Cheiloneurus herxius, 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 : 304-307

Cheiloneurus herxius sp.nov.

( Figs 755-759)

DIAGNOSIS. Female (length about 2mm): body almost completely dark brown with a weak to moderate metallic sheen; antenna ( Fig. 757) with scape mostly white with dorsal and ventral margins largely brown; pedicel and flagellum dark brown; mesoscutum in posterior half with pale setae that may appear silvery; coxae dark brown; legs mostly dark brown, fore and mid legs partly pale orange; fore wing ( Fig. 758) mostly infuscate with basal cell mostly hyaline, a small hyaline area at apex of venation this connected by a paler line to a larger hyaline area opposite, apex with a subtriangular hyaline area; head ( Fig. 756) about 6.0X as wide as frontovertex, in facial view clearly longer than broad, subrectangular, genae slightly curved and converging, but more strongly curved inwards near mouth; frontovertex naked medially between anterior ocellus and scrobes; eye separated from scrobe by about 1.5X diameter of anterior ocellus, area between eye and scrobe virtually completely smooth but with extremely shallow sculpture; scrobes deep, sharply margined, carinate below eye; interantennal prominence with about 50 inconspicuous setae and dorsally broadly rounded without a median ridge; mandible with one acute tooth and a broad truncation; antenna ( Fig. 757) with scape about 4X as long as broad; F1-F5 longer than broad, F6 transverse; linear sensilla on F1-F6; clava 3-segmented, slightly shorter than F4-F6 combined; sensory area enlarged, extending ventrally about 0.4X length of clava, apex obliquely truncate; head width very slightly less than funicle length; mesoscutum ( Fig. 755) mostly with regular, polygonally reticulate sculpture, anterolateral areas with sculpture slightly more longitudinally elongate; scutellum with a distinct, apical tuft of setae; wings fully developed, fore wing ( Fig. 759) about 2.9X as long as broad; parastigma slightly downcurved; costal cell dorsally with one or two apical setae, ventrally with a line of setae in proximal 0.7X, apex naked; area below proximal part of parastigma with a group of about four or five setae; apices of postmarginal and stigmal veins connected by a naked hyaline area that continues a little way into disc ( Fig. 759); apical bristle of postmarginal vein nearly 0.5X as long as marginal vein; mid tibial spur hardly longer than basitarsus; propodeum with about eight inconspicuous setae adjacent to spiracle, side naked; syntergum about 0.6X as long as mid tibia with apex broadly rounded, almost truncate; ovipositor about 4.1X gonostylus or slightly more than 0.9X mid tibia; gonostylus about 0.7X as long mid tibial spur; exserted part of ovipositor about 0.2X as long as mid tibial spur. Male: unknown.

Female (holotype): length, including ovipositor, 2.02mm; excluding ovipositor, 1.96mm ( CPD) .

Head mainly dark brown, virtually black; a very small area outside torulus, posterior part of gena and area above mandible pale orange; frontovertex with occipital margin faintly metallic blue laterally, area between posterior ocelli and occipital margin dull metallic green and purple; frontovertex below posterior ocelli dull purple and green with some blue-green, coppery and brassy reflections; slightly more strongly metallic coppery purple immediately above scrobes; area between eye and scrobe shining purple and green; temple with a relatively strong metallic green and blue-green sheen mixed with some purple, this continuing more weakly onto upper part of gena, lower part of gena relatively dull with a slight blue and coppery sheen; scrobes very shiny, metallic green mixed with some coppery; upper part of interantennal prominence with a strong green sheen, below this purple, green laterally towards toruli, a narrow dark blue line more or less connects lower margins of toruli, below this a mixed coppery, purple and green sheen to mouth margin; frontovertex clothed with inconspicuous, pale brown setae, these continued as a line below eye; gena and interantennal prominence with relatively dense, scattered, short, translucent setae; antenna ( Fig. 757) with radicle mostly orange, sides dark brown; scape mostly white, ventral margin dark brown from base to about 0.75X along its length, inner surface more extensively dark brown, dorsal margin and apex dark brown; pedicel and flagellum dark brown, almost black; maxillary palpus dark brown, proximal segments slightly paler; thorax mostly dark brown; pronotum dark brown with sides orange; propleuron orange-brown; prosternum brown; mesoscutum black with very weak blue, green and coppery reflections, clothed anteriorly with brown setae, posterior half or so with paler, translucent setae that appear silvery in some lights; tegula dark brown with weak coppery and brassy reflections; axilla dark orange-brown, bordered dark brown, clothed with dark brown setae; scutellum matt black, anteriorly with golden brown setae, posterior setae and subapical tuft black; mesopleuron dark chestnut brown, anteriorly with a weak green, brassy, coppery and blue sheen, posteriorly with a coppery, purple and green sheen; fore coxa dark brown; fore femur dark brown, with an inconspicuous orange-brown streak externally, tibia dark brown, apically orange, tarsus brown; mid coxa dark brown; mid femur dark brown, extreme apex orange ventrally, tibia orange with a subbasal white band, extreme base dark brown and a dark brown, external streak for most of its length, spur orange with apex dark brown, tarsus orange; hind coxa mostly orange, ventrally dark brown; hind femur dark brown with a small, subapical, orange area, tibia dark brown, apex orange, tarsus brown; fore wing ( Fig. 758) mostly infuscate, largely hyaline towards base, venation brown; propodeum dark brown, medially with a metallic purple sheen, area around spiracle metallic blue-green and green mixed with some purple, about 5 translucent, setae outside spiracle; gaster dark brown, mostly with a coppery-purple and brassy sheen, Gt3-Gt5 laterally with distinct coppery and green reflections; visible part of gonostylus very pale orange.

Head ( Fig. 756) subrectangular in facial view, about 6X as wide as frontovertex, in profile about 1.9X as high as deep, frontovertex slightly angled level with posterior ocelli, then weakly and evenly curved to top of scrobes, slightly angled towards mouth margin and virtually straight from top of scrobes to mouth margin, interantennal prominence slightly protuberant; occipital margin sharp, carinate; ocelli forming an angle of about 55°; frontovertex slightly shiny, with shallow, fairly regular, polygonally reticulate sculpture of mesh size smaller than diameter of eye facet, sculpture immediately above scrobes clearly coarser and transversely strigose, this area bordered laterally by an almost completely smooth, area with extremely shallow, polygonally reticulate sculpture, and broadly below by dorsal margin of scrobes; scrobes virtually completely smooth, but dorsally with some very shallow, irregular ridges; upper part of interantennal prominence narrowly smooth, but mostly with moderately slightly coarse, regular polygonally reticulate to imbricate-reticulate sculpture; temple with shallow, irregular, longitudinally elongate polygonally reticulate sculpture, posterior part of gena with similar sculpture, anterior part of gena with regular, polygonally reticulate sculpture that is conspicuously deeper than that immediately below anterior ocellus; area between eye and scrobe about 1.5X as wide as diameter of anterior ocellus, almost completely smooth but with some extremely shallow polygonally reticulate sculpture; scrobes deep, meeting dorsally, sharply margined, carinate below eye, very broadly ∩-shaped, interantennal prominence dorsally broadly rounded, without a median ridge; antenna as in Fig.757; scape broadened and flattened, broadest above middle, about 4X as long as broad; F1-F5 longer than broad, F6 hardly transverse, segments wider and larger distally so that F6 is largest and widest, linear sensilla present only on F1-F6; clava slightly broadened, slightly shorter than F4-F6 combined, sensory area slightly enlarged, extending about 0.4X along ventral surface, giving it an obliquely truncate appearance; eye not quite reaching occipital margin, separated by about 1.5X diameter of facet, clothed with inconspicuous, very short setae that are much shorter than diameter of facet; inner eye margins subparallel, narrowest point of frontovertex about midway between anterior ocellus and top of scrobes; malar sulcus absent, but clearly indicated by a change in sculpture; clypeal margin medially very slightly convex; mandible with one acute tooth and a broad, slightly concave truncation; apical segment of maxillary palpus not enlarged, about as long as radicle. Relative measurements: HW 112, HH 130, FV 18.5, POL 10, OOL 0, OCL 12.5, AOL 13.5, EL 82, EW 63, MS 59, SL 64, SW 16.

Thorax ( Fig. 755) with pronotum hardly exposed behind head and about 0.6X as long as mesoscutum; pronotum slightly shiny with similar sculpture to that in ocellar area; mesoscutum mostly with regular, polygonally reticulate sculpture that is similar to that in ocellar area, anterolateral areas with finer, slightly narrower but more longitudinally elongate polygonal sculpture; axilla and scutellum with polygonally reticulate sculpture that is deeper than that on mesoscutum; visible part of mesoscutum about 1.7X as broad as long; scutellum about 1.2X as broad as long, with a distinct subapical tuft, setae mostly about 0.6X as long as scutellum; hind femur about 4.9X as long as broad; fore wing with venation and setation as in Figs 758, 759; costal cell with 2 or 3 setae dorsally at apex; apices of postmarginal and stigmal veins connected by a distinct, naked, hyaline streak ( Fig. 759); mid tibia with an indistinct, external carina in proximal one-third; propodeum ( Fig. 755) medially about 0.26X as long as scutellum and smooth. Relative measurements: FWL 113.5, FWW 39; HWL 102, HWW 23.

Gaster without “gland-like” structures on Gt1 or Gt5; hypopygium reaching about 0.4X to apex; syntergum about 0.6X as long as mid tibia, with apex weakly rounded, virtually broadly truncate; ovipositor hardly exserted, the exserted part about 0.2X as long as mid tibial spur or a little less than 0.1X as long as mid tibia. Relative measurements: OL 60, GL 14.5 [MT 64]

Variation. Only holotype examined.

Male. Unknown.

DISTRIBUTION. Costa Rica.

HOSTS. Unknown.

MATERIAL EXAMINED.

Type material. Holotype E: COSTA RICA, Heredia, RB La Selva, 10°26’N 84°01’W, xii.1999 ( ALAS - INBio / OET) . Holotype in NHMUK .

COMMENTS. Cheiloneurus herxius is probably closest to moloch , both species having the length of the pedicel and funicle combined greater than the head width and the apical part of the fore wing distad of venation less than 0.4X overall wing length. In herxius OCL is less than AOL and linear sensilla are on all funicle segments whereas on moloch OCL is greater than AOL and linear sensilla are absent from F1. Apart from the characters given in the key, herxius differs from oshtan and poeana in having linea sensilla on all segments and the pedicel and funicle combined longer than head width whereas in poeana and oshtan lack linear sensilla on at least F1 and the length of the pedicel and funicle combined is shorter than the head width.

The head shape of Cheiloneurus herxius is very similar to that of some specimens of lydia . The two species are separated in the key by the colour of the hind coxa which is brown in herxius and yellow or pale orange in lydia . They can also be separated on much longer funicle segments and smaller clava in herxius . In herxius F1-F5 are clearly longer than broad and the clava is shorter than F4-F6 combined, whereas in lydia at most only F1-F3 are longer than broad (sometimes transverse) and the clava is at least about as long as F3-F6 combined.

See also comments under grimus (p. 304).