Cheiloneurus mardor, 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 : 268-269

Cheiloneurus mardor sp.nov.

( Figs 673-675)

DIAGNOSIS. Female (length about 2.0mm): body generally dark brown to black with a weak to moderate metallic sheen; antenna ( Fig. 675) with scape pale orange, dorsal and ventral margins largely dark brown; pedicel mostly pale orange, dark brown dorsally; funicle pale orange; clava dark brown; mesoscutum with uniform, silvery setae; coxae white, mid coxa dark brown proximally; hind tibia mostly dark brown, legs otherwise white to pale orange with a few brown areas; fore wing ( Fig. 674) hyaline; head about 4.2X as wide as frontovertex, in facial view very slightly broader than long, subcircular, gena weakly and evenly curved; frontovertex naked medially below anterior ocellus; area between eye and scrobe about as wide as diameter of anterior ocellus, with shallow sculpture, scrobal margin rounded; interantennal prominence dorsally rounded with only a few long setae; mandible with two long, sharp lower teeth and a vestigial, virtually absent, upper tooth; antenna ( Fig. 675) with scape about 4.6X as long as broad; funicle with F1 subquadrate, other segments strongly transverse, becoming larger distad; head about 1.1X as wide as length of flagellum; linear sensilla on F4-F6; clava 3-segmented, about as long as funicle, sensory area large and forming an oblique truncation, extending about 0.5X along ventral margin; mesoscutum with polygonally reticulate sculpture; scutellum with a distinct, but very short apical tuft of setae; wings fully developed; fore wing about 2.4X as long as broad; parastigma not curved downwards; costal cell dorsally with 3 or 4 setae at apex and a single, complete line of setae ventrally; area below proximal part of parastigma with a group of about 25 setae; apices of postmarginal and stigmal veins ( Fig. 673) not connected by a naked hyaline area; apical bristle of postmarginal vein about 0.5X as long as marginal vein; mid tibial spur very nearly as long as basitarsus; propodeum with about 45 setae around each spiracle, these not extending down side; syntergum about as long as mid tibia; ovipositor about 3.4X gonostylus or 1.6X mid tibia; gonostylus about 1.2X as long as mid tibial spur; exserted part of ovipositor about 0.3X as long as mid tibial spur. Male: unknown.

Female (holotype): length, including ovipositor, 1.95mm; excluding ovipositor, 1.87mm ( CPD) .

Head black with weak blue-green and purple reflections on frontovertex; area in front of anterior ocellus more strongly purple; upper part of scrobal area purple, below this metallic green mixed with some purple especially on interantennal prominence between toruli; mouth margin weakly and narrowly purplish; gena and temple with a bright metallic brassy, blue and green sheen, strongly coppery posteriorly, more strongly shining immediately below eye; frontovertex with inconspicuous dark brown setae; antenna ( Fig. 675) with radicle orange-brown, apex with a dark brown ring; scape pale orange, proximally with a narrow, dark brown ring, dorsal and ventral margins narrowly dark brown in proximal three-quarters or so; pedicel largely pale orange, mostly dark brown dorsally; funicle pale orange; clava dark brown; thorax mostly dark brown to black; pronotum coppery with green and brassy reflections; mesoscutum clothed with uniform, translucent silvery setae and with a dull, metallic dark green sheen with coppery and brassy reflections, posterior margin coppery purple; tegula dark brown; axilla dull, dark purple-brown with coppery reflections; scutellum noticeably less shiny than mesoscutum, but with dark blue and coppery reflections, clothed with dark brown setae, extreme sides and apex shining dark blue mixed coppery; metanotum with slight purple sheen; mesopleuron in posterior half with a coppery-purple, purple and weak brassy sheen, anterior half mixed blue and brassy, these narrowly but distinctly separated by a coppery, dark blue and violet sheen; fore coxa white; fore femur white to pale yellow; fore tibia pale orange with a very small, subbasal, brown spot externally; mid coxa dark brown in proximal half, apex white; mid femur white to pale yellow, tibia pale orange with a subbasal brown spot externally; hind coxa white; hind femur white in proximal half or so, otherwise pale orange, tibia with a broad, subbasal brown ring for about two-thirds its length, base and apex pale yellow; tarsi pale yellow to pale orange, pretarsi slightly dusky; fore wing ( Fig. 674) hyaline; propodeum dark purple-brown; sides metallic green with a few conspicuous silvery setae in spiracular area; gaster dark purple-brown, Gt1 largely metallic blue-green and green; remainder of dorsum of gaster slightly coppery, mixed purple and brassy, sides of gaster towards apex and outer plates of ovipositor mixed metallic green, coppery and brassy; gonostylus dark brown, extreme apex orange.

Head about 4.2X as wide as frontovertex, about 1.8X as high as deep, not subtriangular in profile, occipital margin carinate, occiput with short, inconspicuous, shallow, median groove above foramen; ocelli forming an angle of about 60°; frontovertex slightly shiny, with conspicuous reticulate sculpture of mesh size generally very slightly smaller than diameter of eye facet; vertex with a distinct, elongate, shiny-bottomed depression adjacent to eye between posterior ocellus and occipital margin; scrobal area and mouth margin with shallower sculpture; gena and temple with more elongate sculpture of larger mesh; scrobes shallow, meeting dorsally, dorsal and lateral margins weakly rounded; antenna as in Fig. 675; scape hardly broadened and flattened, about 4.6X as long as broad; F1 subquadrate, remaining segments strongly transverse and broadest distad, linear sensilla present only on F4-F6; clava moderately broad, about as long as funicle, sutures oblique, sensory area enlarged, about 1.4X as long a ventral surface of clava, extending about 0.6X along clava ventrally, giving it a strongly obliquely truncate appearance; eye reaching occipital margin, clothed with inconspicuous setae, each of which is about as long as diameter of facet; inner eye margins not converging anteriorly; malar sulcus absent; mandible with two long, acute, lower teeth and a vestigial, virtually absent upper tooth. Relative measurements: HW 89, HH 86, FV 21, OD 6.5, POL 10.5, OOL 0.5, OCL 7, AOL 12, EL 54, EW 44, MS 32, SL 46, SW 10.

Thorax with shallow, irregular, polygonally reticulate sculpture on pronotum, generally of mesh size subequal to diameter of facet; sculpture on mesoscutum generally of similar depth to that on pronotum, but more regular and of smaller mesh; sculpture on axilla similar to that on mesoscutum, but slightly deeper and more transverse; scutellum with conspicuously deeper, polygonally reticulate sculpture; apex and sides narrowly completely smooth; visible part of mesoscutum about 1.6X as broad as long; scutellum hardly broader than long, with a very short subapical tuft, setae about one-third as long as scutellum; hind femur about 4X as long as broad; fore wing with venation and setation as in Figs 673, 674; costal cell with 3 or 4 setae dorsally at apex; no naked streak present between apices of postmarginal and stigmal veins; propodeum with moderately dense setae in spiracular area, side naked, medially less than 0.1X as long as scutellum and with some shallow polygonally reticulate sculpture. Relative measurements: FWL 106, FWW 44.5; HWL 78, HWW 23.

Gaster without “gland-like” structures on Gt1 or Gt5; hypopygium reaching about half-way to apex; syntergum about as long as mid tibia and with apex acute; ovipositor slightly exserted, the exserted part about 0.3X as long as mid tibial spur or 0.1X as long as mid tibia. Relative measurements: OL 79, GL 23 [MT 50.5].

Variation. Only holotype examined.

Male. Unknown.

DISTRIBUTION. Costa Rica.

HOSTS. Unknown.

MATERIAL EXAMINED.

Type material. Holotype E: COSTA RICA, San José, Zurqui de Moravia , 1600m, i-ii.1992 (P. Hanson) . Holotype in NHMUK .

COMMENTS. Cheiloneurus mardor is similar to mantua . Apart from having a complete hyaline fore wing (see key), it can be separated from mantua by having linear sensilla on F4-F6, the clava about 3X as wide as F1, the subapical tuft of setae on the scutellum about one-third as long as the scutellum and at least about 40 setae on the side of the propodeum near the spiracle. In mantua linear sensilla are present only on F5-F6, the clava is about 2.5X as wide as F1, the subapical tuft of setae on the scutellum is about one-quarter as long the scutellum and there are at most only about 20 setae on the side of the propodeum near the spiracle.

See also comments under mirabel (p. 263).