Cheiloneurus semis, 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 : 235-237

Cheiloneurus semis sp.nov.

( Figs 588-592; Hab. E 89)

DIAGNOSIS. Female (length about 0.9-1.3mm): body generally dark brown to black with a weak to moderate metallic sheen; antenna ( Fig. 591) with scape brown proximally, pale orange distally; pedicel mostly pale orange, dorsally dark brown proximally; flagellum pale orange; mesoscutum mostly with dense silvery setae; coxae white; legs almost completely white to pale orange with brown areas near knees; fore wing ( Fig. 588) mostly hyaline with a barely visible, very weakly infuscate area in middle of apical half; head about 8-10X as wide as frontovertex, in facial view slightly longer than broad, subcircular, genae converging, weakly curved, more strongly so towards mouth margin; frontovertex naked medially below anterior ocellus; eye nearly touching scrobe, area between eye and scrobe with shallow sculpture, scrobal margin rounded; interantennal prominence dorsally rounded with only a few long setae; mandible with three subequal teeth; antenna ( Fig. 591) with scape about 4.1-4.4X as long as broad; funicle with F1 slightly longer than broad, remaining segments transverse; head width nearly equal to length of pedicel and flagellum combined; linear sensilla on F5-F6; clava 3-segmented, slightly longer than funicle, sensory area large and forming an oblique truncation, extending slightly more than 0.4X along ventral margin; mesoscutum ( Fig. 592) mostly with polygonally reticulate sculpture, but anterior one-third or so with longitudinally elongate, striate-reticulate sculpture; scutellum with a distinct, but sparse apical tuft of setae; wings fully developed; fore wing ( Fig. 588) about 2.6-2.7X as long as broad; parastigma very weakly curved downwards; costal cell dorsally with 1 to 4 setae at apex and ventrally with a single complete line of setae; area below proximal part of parastigma with a group of about 7-9 setae; apices of postmarginal and stigmal veins ( Fig. 590) not connected by a naked hyaline area; apical bristle of postmarginal vein about 0.5X as long as marginal vein; mid tibial spur about as long as basitarsus; propodeum with about 15-20 setae around each spiracle, side naked; syntergum about 0.8X as long as mid tibia; ovipositor about 3.3X gonostylus or hardly longer than mid tibia; gonostylus about as long as mid tibial spur; ovipositor not exserted. Male: unknown.

Female (holotype): length 0.90mm ( CPD) .

Head black with a weak blue, green, brassy and coppery reflections on frontovertex, more coppery between posterior ocelli and occipital margin; occiput with a very slight blue and purple sheen; scrobal area largely with a coppery purple sheen mixed blue laterally and above mouth margin; temple and area immediately below eye mixed coppery, brassy and metallic green; gena relatively dull coppery, purple and brassy; frontovertex with inconspicuous dark brown setae; antenna ( Fig. 591) with radicle dark brown; scape proximally brown, apically pale orange; pedicel mostly very pale orange, basal half or so brown dorsally; flagellum very pale orange; thorax dark brown to black; pronotum mainly purple-brown with a slight sheen; mesoscutum hardly shiny, but with blue and purple reflections, posterior margin weakly coppery purple, setae mostly dense and silvery, sparser and dark brown along anterior and posterior margins; tegula brown; axilla and scutellum similar to mesoscutum and clothed in dark brown setae, subapical tuft black, extreme apex and sides coppery and metallic green; metanotum with a slight purple sheen; mesopleuron purple-brown with a slight brassy sheen, anteriorly with some faint bluish reflections; fore coxa white; fore femur white, pale orange distally and brown externally in distal half, tibia pale orange with a small, brown, subbasal spot externally; mid coxa white; mid femur white to very pale yellow, with a narrow, brown subapical ring, tibia pale orange with a brown subbasal ring; hind coxa white; hind femur very pale yellow, pale brown in distal one-third, tibia pale orange; tarsi pale orange, fore tarsus darkest, pretarsi slightly dusky; fore wing ( Fig. 588) mostly hyaline with a very weakly infuscate area in middle of apical half; venation pale brown, submarginal vein mostly pale yellow; propodeum dark purple-brown; sides with about 15 conspicuous silvery setae in spiracular area; gaster dark purple-brown, Gt1 with a metallic blue sheen, mixed coppery and purple, dorsum otherwise slightly coppery, mixed purple and brassy, sides and outer plate of ovipositor additionally with some metallic green; gonostylus dark brown.

Head a little more than 8X as wide as frontovertex, in profile anteriorly almost evenly rounded in profile, helmet-shaped and only about 1.6X as high as deep; occipital margin acute, occiput with a shallow, incomplete median groove above foramen, not reaching occipital margin; ocelli forming an angle of about 40°; frontovertex slightly shiny, with conspicuous reticulate sculpture of mesh size generally very slightly smaller than diameter of eye facet; scrobal area and mouth margin with shallower sculpture; narrowest point between eye and scrobe about 1.5X diameter of anterior ocellus and with relatively shallow sculpture; gena and temple with more elongate sculpture of larger mesh, area immediately below and behind eye quite smooth and shiny; scrobes shallow, meeting dorsally, dorsal and lateral margins weakly rounded; antenna as in Fig. 591; scape hardly broadened and flattened, about 4.4X as long as broad; F1 very slightly longer than broad, remaining funicle segments transverse, segments broadest distad; clava hardly broadened, a little longer than funicle, only outer suture clearly oblique, sensory area enlarged, extending slightly less than half-way along clava ventrally, giving it a distinct, obliquely truncate appearance; eye almost reaching occipital margin, separated by less than diameter of facet, clothed with conspicuous setae, each very slightly longer than diameter of facet; inner eye margins clearly converging anteriorly; malar sulcus absent; mandible with 3 acute teeth, middle tooth longest. Relative measurements: HW 46, HH 50, FV 5.5, OD 4, POL 4, OOL 0, OCL 3, AOL 7, EL 35.5, EW 28, MS 23, SL 24, SW 5.5.

Thorax ( Fig. 592) with shallow, irregular, polygonally reticulate sculpture on pronotum, generally of mesh size subequal to diameter of facet; sculpture on most of mesoscutum generally similar to that on pronotum, but more regular, anterior one-third or so with coarse, longitudinally elongate striate-reticulate sculpture; sculpture on axilla similar to that on mesoscutum, but slightly deeper; scutellum with conspicuously deeper, polygonally reticulate sculpture, much more elongate on sides; extreme apex and sides completely smooth and shiny; visible part of mesoscutum about 2.1X as broad as long; scutellum very slightly broader than long, with a sparse subapical tuft, longest setae hardly more than about one-quarter as long as scutellum; hind femur about 4.5X as long as broad; fore wing with venation and setation as in Figs 588, 590; costal cell with 2 setae dorsally at apex; no naked streak present between apices of postmarginal and stigmal veins; propodeum ( Fig. 592) with moderately dense setae in spiracular area, side naked, medially less than 0.1X as long as scutellum and with a very little shallow, irregular polygonally reticulate sculpture. Relative measurements: FWL 48, FWW 18.5; HWL 38, HWW 8.

Gaster with hypopygium reaching about half-way to apex; syntergum about 0.8X as long as mid tibia, with apex more or less rounded; ovipositor hidden.

Paratype. Linear sensilla present only on F5-F6; gaster without “gland-like” structures on Gt1 or Gt5; hypopygium Fig. 589. Relative measurements: OL 26.5, GL 8 [MT 26].

Variation. Females vary in overall length from 0.90-1.08mm, the infuscate area in apical half of fore wing may be very faint and barely visible, the gonostylus may be pale orange-brown, the head varies from about 8-10X as wide as the frontovertex, the scape varies from about 4.1-4.4X as long as broad, otherwise little in material available.

Male. Unknown.

DISTRIBUTION. Costa Rica.

HOSTS. Unknown.

MATERIAL EXAMINED.

Type material. Holotype E: COSTA RICA, Puntarenas, RF Golfo Dulce , 24km W. Piedras Blancas, 200m, ii.1992 (P. Hanson) . Paratypes: COSTA RICA, 1E, Heredia, La Selva BS, 10 26’N 841’W, ii.2001 (J.S. Noyes); 1E , Heredia, Est. Biol. La Selva , 10 26’N 841’W, iii.2002 (M. Gates); 1E , Heredia, Est. Biol. La Selva , 10 26’N 841’W, 75m, ii.2003 (J.S. Noyes); 1E , Heredia, OTS La Selva , 10°26’N 84°01’W, 75m, 23.ii.2006 (J.S. Noyes); 1E , Heredia, Estacion Biologica La Selva , 10°26’N 84°01’W, 75m, 24-25.ii.2011 (J.S. Noyes); 2E , Puntarenas, NP Manuel Antonio, 23-28.viii.1986 and 26.viii.1986 (L. Masner); 1E , Puntarenas. 13km NE Dominical, RB Rio Magnolia , 9°20’N 83°47’W, 800m, 22-24.ii.2015 (J.S. Noyes); 2E , Puntarenas, San Vito, Las Cruces, Wilson Bot. Gdns , 18-22.iii.1990 (J.S. Noyes); 2E , Puntarenas, San Vito , 1200m, coffee, iii-iv.1996 (P. Hanson); 1E , Puntarenas, PN Piedras Blancas, Est. El Bonito , 8°43’N 83°13’W, 100m, 13-14.ii.2012 (J.S. Noyes); 1E , Limón, Parque Nac. Cahuita , 0m, 29.v.1988 (P. Hanson); 2E, Limón ,

RB Hitoy-Cerere, 100m, 14-19.i.1991 (J.S. Noyes). Holotype in MZUCR, paratypes in NHMUK, MZUCR and CNC.

COMMENTS. The general habitus of Cheiloneurus semis suggests that it belongs to a group of species that includes parasitoids of Dryinidae . Of the Costa Rica species it is closest parvus and nintra . It differs from parvus in having the frontovertex narrowing strongly in front of the anterior ocellus to less than 0.15X head width, the fore wing weakly infuscate and the legs with dark brown markings. In parvus the frontovertex does not strongly narrow in front of the anterior ocellus and is more than 0.17X head width, the fore wing is completely hyaline and the legs are completely yellow. Cheiloneurus semis differs from nintra in having the body generally dark brown, the fore wing weakly infuscate, whereas in nintra the body is largely orange and the fore wing is strongly infuscate. Of the extralimital species, semis is most similar to pachycephalus (Perkins) from North America. It differs from pachycephalus in lacking a distinctly infuscate area across the wing from the marginal vein and having distinct dark brown markings on the legs. In pachycephalus the wings have a weak, infuscate, curved band from the marginal vein and the legs completely yellow.