Cheiloneurus genys, 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 : 278-280

Cheiloneurus genys sp.nov.

( Figs 691-696; Hab. E 104)

DIAGNOSIS. Female (length about 1.3mm): body mostly orange with ocellar area dark brown, mesoscutum partially pale brown and gaster dark brown, darker areas with a weak to moderate metallic sheen; antenna ( Fig. 693) with scape pale orange, ventral margin dark brown; pedicel very pale yellow; funicle white, clava dark brown; mesoscutum with dense silvery setae on posterior two-thirds; fore and hind coxae white, mid coxa pale orange; legs almost completely white to pale orange, mid and hind leg with some small areas of brown; fore wing ( Fig. 692) mostly infuscate with basal cell almost completely hyaline, a small hyaline area at apex of venation and a similar area opposite wing margin, the two connected by continuous apical hyaline area; head ( Fig. 695) about 12.5X as wide as frontovertex, in facial view clearly longer than broad, suboval with genae weakly curved inwards, more strongly so near mouth margin; frontovertex with about 3 inconspicuous setae medially above scrobes; eye separated from scrobe by about 1.2X diameter of anterior ocellus, area between eye and scrobe completely smooth and shiny, scrobes shallow with margin rounded; interantennal prominence with about 20 inconspicuous setae and dorsally rounded; mandible tridentate; antenna (Fg. 693) with scape about 3.5X as long as broad; funicle with F1 subquadrate, remaining segments clearly transverse; head width a little less than length of flagellum; linear sensilla on F5-F6; clava 3-segmented, slightly longer than funicle; sensory area enlarged and forming an oblique truncation, extending nearly 0.7X along ventral margin; mesoscutum ( Fig. 691) in anterior one-third and laterally with longitudinally elongate striate-reticulate sculpture, posterior two-thirds and most of middle with uniform, fairly shallow, polygonally reticulate sculpture; scutellum with a distinct, apical tuft of setae; wings fully developed; fore wing ( Fig. 692) about 2.6-2.7X as long as broad; parastigma clearly downcurved; costal cell dorsally with a single apical seta or naked, ventrally with a complete line of setae; area below proximal part of parastigma with a group of about 13 setae, this connected to a line of setae along cubital vein track towards wing base; apices of postmarginal and stigmal veins connected by a naked hyaline area that hardly continues into disc ( Fig. 694); apical bristle of postmarginal vein about 0.4X as long as marginal vein; mid tibial spur about as long as basitarsus; propodeum ( Fig. 691) with about 30 setae adjacent to spiracle, side naked; syntergum about 0.7X as long as mid tibia; ovipositor ( Fig. 696) about 3.9X gonostylus or about as long as mid tibia; gonostylus about 0.8X 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, 1.27mm; excluding ovipositor, 1.24mm (CPD).

Head orange; occiput with a brown spot above foramen; area between ocelli metallic green and blue with some coppery reflections, anterior part of frontovertex with a weaker metallic green and blue sheen; orange areas above scrobes with a slight purple sheen; scrobal area with a brassy sheen; temple and upper gena with a weak metallic green and purple sheen; lower gena with a weak, brassy sheen; a small brown spot on mouth margin below torulus; frontovertex clothed with inconspicuous, translucent, pale brown setae, a line of fine, translucent setae between eye and scrobe; maxillary palpus pale orange; antenna ( Fig. 693) with radicle pale orange with a narrow, apical, dark brown ring; scape pale orange, ventral margin narrowly dark brown, more widely so towards base internally; pedicel white to very pale yellow; funicle white; clava dark brown, almost black; pronotum orange, neck dark brown; prosternum orange; mesoscutum with anterior one-third or less orange, posterior two-thirds or so dark orange-brown with metallic blue and purple reflections, posterior margin orange, laterally purple-brown, orange areas clothed with relatively sparse, dark brown setae, metallic area clothed with relatively dense, silvery setae; tegula orange with apex orange-brown; axilla and scutellum orange clothed with golden brown to dark brown setae, subapical tuft black; metanotum orange-brown; mesopleuron pale orange with a very weak brassy sheen, posteriorly with a weak purple sheen; mesosternum orange; fore coxa white; fore femur white at extreme base, leg otherwise pale orange; mid coxa very pale orange; mid femur white, apex pale orange with a brown mark dorsally, tibia mostly pale orange but white at base, dorsal margin dusky for about two-thirds its length with the remnants of a brown, subbasal ring, spur and tarsus very pale orange; hind coxa white; hind femur white in proximal half, apex pale orange, knee brown, tibia and tarsus pale orange; fore wing ( Fig. 692) mostly infuscate, hyaline towards base, at apex and along anterior margin distad of venation; submarginal vein pale orange, remainder of venation brown; propodeum pale orange, side with a weak purple and green sheen, about 8-10 translucent, silvery setae outside spiracle; gaster dark brown, dorsally with a distinct purple, green and brassy sheen, side with a green sheen with purple reflections, venter but mostly with a mixed green, brassy, coppery and purple sheen; gonostylus very pale orange, a little dusky proximally.

Head ( Fig. 695) about 12.5X as wide as frontovertex, in profile about 1.7X as high as deep, anteriorly quite straight between top of scrobes and mouth margin, interantennal prominence slightly protuberant just above torulus; occipital margin sharp; ocelli forming an angle of about 40°; frontovertex moderately shiny, with distinct, fairly regular, polygonally reticulate sculpture of mesh size a little smaller than diameter of eye facet, deepest in ocellar area; narrowest area between eye and scrobe about 2X as wide as diameter of anterior ocellus, area immediately below lowest part of eye completely smooth and shiny; scrobes shallow, hardly meeting, Λ-shaped, margins rounded; interantennal prominence with similar sculpture to frontovertex, clothed in sparse translucent setae, dorsally very acute; temple almost smooth with very shallow, irregular, elongate sculpture, gena with slightly deeper, irregular, reticulate sculpture; antenna as in Fig. 693; scape slightly broadened and flattened, about 3.5X as long as broad, widest slightly below middle; funicle with all segments transverse, F1 subquadrate; longer than broad, F4 quadrate, F5- F6 transverse, distal segments broadest and largest; clava slightly broadened, a little longer than funicle, sutures oblique, sensory area enlarged, extending ventrally about 0.7X along clava, giving it a strongly obliquely truncate appearance; eye reaching occipital margin, clothed in numerous, conspicuous setae, each at least as long as diameter of facet; inner eye margins converging strongly anteriorly; malar sulcus absent; clypeal margin weakly concave medially; mandible tridentate; apical segment of maxillary palpus not enlarged, hardly longer than radicle. Relative measurements: HW 56.5, HH 64, FV 4.5, POL 4.5, OOL 0, OCL 7, AOL 9, EL 43, EW 32, MS 30, SL 35 SW 10.

Thorax ( Fig. 691) with irregular, polygonally reticulate sculpture on pronotum that is about as deep as that in ocellar area of frontovertex; mesoscutum with similar sculpture to pronotum, but more regular; axilla and scutellum with similar sculpture to that on mesoscutum, but slightly deeper and coarser, especially on scutellum, more elongate laterally on scutellum; visible part of mesoscutum about 1.6X as broad as long; scutellum about as long as broad, with a distinct subapical tuft, setae mostly about one-third as long as scutellum; mid tibia without a distinct, external carina; hind femur about 4.4X as long as broad; fore wing with venation and setation as in Figs 692, 694; costal cell with a single seta dorsally at apex; apices of postmarginal and stigmal veins connected by a distinct, naked, hyaline streak ( Fig. 694); propodeum ( Fig. 691) medially about 0.15X as long as scutellum, with some shallow, irregular sculpture, side completely smooth in part, with shallow irregular sculpture dorsally. Relative measurements: FWL 60, FWW 23.5; HWL 48, HWW 12.

Gaster with hypopygium reaching about half-way to apex; syntergum about 0.75X as long as mid tibia, with apex rounded; ovipositor hardly exserted, the exserted part about half length of mid tibial spur or about 0.1X mid tibia.

Paratype. Funicle with linear sensilla present only on F5-F6; gaster without “gland-like” structures on Gt1 or Gt5; ovipositor Fig. 696. Relative measurements: OL 35, GL 9 [MT 35].

Variation. Females vary in overall length from 1.27-1.31mm, the brown spot on the mouth margin below the torulus may be absent; the costal cell of the fore wing may be completely naked dorsally at its apex, otherwise very little variation in material available.

Male. Unknown.

DISTRIBUTION. Costa Rica.

HOSTS. Unknown, but possibly a parasitoid of Dryinidae (see comments below).

MATERIAL EXAMINED.

Type material. Holotype E: COSTA RICA, Heredia, Est. Biol. La Selva , 10°24’N 84°01’W, 50-150m, canopy fog Eugenia sp. , FOT/76/1-40, 5.i.2000 ( INBio / OET) . Paratypes: COSTA RICA, 1E, Puntarenas, Pen. Osa, Bosque Esquinas, LN 302450 545100, 200m, vi.1994 (J.F. Quesada, M. Segura) . Holotype in MZUCR, paratype in NHMUK .

COMMENTS. Of the New World species of Cheiloneurus this species is perhaps most similar to albicornis Howard from North America, both species being largely orange and having a white funicle contrasting with a dark brown clava. Cheiloneurus genys differs from albicornis in having the frontovertex less than 0.1X head width, the mesoscutum partially orange and hardly metallic, the propodeum orange and the infuscation of the fore wing extending about 0.9X to the apex. In albicornis the frontovertex is at least 0.2X head width, the mesoscutum is entirely metallic blue or green, the propodeum is dark brown and the infuscation of the forewing only extends about 0.7X to the apex. bout as wide as the head. Otherwise genys is probably most similar to Cheiloneurus chlorodryini Perkins which also has the funicle entirely white and is a parasitoid of Dryinidae parasitising leaf hoppers and known only from Australia. Cheiloneurus genys differs from chlorodryini in having only about 15-20 pale setae in the basal cell below the parastigma and along the cubital vein, the mesoscutum posteriorly pale brown with a weak metallic sheen, the scape about 3.5X as long as broad, the mid tibia largely dark brown and the sensory part of the clava extending about 0.7X the length of the clava. In chlorodryini the fore wing has very dense, evenly distributed, pale setae across almost the whole of the basal cell, the mesoscutum is entirely orange, the scape is about 2.5X as long as broad, the mid tibia is completely pale yellow and the sensory part of the clava extends about half the length of the clava.