Cheiloneurus vitara, 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 : 215-216

Cheiloneurus vitara sp.nov.

( Figs 506-509)

DIAGNOSIS. Female (overall length about 0.8mm): body dark brown with a weak to moderate metallic sheen; posterior part of mesoscutum with only a few translucent, silvery setae that contrast with dark brown anterior setae; fore wing hyaline; fore coxa white; head about 3X as wide as frontovertex; antenna ( Fig. 506) with pedicel nearly as long as F1-F4 combined; all funicle segments transverse; linear sensilla on F6 only; clava about as long as pedicel and funicle combined, apex rounded; mandible with 3 teeth, upper tooth truncate; mesoscutum ( Fig. 507) with aciculate, longitudinally elongate, lineolate sculpture, some polygonally reticulate sculpture medially near posterior margin; scutellum with longitudinally elongate, lineolate sculpture; scutellum without a tuft of setae; fore wing ( Fig. 509) about 2.4X as long as broad; parastigma not downcurved; stigmal vein with 3 campaniform sensilla at apex; gaster with “glands” on Gt1 and Gt5, those on Gt1 separated by about 1.1X their own lengths, those on Gt5 touching; syntergum broader than long. Male: unknown.

Female (holotype): length, including ovipositor, 0.79mm; excluding ovipositor, 0.73mm ( CPD) .

Head dark brown to black with a weak metallic lustre; frontovertex coppery purple behind posterior ocelli, area around anterior ocellus dull, metallic dark blue mixed coppery purple, area above scrobes purple; temple and gena with a dull dark blue and coppery purple sheen, area immediately below lowest part of eye relatively shiny green; scrobal area coppery purple mixed metallic dark blue; a line of inconspicuous, brown setae along inner eye margin continuing below eye to gena and along position of malar sulcus; radicle brown; scape with proximal 0.6X dark brown, apex pale yellow; pedicel brown with venter and apex narrowly dusky pale yellow; F1-F5 dusky pale orange, F6 mostly very pale orange, mixed slightly dusky externally; clava brown; thorax dark brown to black; pronotum with a weak, coppery purple and brassy sheen; mesoscutum virtually matt, but with a very weak coppery purple and brassy sheen, mostly clothed with brown setae, but with 3 or 4 silvery setae on each side in posterior one-third; tegula dark brown; axilla similarly coloured to mesoscutum; scutellum matt black; mesopleuron with a weak, metallic blue, purple and brassy sheen; fore coxa white; fore femur white with a fairly broad, incomplete, brown, subapical band, tibia pale yellow with a broad, subbasal brown band, tarsus dusky pale yellow, apical tarsomere pale brown; mid coxa dark brown; mid femur white with a narrow, subapical brown band in distal half, tibia white with a narrow, subbasal brown band in basal half, spur and tarsus white; hind coxa dark brown; hind femur dark brown, narrowly white basally, tibia mostly dark brown with apices white, tarsus white with apical tarsomere brown; wings hyaline, venation pale yellow; propodeum dark brown with a weak brassy and purple sheen, side with a dull, metallic green sheen mixed coppery and brassy, outside spiracle with 2 or 3 inconspicuous brown setae; gaster dark purple-brown, dorsally with a coppery purple sheen, Gt1 mixed with a slight green sheen, side and venter with coppery, blue, brassy and green reflections; gonostylus completely dark brown.

Head about 3.0X as wide as frontovertex, in profile about 1.3X as high as deep, tangent to frontovertex above scrobes forming an angle of about 75° with face below top of scrobes; a very small, oval depression adjacent to eye very near occipital margin; ocelli forming an angle of about 75°; frontovertex narrowest a little behind posterior ocelli, relatively dull, with relatively deep, polygonally reticulate to imbricate-reticulate sculpture, in ocellar area of mesh size a little larger than eye facet, subequal elsewhere; temple and gena with sculpture of similar depth to anterior part of frontovertex, but more longitudinally elongate imbricate-reticulate to polygonally reticulate; area immediately below lowest part of eye completely smooth; scrobes with relatively shallow, irregular, elongate sculpture; interantennal prominence and mouth margin with shallow, polygonally reticulate sculpture; scrobes shallow, indistinctly margined, narrowly ∩-shaped; interantennal prominence dorsally indistinctly acute; antenna as in Fig. 506; scape slightly broadened and flattened, about 3.3X as long as broad; all funicle segments transverse, increasing in width distad, F1-F5 anelliform, F6 subquadrate, linear sensilla present only on F6; clava about as long as pedicel and funicle combined, sutures parallel, sensory area small, at apex only giving it a pointed or slightly rounded appearance; eye not reaching occipital margin, separated by at least about 2X diameter of facet, naked; malar sulcus partially present, weakly indicated medially; mandible tridentate, with 2 teeth and a truncate upper tooth. Relative measurements: HW 40, HH 30, FV 13.5, POL 5.5, OOL 1.5, OCL 5, AOL 5, EL 18, EW 19, MS 15, SL 16, SW 4.8.

Thorax ( Fig. 507) with imbricate-reticulate to polygonally reticulate sculpture on pronotum that is about as deep as that in ocellar area; mesoscutum with very fine, aciculate, longitudinally elongate, polygonally reticulate to striate sculpture of silky appearance that is about as deep as sculpture on pronotum, posterior part with more rounded, polygonally reticulate cells; scutellum with slightly deeper, polygonally reticulate sculpture composed of rounded or very slightly longitudinally elongate cells, extreme side and apex completely smooth; setae on anterior part of mesoscutum about as dense as those on posterior part; scutellum without a distinct, subapical tuft of longer setae; visible part of mesoscutum about 1.9X as broad as long; scutellum about 1.2X as broad as long; fore wing with venation and setation as in Figs 508, 509; costal cell with 4 or 5 dorsal setae at apex. Relative measurements: FWL 113, FWW 47; HWL 79.5, HWW 20.

Gaster with hypopygium reaching about 0.6X towards apex; last tergite about as long as mid tibia, with apex virtually truncate; “glands” present on Gt1 and Gt5, those on Gt1 separated by about 1.1X their own lengths, those on Gt5 touching; ovipositor slightly exserted, the exserted part about 0.6X length of mid tibial spur or about 0.25X mid tibia. Relative measurements: OL 58.5, GL 13 [MT 64].

Variation. Only holotype examined.

Male. Unknown.

DISTRIBUTION. Costa Rica.

HOSTS. Unknown.

MATERIAL EXAMINED.

Type material. Holotype E: COSTA RICA, Limón, RB Hitoy Cerere, 9°40’N 83°02’W, 100m, ii.2004 (J.S. Noyes) . Holotype in NHMUK .