Homalopoda opsis, 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 : 70-72

Homalopoda opsis sp.nov.

( Figs 126-132; Hab. E 21)

DIAGNOSIS. Female (length about 1.8-2.4mm): scape dark brown; flagellum dark brown; fore femur dark brown, orange apically, fore tibia orange with a subbasal brown ring, mid femur proximally white, apex dark brown, tibia dark brown, apex pale yellow; fore wing ( Fig. 126) with apical area generally hyaline; paired hyaline spots at apex of venation separated by no more than length of marginal vein; no well-defined hyaline spot present in middle of wing below marginal vein; head about 7.7X as wide as frontovertex; occipital margin with a scale-like seta behind posterior ocellus; mandible with 1 tooth and a broad truncation; a line of silvery setae adjacent to eye above scrobe; scape about 5.6X as long as broad; funicle segments ( Fig. 127) subcylindrical, all at least slightly longer than broad, linear sensilla present on all segments; flagellum slightly shorter than head width; apex of scutellum ( Fig. 132) with two pairs of scale-like setae; costal cell of fore wing ventrally with 2 lines of setae proximally, a single line of setae in distal half; postmarginal vein much shorter than stigmal vein ( Fig. 128); linea calva interrupted by 2 or 3 setae; hind tibia may have a weak subbasal constriction. Male: unknown.

Female (holotype): length, including ovipositor, 1.80mm; excluding ovipositor, 1.61mm (CPD).

Head with frontovertex mixed metallic green and blue-green with some violet areas; area in front of anterior ocellus violet and purple; scrobal area entirely metallic green and dark blue-green; mouth margin orange-brown; temple metallic blue-green with some violet reflections; gena metallic blue-green; frontovertex with a few, fairly conspicuous, scattered, brown setae; a conspicuous line of dense, translucent silvery setae between eye and scrobe extending to position of malar sulcus; gena and interantennal prominence with a few scattered, moderately conspicuous, translucent, silvery setae; maxillary palpus white with terminal segment pale orange-brown; radicle pale orange, with a dark brown apical ring; scape, pedicel and flagellum dark brown; thorax dark brown to black with a metallic lustre; pronotum mainly with a dark blue and violet sheen, posterior margin coppery purple; mesoscutum mostly shining, but relatively dull, dark, metallic blue-green with violet reflections, narrowly margined coppery purple laterally and posteriorly; tegula dark brown with a weak coppery purple and brassy sheen; axilla dark brown with a relatively dull brassy, green and coppery sheen; scutellum relatively dull, dark, metallic blue, proximally dark green, side shining dark blue and green, apex violet; mesopleuron anteriorly with a moderate violet, brassy and dark blue sheen, medially dark green and brassy, posteriorly coppery purple; all coxae dark brown; fore femur brown, extreme apices pale orange, tibia mostly pale orange, but with a broad, incomplete, brown subbasal ring, tarsus slightly dusky pale orange; mid femur with proximal 0.4X white, tibia with proximal 0.5X brown and apex very pale yellow, spur and tarsus very pale yellow to pale orange; hind femur and tibia dark brown, extreme apex of tibia white dorsally, tarsus white with apical tarsomere pale orange; fore wing with a pattern of hyaline and infuscate areas as in Fig. 126; propodeum dark brown with a weak brassy and purple sheen, side with a weak metallic green sheen; gaster dark purple-brown, dorsally with a coppery purple sheen, Gt1 with a metallic violet, dark blue and blue-green sheen, side and venter with coppery, blue, brassy and green reflections; gonostylus dark brown.

Head ( Fig. 130) about 7.7X as wide as frontovertex, in profile about 1.6X as high as deep, tangent to frontovertex forming an angle of about 60° with that of face; occipital margin sharp, weakly carinate, clearly emarginate medially, with a conspicuous, slender, scale-like seta present behind each posterior ocellus, seta about as long as width of frontovertex across posterior ocelli; a short, oval depression adjacent to eye near occipital margin; ocelli forming an angle of about 55°; frontovertex narrowing strongly anteriorly, shiny; ocellar area with relatively deep, polygonally reticulate sculpture of mesh size slightly less than diameter of eye facet ( Fig. 130), area between anterior ocellus and top of scrobes with shallow sculpture, virtually smooth; temple and gena with relatively shallow, longitudinally elongate, fine polygonally reticulate sculpture; top of scrobes with shallow, regular, polygonally reticulate sculpture, below this with conspicuously shallower sculpture; interantennal prominence and mouth margin with shallow, relatively fine, polygonally reticulate sculpture; antenna as in Fig. 127; scape hardly broadened and flattened, about 5.6X as long as broad; all funicle segments at least 1.3X as long as broad ( Fig. 127), F1 longest, slightly more than 2X as long as broad, segments broadest distad, linear sensilla present on all funicle segments; clava about as long as F1-F3 combined, sutures parallel, sensory area small, at apex only giving it a rounded appearance; eye slightly overreaching occipital margin, clothed with short, very inconspicuous setae, each clearly shorter than diameter of facet; clypeal margin medially virtually straight. Relative measurements: HW 88, HH 70, FV 11.5, POL 10, OOL 0.5, OCL 9.5, AOL 10, EL 40, EW 49, MS 37, SL 44.5, SW 8.

Thorax ( Fig. 132) with visible part of mesoscutum about 1.5X as broad as long; scutellum about 1.3X as broad as long, apex with two pairs of flattened, scale-like setae, inner pair much broader and larger, each about 1.3X as long as scutellum, outer pair more slender, slightly curved and about 0.9X as long as scutellum; hind femur about 3.7X as long as broad; fore wing with venation and setation as in Figs 126, 128; costal cell distally with about 15 setae extending dorsally about 0.5X along from apex; propodeum medially about 0.08X as long as scutellum. Relative measurements: FWL 92, FWW 37; HWL 71. HWW 18.

Gaster with hypopygium reaching about 0.7X towards apex; syntergum about 1.15X as long as mid tibia, with apex angular; ovipositor exserted, the exserted part about 0.7X length of mid tibial spur or about 0.3X mid tibia.

Paratype. Mandible with one long tooth and a broad truncation, but truncation more less with three very short teeth; hypopygium as in Fig 131; ovipositor as in Fig. 129. Relative measurements: OL 65.5, GL 18.5 [MT 42].

Variation. Females vary in overall length from 1.80-2.39mm.

Male. Unknown.

DISTRIBUTION. Costa Rica.

HOSTS. Unknown.

MATERIAL EXAMINED.

Type material. Holotype E: COSTA RICA, Guanacaste, ZP Nosara, Fila Maravilla , LN 221350 381700, 800m, #66663, 24.xi-21.xii.2001 (I. Jiménez) . Paratypes: COSTA RICA, 1E, Guanacaste, Santa Rosa NP, SE 6C, vii.1986 (D. Janzen, I.D. Gauld); 1E, Guanacaste , RF Monte Alto, Send. La Ceiba , LN 221100 392950, 600m, #65435, 22.x-26.xi.2001 (I. Jiménez); 1E, Guanacaste, PN Bosque Diría, 10°10’N 85°34’W, 200m, 14-15.ii.2011 (J.S. Noyes) . Holotype in MZUCR, paratypes in NHMUK .