Cheiloneurus catreta, 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 : 237-239

Cheiloneurus catreta sp.nov.

( Figs 593-596; Hab. E 90)

DIAGNOSIS. Female (length about 1.2-1.4mm): body generally dark brown to black with a metallic sheen; antenna ( Fig. 593) with scape dark brown with apex white; pedicel dorsally dark brown, orange-brown ventrally, apex white; funicle white to pale orange-brown; clava pale orange, proximally brownish; posterior part of mesoscutum with silvery setae; all coxae white; hind tibia dark brown, legs otherwise white to pale orange mixed dark brown; fore wing ( Fig. 595) hyaline; head about 5.2X as wide as frontovertex, in facial view very slightly longer than broad and subcircular, gena weakly and fairly evenly curved; frontovertex naked medially below anterior ocellus; area between eye and scrobe about 1.5X as wide as anterior ocellus, with distinct sculpture, scrobal margin rounded; interantennal prominence dorsally rounded with only a few setae; mandible with two long, acute, lower teeth and a slightly shorter upper tooth; scape about 2X as long as broad; funicle with F1 and F2 quadrate, other segments transverse; flagellum very slightly longer than head width; linear sensilla on F5-F6; clava 3-segmented, slightly longer than funicle, sensory area extending slightly less than 0.5X along ventral surface; mesoscutum ( Fig. 596) mainly with polygonally reticulate sculpture; scutellum with distinct, apical tuft of setae; wings fully developed; fore wing ( Fig. 595) about 2.8-3.0X as long as broad; parastigma not curved downwards; costal cell dorsally with two or three setae at apex and a single complete line of setae ventrally; area below proximal part of parastigma with a group of about 10 pale setae; apices of postmarginal and stigmal veins ( Fig. 594) not connected by a naked hyaline area; apical bristle of postmarginal vein about 0.5X as long as marginal vein; mid tibial spur clearly longer than basitarsus; propodeum ( Fig. 596) with about 15-18 setae around each spiracle, none down side; syntergum about as long as mid tibia; ovipositor about 3.6X gonostylus or 1.3X mid tibia; gonostylus about as long as mid tibial spur; exserted part of ovipositor about 0.25X mid tibial spur. Male: unknown.

Female (holotype): length, including ovipositor, 1.35mm; excluding ovipositor, 1.31mm (CPD).

Head black with a very dull, dark metallic green sheen on frontovertex with slight purplish reflections, entire scrobal area with a distinct, deep, purple sheen; frontovertex with inconspicuous dark brown setae; temple and posterior part of gena below eye metallic green mixed brassy; remainder of malar space coppery; antenna ( Fig. 593) with radicle dark brown; scape dark brown with apex white; pedicel dorsally dark brown in proximal two-thirds or so, apex white, orange-brown ventrally; funicle with F1-F2 white, F2 dusky distally; F3-F5 dusky yellow to pale orange-brown, F6 pale orange; clava pale orange with basal segment brownish proximally; thorax mostly dark brown to black; pronotum with a dull coppery-purple sheen; anterior one-third or so of mesoscutum relatively dull and clothed in dark brown setae, posterior two-thirds with slight metallic blue and purple reflections and clothed in moderately dense, slightly silvery, translucent setae, posterior margin dark purple; tegula dark brown; scutellum clothed with dark brown setae, mostly matt, posteriorly with a coppery purple sheen, sides and apex shining metallic green with some coppery reflections; metanotum with slight purple sheen; mesopleuron dark purple-brown; fore coxa white; fore femur white with a broad, subapical brown band; tibia with a broad subbasal brown band, narrowly pale orange proximally, distal half pale orange; mid coxa white, brown towards base; mid femur white with a narrow, dark brown, subapical band; mid tibia white with a brown subbasal band; hind coxa white; hind femur white with apical half dark brown; hind tibia dark brown, narrowly pale yellow proximally, apical one-third or so white; all tarsi very pale orange; pretarsi brownish; fore wing ( Fig. 595) completely hyaline, venation pale yellow-brown; propodeum dark purple-brown; sides weakly metallic green with conspicuous silvery setae in spiracular area; gaster dark purple-brown, Gt1 distinctly metallic blue; remainder of gaster mixed brassy, sides of apical tergites weakly metallic green with purple reflections; gonostylus dark brown.

Head about 5.2X as wide as frontovertex with occipital margin sharp and without a median groove to foramen; ocelli forming an angle of about 45°; frontovertex slightly shiny, with conspicuous reticulate sculpture of mesh size generally slightly smaller than diameter of eye facet; scrobes, interantennal prominence and mouth margin with shallower sculpture; temple and gena with distinct irregular, reticulate sculpture, of larger mesh than the frontovertex and distinctly elongate posteriorly; scrobes moderately deep, not meeting, dorsal and lateral margins weakly rounded; antenna as in Fig. 593; scape strongly broadened and flattened, about 2X as long as broad; funicle with F1 and F2 more or less quadrate; remaining segments transverse; clava about long as funicle, both sutures slightly oblique, sensory area forming an oblique truncation that extends about half-way along clava; eye reaching occipital margin and clothed in fairly conspicuous setae that are each slightly longer than diameter of facet; malar sulcus absent; mandible with 2 long, acute lower teeth and short upper, third tooth. Relative measurements: HW 52, HH 53, FV 10, OD 4, POL 5, OOL 0.5, OCL 6, AOL 9.5, EL 38, EW 29, MS 27, SL 31, SW 16.

Thorax ( Fig. 596) with shallow, irregular, polygonally reticulate sculpture on pronotum, generally of mesh size a little larger than diameter of facet; sculpture on anterior part of mesoscutum coarser and finer than that on pronotum, but posterior part with shallower sculpture similar to that on pronotum; sculpture on axilla slightly coarser and reticulate; scutellum mostly with coarse, slightly longitudinally elongate, polygonally reticulate sculpture, extreme apex and sides completely smooth; visible part of mesoscutum about 2X as broad as long; scutellum about as long as broad, subapical tuft distinct, setae about half as long as scutellum; hind femur about 3.5X as long as broad; fore wing with venation and setation as in Figs 594, 595; costal cell with 2 or 3 setae dorsally at apex; no naked streak present between apices of postmarginal and stigmal veins ( Fig. 594); propodeum ( Fig. 596) with numerous setae in spiracular area, side naked, medially about 0.1X as long as scutellum and medially with a small area of fine, very shallow, polygonally reticulate sculpture. Relative measurements: FWL 59, FWW 20; HWL 47, HWW 10.

Gaster with hypopygium reaching about half-way to apex; ovipositor hardly exserted, the exserted part about one-quarter as long as mid tibial spur; syntergum about as long as mid tibia.

Paratype. Funicle with linear sensilla present only on F5-F6; gaster without “gland-like” structures on Gt1 or Gt5; gonostylus about as long as mid tibial spur. Relative measurements: OL 41, GL 11.5 [MT 31].

Variation. Females vary in overall length from 1.21-1.44mm, the clava may be hardly dusky basally and the fore wing may be 2.8-3.0X as long as broad, otherwise very little in material available.

Male. Unknown.

DISTRIBUTION. Costa Rica.

HOSTS. Unknown.

MATERIAL EXAMINED. Type material. Holotype E: COSTA RICA, Heredia, Est. Biol. La Selva , 10°24’N 84°01’W, 50-150m,

canopy fog Eugenia sp. , FOT/76/1-40, 5.i.2000 ( INBio / OET). Paratypes : COSTA RICA, 2E, Heredia, OTS La Selva, 10°26’N 84°01’W, xi.1993 and ix.1995 ( ALAS). Holotype in MZUCR, paratypes in NHMUK.

COMMENTS. The holotype appears to have F1 and F2 partially fused on both antennae, but is otherwise in perfect condition.