Cheiloneurus ection, 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 : 232-233

Cheiloneurus ection sp.nov.

( Figs 576-580)

DIAGNOSIS: Female (overall length about 1.5mm): body black with a weak to moderate metallic sheen; anterior one-third or so of mesoscutum clothed in dark brown setae, posterior two-thirds clothed in moderately dense, slightly silvery, translucent setae; fore wing ( Fig. 578) hyaline; fore coxa mostly white, proximally brown; head about 5X as wide as frontovertex; antenna ( Fig. 576) with pedicel about as long as F1-F2 combined; all funicle segments very slightly longer than broad, F1-F3 smaller and subquadrate; linear sensilla on F4-F6; clava slightly longer than F2-F6 combined, with apex rounded; mandible with a long, acute lower tooth, rounded middle tooth and short, obtuse upper tooth; mesoscutum ( Fig. 580) mostly with slightly longitudinally elongate, polygonally reticulate sculpture, some rounded, polygonally reticulate sculpture medially near posterior margin; scutellum with coarse, fairly regular, polygonally reticulate sculpture in middle, laterally and apically striate-reticulate; scutellum without a subapical tuft of setae; fore wing ( Fig. 578) about 2.4X as long as broad; parastigma slightly swollen and very weakly downcurved; apex of stigmal vein with 3 campaniform sensilla; gaster with “glands” on TV separated by about one-third their own lengths; syntergum broader than long. Male: unknown.

Female (holotype): length, including ovipositor, 1.47mm; excluding ovipositor, 1.41mm ( CPD) .

Head black with a moderate, metallic green sheen on frontovertex with slight purplish reflections, slightly coppery in ocellar area and near occipital margin; scrobal area mostly with a distinct, deep, purple sheen; lower part of interantennal prominence and mouth margin metallic green to blue-green; frontovertex with inconspicuous dark brown setae; temple adjacent to eye metallic green; posterior part of temple and gena purple, mixed coppery; antenna ( Fig. 576) with radicle dark brown; scape dark brown with extreme apex pale orange; pedicel dark brown in proximal two-thirds or so, apex pale orange; funicle pale brown, distal segments mixed pale orange, especially ventrally; clava dark brown; thorax mostly dark brown to black; pronotum with a dull purple sheen; mesoscutum with a dull purple sheen mixed with blue reflections, especially laterally; anterior one-third or so clothed in dark brown setae, posterior two-thirds clothed in moderately dense, slightly silvery, translucent setae, posterior margin dark purple; tegula dark brown; scutellum clothed with dark brown setae and with a distinct metallic green sheen that contrasts with the relatively dull mesoscutum, this mixed with coppery reflections, especially medially and posteriorly, sides and apex shining metallic green with some coppery reflections; metanotum with slight purple sheen; mesopleuron dark purple-brown with a weak, but distinct blue-green sheen in anterior two-thirds or so; fore coxa mostly white, but proximally brown; fore femur dark brown with apices white; tibia brown, distally pale orange-brown, narrowly white proximally; mid coxa dark brown, slightly metallic; mid femur white with a dark brown, subapical band; mid tibia white with a brown subbasal band, spur white; hind coxa dark brown, slightly metallic; hind femur almost completely dark brown but with extreme apices white; hind tibia dark brown with apices narrowly white; fore tarsi pale orange-brown; mid and hind tarsi white; pretarsi brownish; fore wing ( Fig. 578) 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 purple and brassy; gonostylus dark brown.

Head about 5X as wide as frontovertex, subtriangular in profile, occipital margin more or less rounded, occiput with a shallow groove from middle of occipital margin 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 shallow, not meeting, dorsal and lateral margins indistinct, weakly rounded; antenna as in Fig. 576; scape slightly broadened and flattened, about 3.6X as long as broad; funicle segments subquadrate, F1- F3 quadrate, F4-F6 larger and slightly longer than broad; linear sensilla present only on F4-F6; clava slightly longer than F2-F6 combined, sutures not oblique, sensory area moderately large, about half as wide as clava, at apex only giving it a rounded appearance; eye slightly overreaching occipital margin and clothed with inconspicuous, short setae that are each slightly shorter than diameter of facet; frontovertex narrowest near posterior ocelli, slightly wider near anterior ocellus; malar sulcus absent; mandible with a long, acute lower tooth, rounded middle tooth and short, obtuse upper tooth. Relative measurements: HW 66, HH 57, FV 14.5, OD 4.5, POL 6.5, OOL 0.5, OCL 9.5 AOL 9, EL 39, EW 35, MS 27, SL 29, SW 8.

Thorax ( Fig. 580) with shallow, irregular, polygonally reticulate sculpture on pronotum, generally of mesh size subequal to diameter of facet; sculpture on anterior part of mesoscutum slightly coarser and finer than that on pronotum and more longitudinally elongate, but posterior part with polygonally reticulate sculpture similar to that on pronotum; sculpture on axilla slightly coarser and reticulate; scutellum with coarse, fairly regular, polygonally reticulate sculpture in middle, laterally and apically striate-reticulate, extreme apex and sides completely smooth; visible part of mesoscutum about 1.5X as broad as long; scutellum about as long as broad, subapical tuft sparse composed only 5 or 6 setae and indistinct, but setae about one-third as long as scutellum; hind femur about 3.8X as long as broad; fore wing with venation and setation as in Figs 577, 578; costal cell with 6 setae dorsally at apex; propodeum ( Fig. 580) with about 15 setae in spiracular area, side naked, medially about 0.1X as long as scutellum and smooth. Relative measurements: FWL 83, FWW 34; HWL 61, HWW 17.

Gaster with hypopygium reaching about half-way to apex; ovipositor hardly exserted, the exserted part about one-quarter as long as mid tibial spur; “glands” present on TV, separated by about one-third their own lengths; syntergum about as long as mid tibia; ovipositor as in Fig. 577, gonostylus about 0.6X as long as mid tibial spur. Relative measurements: OL 48, GL 10 [MT 36].

Variation. Only holotype examined.

Male. Unknown.

DISTRIBUTION. Costa Rica.

HOSTS. Unknown.

MATERIAL EXAMINED.

Type material. Holotype E: COSTA RICA, Guanacaste, Sta , Rosa NP, Bosq. Hum. 9-0, 23.iii-13. iv.1986 (Janzen, Gauld) . Holotype in NHMUK .

COMMENTS. Unfortunately, it is not possible to identify Gt1 of the gaster on the slide mounted holotype and therefore the presence or absence of “glands” on this tergite is unknown.