Cheiloneurus medusa, 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 : 297-299

Cheiloneurus medusa sp.nov.

( Figs 735-741; Hab. E 112)

DIAGNOSIS. Female (length about 1.3-1.5mm): body more or less completely dark brown with a weak to moderate metallic sheen; antenna (( Fig. 739) with scape mostly white with dorsal and ventral margins largely brown; pedicel and flagellum dark brown; mesoscutum generally with moderately dense silvery setae; coxae dark brown; legs otherwise mostly dark brown; fore wing ( Fig. 737) mostly infuscate with a V-shaped hyaline area in basal cell, a small hyaline area at apex of venation which virtually continues across wing to opposite margin, two or three paler longitudinal streaks from apical margin connect with this paler transverse line; head ( Fig. 735) about 3.6-4.0X as wide as frontovertex, in facial view clearly longer than broad, suboval, genae converging, slightly curved, but more strongly curved inwards near mouth; frontovertex naked medially between anterior ocellus and scrobes; eye separated from scrobe by about 1.3X diameter of anterior ocellus and with shallow, polygonally reticulate to longitudinally elongate imbricate-reticulate sculpture; scrobes deep, sharply margined, carinate below eye; interantennal prominence with about 35 inconspicuous setae and dorsally rounded and without a median ridge; mandible with one tooth and a broad truncation; antenna ( Fig. 739) with scape about 4.2X as long as broad; F1-F3 slightly longer than broad, F4-F6 quadrate or transverse; linear sensilla on F3-F6; clava 3-segmented, slightly shorter than F4-F6 combined; sensory area enlarged, extending ventrally nearly 0.4X length of clava, apex obliquely truncate; head width about equal to flagellum length; mesoscutum ( Fig. 741) with fine, fairly uniform, polygonally reticulate sculpture; scutellum with a distinct, apical tuft of setae; wings fully developed, fore wing ( Fig. 737) about 2.7-2.8X as long as broad; parastigma downcurved; costal cell dorsally naked, ventrally with a complete line of setae in proximal 0.7X, apex naked; area below proximal part of parastigma with a group of about 5-7 setae; apices of postmarginal and stigmal veins connected by a naked hyaline area that continues a little way into disc ( Fig. 738); apical bristle of postmarginal vein at least about 0.8X as long as marginal vein; mid tibial spur slightly longer than basitarsus; propodeum with about 4 or 5 inconspicuous setae adjacent to spiracle, side naked; syntergum about 0.8X as long as mid tibia with apex broadly truncate; hypopygium Fig. 736; ovipositor ( Fig. 740) about 5.6X gonostylus or about 1.2X as long as mid tibia; gonostylus about 0.6X as long mid tibial spur; ovipositor not exserted. Male: unknown.

Female (holotype): length 1.47mm ( CPD) .

Head dark brown; frontovertex and area between eye and scrobe with a weak brassy sheen and very weak coppery, purple and green reflections; temple with a relatively strong metallic green and blue-green sheen with some purple reflections, this metallic colouration continued behind eye almost to vertex; posterior part of gena similar to temple but less metallic and slightly brassy and coppery, anterior part relatively dull with coppery, purple, blue and green reflections; area outside torulus orange; scrobes shining metallic green, coppery dorsally; interantennal prominence dorsally purple, lower area mixed dark green and blue-green; a slender metallic purple, violet, blue and green line connecting lowest margins of toruli, below this mainly coppery with some blue and green reflections, especially near torulus; frontovertex clothed with inconspicuous, pale brown setae, these continued as a line below eye; gena and interantennal prominence with moderately dense, short, translucent setae; antenna ( Fig. 739) with radicle brown to dark brown; scape mostly white to very pale, slightly dusky orange, ventral margin dark brown from base to widest part, dorsal margin dark brown, apex dark brown; pedicel and flagellum dark brown, almost black; maxillary palpus dark brown, proximal segments slightly paler brown; thorax dark brown, dorsally virtually black; pronotum, mesoscutum and axilla slightly shiny with a weak brassy sheen with some very weak blue and green reflections; mesoscutum clothed with evenly distributed, moderately dense setae, those in anterior one-third brown and inconspicuous, those in posterior two-thirds translucent, silvery and conspicuous; tegula dark brown with a slight brassy and purple sheen; axilla with dark brown setae; scutellum more or less completely matt, anteriorly clothed with golden brown setae, posterior setae and scutellar tuft black; mesopleuron with a weak, mixed brassy, blue, coppery and purple sheen; legs almost completely dark brown, mid tarsi pale orange-brown; fore wing ( Fig. 737) mostly infuscate, largely hyaline towards base; submarginal vein slightly dusky pale orange, otherwise venation brown; propodeum dark brown, virtually black, medially with a weak purple and brassy sheen, area around spiracle metallic blue-green with some purple reflections, 7 or 8 dark brown setae outside spiracle; gaster dark brown, mostly with purple, brassy, coppery and green reflections, Gt1 medially metallic blue-green; visible part of gonostylus slightly dusky orange.

Head ( Fig. 735) about 4X as wide as frontovertex, in profile about 1.8X as high as deep, frontovertex weakly and evenly curved to top of scrobes then angled towards mouth margin,virtually straight from top of scrobes to mouth margin, interantennal prominence slightly protuberant; occipital margin sharp, weakly carinate; ocelli forming an angle of about 75°; frontovertex quite shiny, with shallow, fairly regular, polygonally reticulate sculpture in ocellar area, anteriorly more imbricate-reticulate and slightly transversely elongate, mesh size much smaller than diameter of eye facet, sculpture slightly coarser and more transversely elongate immediately above scrobes; interantennal prominence with shallow, more regular polygonally reticulate sculpture; temple fairly smooth, with very shallow, irregular, longitudinally elongate sculpture, gena with slightly deeper, irregular, reticulate sculpture; area between eye and scrobe about 1.25X as wide as diameter of anterior ocellus and with shallow, polygonally reticulate to longitudinally elongate imbricate-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. 739; scape broadened and flattened, broadest above middle, about 4.2X as long as broad; F1-F3 very slightly longer than broad, F4-F6 quadrate or transverse, segments wider and larger distally so that F6 is largest and widest; clava slightly broadened, a little shorter than F4-F6 combined, sensory area slightly enlarged, extending nearly 0.4X along ventral surface, giving it an obliquely truncate appearance; eye not reaching occipital margin, separated by about diameter of facet, clothed with inconspicuous, short setae that are much shorter than diameter of facet; inner eye margins subparallel, narrowest point of frontovertex about midway between anterior ocellus and scrobes; malar sulcus absent; clypeal margin medially weakly concave; mandible with one acute tooth and a very broad, more or less straight, truncation; apical segment of maxillary palpus not enlarged, about 1.6X as long as radicle. Relative measurements: HW 104, HH 110, FV 26, POL 18.5, OOL 0.5, OCL 11, AOL 18, EL 74, EW 55, MS 45, SL 46, SW 11.

Thorax ( Fig. 741) with pronotum hardly exposed behind head and about 0.6X as long as mesoscutum; pronotum and mesoscutum with similar, fairly regular, polygonally reticulate sculpture that is about as deep as that between posterior ocelli, but of slightly smaller mesh, mesoscutum uniformly shiny and with setae uniformly distributed; axilla with slightly deeper, coarser, polygonally reticulate sculpture than that on mesoscutum; scutellum with conspicuously deeper sculpture than that on mesoscutum, but of similar mesh size; visible part of mesoscutum about 2.2X as broad as long; scutellum about 1.2X as broad as long with a distinct subapical tuft, setae mostly about half as long as scutellum; hind femur about 3.7X as long as broad; fore wing with venation and setation as in Figs 737, 738; costal cell naked dorsally at apex; apices of postmarginal and stigmal veins connected by a distinct, naked, hyaline streak ( Fig. 738); mid tibia without an external carina; propodeum medially about 0.23X as long as scutellum and smooth. Relative measurements: FWL 88, FWW 32; HWL 78, HWW 20.

Gaster with hypopygium reaching about 0.3X to apex; syntergum about 0.7X as long as mid tibia, with apex very weakly rounded, more or less broadly truncate; ovipositor not exserted.

Paratype. Funicle with linear sensilla present only on F3-F6; gaster without “gland-like” structures on Gt1 or Gt5; hypopygium Fig. 736; ovipositor Fig. 740. Relative measurements: OL 40.5, GL 7.25 [MT 33].

Variation. Females vary in overall length from 1.28-1.47mm, the head may be about 3.6X as wide as frontovertex, the fore wing varies from about 2.7-2.8X as long as broad, otherwise little in material examined.

Male. Unknown.

DISTRIBUTION. Costa Rica.

HOSTS. Unknown.

MATERIAL EXAMINED.

Type material. Holotype E: COSTA RICA, Puntarenas, PN Corcovado, Est. Sirena, LS 507400 270400, 10m, #58053, 4.viii-10.ix.2000 (K. Caballero). Paratypes: COSTA RICA, 1E, Puntarenas, Pen. Osa , Puerto Jimenez, 8°32’N 83°19’W, 10m, xi.1991 (P. Hanson); 1E, Puntarenas, Pen. Osa , Puerto Jimenez, 8°32’N 83°21’W, 10m, x-xi.1991 (P. Hanson). Holotype in MZUCR, paratypes in NHMUK.

COMMENTS. Cheiloneurus medusa is very similar to amadeus in general appearance, and especially in the colour pattern and setation of the fore wing. Other than the characters given in the key medusa differs from amadeus in having shallower, fairly uniform polygonally reticulate to imbricate-reticulate sculpture throughout whereas in amadeus the sculpture in the anterior half or so of the mesoscutum is relatively coarse lineolate-reticulate contrasting with the shallower, more regular polygonally reticulate to imbricate-reticulate sculpture in the posterior half. In medusa the scrobes are relatively less sharply margined than in amadeus and the sculpture above the scrobes is finer and shallower. The shape of the hypopygium also differs in that the posterior margin in medusa has a strong median invagination whereas in amadeus the posterior margin is quite uniformly convexly rounded.

See also comments under grimus (p. 304), seius (p. 309), poeana (p. 314) and oshtan (p. 316).