ( Fig. 903) about 4.0-4.5X gonostylus or 1.1-1.3X as long as mid tibia; gonostylus about 0.8-0.9X as long as mid tibial spur; exserted part of ovipositor less than 0.2X as long as mid tibial spur. Male: unknown.

Female (holotype): length, including ovipositor, 1.56mm; excluding ovipositor, 1.53mm ( CPD) .

Head with frontovertex mostly pale orange-brown, occiput medially brown with some blue reflections; occipital margin medially with a distinct blue sheen, area between this and posterior ocelli metallic green and brassy, narrowly bordered metallic purple; anterior ocellus to top of scrobes with weak purple and blue reflections; area between eye and scrobe brown with a distinct green, coppery and purple sheen, narrowly margined purple laterally; temple and posterior part of gena dark brown with a metallic green, blue-green and brassy sheen; anterior part of gena with a mixed blue, green, brassy and coppery sheen; upper part of interantennal prominence with a metallic green and blue-green sheen weakly mixed coppery and purple; frontovertex clothed with inconspicuous, pale brown setae; antenna (Fg. 908) with radicle pale orange, apex brown; scape mostly white, ventral margin narrowly brown in proximal two-thirds, distal two-thirds of dorsal margin internally brown, paler proximally; pedicel and F1-F5 dark brown, F6 and clava very dark brown, almost black; maxillary palpus with apical segments brown contrasting with off-white proximal segments; pronotum mostly pale orange, neck slightly dusky, posterior margin medially transparent; mesoscutum anteriorly dark orange-brown, remainder dark brown with weak purple reflections, clothed in posterior two-thirds or so with moderately dense, translucent, silvery setae, anterior one-third clothed with less dense, translucent, golden brown setae; tegula dark brown, orange-brown proximally; axilla and scutellum orange, clothed in golden brown to dark brown setae, subapical tuft black; metanotum dark purple-brown; mesopleuron orange-brown, anteriorly with a weak blue, green, brassy and purple sheen, posteriorly with a weak copper and purple sheen; fore coxa white; fore femur largely white, margins pale orange to orange-brown distally, tibia dark brown, tarsus pale orange-brown; mid coxa mostly brown, apex dirty white; mid femur white, narrowly brown towards apex, tibia dark brown at extreme base, with a narrow, white subbasal ring, otherwise mostly pale orange, but brown subbasally, spur and tarsus pale orange; hind coxa white; hind femur dark brown, pale orange-brown subapically, tibia narrowly orange at base, remainder orange-brown, darker proximally, tarsus pale orange; fore wing ( Fig. 898) mostly infuscate, hyaline towards base and at apex; submarginal vein yellow, rest of venation dark brown; propodeum brown, medially with a weak blue and purple lustre, laterally with a weak metallic green sheen, side with a weak coppery and blue-green sheen, some translucent setae outside spiracle; gaster dark brown, dorsally with brassy, coppery, purple and green reflections, sides with a more conspicuous green, blue, brassy, coppery and purple sheen, especially proximally; outer plates of ovipositor with weak blue, brassy and purple reflections; gonostylus pale orange.

Head ( Fig. 907) about 6X as wide as frontovertex, in profile about 1.8X as high as deep, anteriorly quite straight below top of scrobes, interantennal prominence protuberant very slightly level with torulus; occipital margin sharp and carinate; ocelli forming an angle of about 45°; frontovertex ( Fig. 907) quite shiny, with conspicuous, fairly regular, polygonally reticulate sculpture of mesh size slightly smaller than diameter of eye facet; area immediately above scrobes with conspicuously coarser and transversely elongate sculpture; lower interantennal prominence with similar sculpture to main part frontovertex, upper interantennal prominence and scrobes completely smooth; temple and posterior gena with shallower, more irregular and longitudinally elongate sculpture than on main part of frontovertex, anterior gena with coarse, irregular, reticulate sculpture; area between eye and scrobe completely smooth; scrobes deep, meeting dorsally, sharply margined above, carinate below eye, but roundly margined outside lower part of torulus, very broadly ∩-shaped; antenna as in Fig. 908; scape hardly broadened and flattened, about 3.8X as long as broad; funicle with F1-F3 slightly longer than broad, F4 subquadrate, F5- F6 transverse, segments broadest distad; clava broadened, hardly longer than F2-F6 combined, sutures oblique, sensory area enlarged, extending ventrally about 0.5X along clava, giving it an obliquely truncate appearance; eye very nearly reaching occipital margin, appearing naked, but clothed with extremely short setae that are very much shorter than diameter of facet; inner eye margins clearly diverging below anterior ocellus; malar sulcus present, but extremely weak; clypeal margin very slightly convexly rounded medially; mandible with 1 tooth and a broad, slightly concave, truncation; apical segment of maxillary palpus hardly enlarged, only slightly longer than radicle. Relative measurements: HW 73, HH 82, FV 12, OD 6.5, POL 4, OOL 0, OCL 10.5, AOL 9, EL 54, EW 40, MS 34, SL 37.5, SW 10.

Thorax ( Fig. 906) with irregular, polygonally reticulate sculpture on pronotum that is similar to that on frontovertex; mesoscutum with fairly regular, polygonally reticulate sculpture that is slightly deeper and finer than that on pronotum, sculpture on sides slightly longitudinally elongate; axilla and scutellum with similar sculpture to disc of mesoscutum, but perhaps a little coarser, axilla posteriorly weakly sculptured; visible part of mesoscutum about 2.1X as broad as long; scutellum about as long as broad with a distinct subapical tuft, setae mostly about 0.6X as long as scutellum; hind femur about 4.7X as long as broad; fore wing with venation and setation as in Figs 898, 899; costal cell with a single seta dorsally at apex; apices of postmarginal and stigmal veins connected by a distinct, naked, hyaline streak ( Fig. 899); propodeum ( Fig. 906) with only 4 or 5 setae outside spiracle, side almost completely smooth, with some very shallow, reticulate sculpture anteriorly, medially about 0.17X as long as scutellum and with a very weak median carina. Relative measurements: FWL 74.5, FWW 29; HWL 64, HWW 15.

Gaster with hypopygium reaching about half-way to apex; syntergum about three-quarters as long as mid tibia, with apex narrowly rounded; ovipositor hardly exserted, the exserted part less than one-fifth as long as mid tibial spur.

Paratype. Funicle with linear sensilla present only on F4-F6; gaster without “gland-like” structures on Gt1 or Gt5; hypopygium Fig. 900; ovipositor Fig. 903. Relative measurements: OL 51.5, GL 13 [MT 43.5].

Variation. Females vary in overall length from 1.29-1.81mm, the head ( Figs 907, 909, 910, 911) is 1.08-1.15X as high as broad with the gena virtually straight or even slightly bulging to gradually convexly rounded, the head also varies from 5-7X wide as the frontovertex, linear sensilla may also be present on F3, the clava varies from about as long as F3-F6 combined ( Fig. 912) to as long as the funicle ( Fig. 914), the sensory part of the clava extends about one-third to one-half along its ventral surface and the fore wing is 2.55-2.76X as long as broad.

Male. Unknown.

DISTRIBUTION. Costa Rica.

HOSTS. Unknown.

MATERIAL EXAMINED.

Type material. Holotype E: COSTA RICA, Puntarenas, RF Golfo Dulce, 24km W Piedras Blancas, 8°46’N 83°24’W, 200m, i-iii.1991 (P. Hanson). Paratypes: COSTA RICA, 1E, Alajuela, RF Arenal, PN Volcan Arenal, Sector Colada, LN 269900 456750, 600m, #54371, 1-26.x.1999 (G. Carballo); 1E, Alajuela, PN Arenal. 10°28’N 84°45’W, 617m, 21-28.ii.2005 (C. Hansson); 1E, Heredia, OTS La Selva, 100m, 3km S Puerto Viejo, x.1992 (P. Hanson); 1E, Heredia, 3km S. Puerto Viejo, OTS-La Selva, 100m, ii-iii.1993 (P. Hanson); 1E, Heredia, OTS-La Selva, 10°26’N 84°01’W, canopy fog Pentaclethra macroloba , vii.1993 ( ALAS project); 1E, Heredia, OTS-La Selva, 10°26’N 84°01’W, canopy fog Virola koscheyi, FVK /11, 4.ix.1993 (INBio-OET); 1E, Heredia, OTS La Selva, FPM 23, 14.x.1994 ( ALAS); 1E, Heredia, OTS-La Selva, FPM 28, 22.x.1994 ( ALAS); 1E, Heredia, OTS La Selva, 10°26’N 84°01’W, xii.1995 ( ALAS); 1E, Heredia, RB La Selva, 10°26’N 84°01’W, xii.1999 (INBio-OET); 2E, Heredia, La Selva BS, 10°26’N 84°01’W, 50-150m, canopy fog Eugenia sp. , FOT/76/1-40, 5.i.2000 ( ALAS, INBio / OET); 1E, Heredia, Est. Biol. La Selva, 10°26’N 84°01’W, canopy fog Meliosoma vernicosa, FOT /44/01-40, 8.i.2000 (INBio-OET); 1E, Puntarenas, Res. Priv. Karen Mogensen, 9°52’N 85°03’W, 305m, 16-17.ii.2009 (J.S. Noyes); 2E, Puntarenas, Res. Priv. Karen Mogensen, 9°52’N 85°03’W, 305m, 17-18.ii.2011 (J.S. Noyes); 5E, Puntarenas, Res. Priv. Karen Mogensen, 9°52’N 85°03’W, 305m, 23-24.ii.2013 (J.S. Noyes); 1E, Puntarenas, Res. Priv. Karen Mogensen, 9°52’N 85°03’W, 305m, 19-20.ii.2016 (J.S. Noyes); 14E, same data as holotype but xii.1990 - vii.1992; 1E, Puntarenas, PN Corcovado, Est. Agujas, Cerro Quebraditas, LS 521400 274300, 782m, #58104, vii-viii.2000 (J. Azofeifa); 1E, Puntarenas, Golfito, Est. Agujas, LS 276750 526550, 250- 350m, #56674, 11-26.v.2000 (J. Azofeifa); 1E, Puntarenas, Golfito, Est. Agujas, LS 520100 275200, 782m, #66478, 6.xi-20.xii.2000 (J. Azo- feifa); 1E, Puntarenas, PN Corcovado, Send. Los Patos/Sirena, LS 331800 572100, 100m, #57960, 15.vi-. 15. vii.2000 (J. Azofeifa); 1E, Limón, RB Hitoy-Cerere, Valle de Estrella, Send. Bobócara, LN 641800 184250, 300m, #54018, 11.x-11.xi.1999 (F. Umaña); 1E, Limón, RB Hitoy-Cerere, Valle de Estrella, Send. Bobócara, LN 641800 184250, 300m, #58065, vi-vii.2000 (F. Umaña). Holotype in MZUCR, paratypes in NHMUK and MZUCR.

COMMENTS. As understood here, Cheiloneurus lydia is an unusually variable species. Perhaps the most striking variation is in the shape of the head, closely followed by the relative size of the clava (see above under variation). It is possible that the material listed above may represent a complex of species, but I prefer to treat it all one species pending further work on the group.

Females of Cheiloneurus lydia can be difficult to separate from mckenziei but can be distinguished on the relative size and shape of the hyaline area at the apex of the fore wing (see key). Apart from this, the two species can be characterised using the proportions of the antennal segments and relative length of the gonostylus. In lydia the proximal funicle segments are relatively shorter so that F4 and sometimes F3 are transverse, the clava is at least about as long as F3-F6 combined and the gonostylus is at least slightly shorter than the mid tibial spur. In mckenziei F1-F4 are long than broad, the clava is hardly longer than F4-F6 combined and the gonostylus is longer than the mid tibial spur.

See comments under herxius (p. 306).