Homalopoda baunos, 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 : 69-70

Homalopoda baunos sp.nov.

( Figs 119-125; Hab. E 20)

DIAGNOSIS. Female (length about 1.6-1.9mm): scape pale orange; funicle generally pale orange, mixed brown, clava dark brown; fore leg pale orange, mid leg white mixed pale orange; fore wing ( Fig. 119) with apical area generally lightly infuscate; paired hyaline spots at apex of venation separated by about length of marginal vein; no hyaline spot present in middle of wing below marginal vein; head ( Fig. 120) about 4.9X as wide as frontovertex; occipital margin with a bristle-like seta behind posterior ocellus; mandible with 4 teeth; an inconspicuous line of silvery setae adjacent to eye above scrobe; scape about 4.9X as long as broad; funicle segments subcylindrical, all at least 1.5X as long as broad ( Fig. 122), linear sensilla present only on F3-F4; flagellum about as long as head width; apex of scutellum with two pairs of scale-like setae ( Fig. 121); costal cell of fore wing ventrally with 3 lines of setae proximally, a single line of setae in distal half; postmarginal vein very nearly as long as stigmal vein ( Fig. 123); linea calva not interrupted ( Fig. 119); hind tibia without a subbasal constriction. Male: unknown.

Female (holotype): length, including ovipositor, 1.89mm; excluding ovipositor, 1.78mm (CPD).

Head dark brown to black with a distinct metallic lustre; occiput mainly metallic dark green with some blue-green reflections; frontovertex metallic blue-green mixed with some violet; area above scrobes deep violet; scrobes and interantennal prominence metallic dark green with some violet and brassy reflections; mouth margin orange-brown; temple mixed metallic blue-green, dark blue, purple and coppery purple, posteriorly relatively dull; area immediately below lowest part of eye metallic blue-green, gena relatively dull coppery purple; frontovertex with a few, fairly inconspicuous, scattered, translucent, pale brown setae; an inconspicuous line of sparse, translucent silvery setae between eye and scrobe extending to position of malar sulcus; gena with scattered, similarly inconspicuous, translucent, silvery setae; interantennal prominence with two submedian lines of similar setae; maxillary palpus white; radicle pale orange, with a dark brown apical ring; scape pale orange, a little dusky at extreme apex; pedicel dark brown, pale orange at apex and ventrally; funicle generally pale orange, but segments dusky dorsally and proximally so that F1 is mostly dusky pale orange and F6 is mostly pale orange; clava dark brown; thorax dark brown to black with a metallic lustre; pronotum mainly with blue-green and violet sheen, posterior margin medially coppery purple; mesoscutum metallic blue-green with violet reflections, narrowly margined coppery purple laterally and posteriorly; tegula dark brown with a weak coppery purple sheen; axilla dark brown with a very dull coppery purple sheen; scutellum dorsally relatively dull, with very weak coppery purple and dark green reflections, side and apex strongly shining blue-green and green, with some brassy and violet reflections; mesopleuron anteriorly with a moderate violet, brassy and dark blue sheen, medially dark green and brassy, posteriorly coppery purple; all coxae dark brown; fore leg pale orange, tibia with a small, brown, subbasal spot externally and tarsus slightly dusky; mid femur with proximal 0.5X white, apex pale orange, tibia white to very pale orange with a diffuse, subbasal brown ring, spur and tarsus white to very pale orange; hind femur pale orange at extreme base otherwise dark brown, tibia dark brown with apical 0.3X white, tarsus white, apical tarsomere pale orange; fore wing with a pattern of hyaline and infuscate areas as in Fig. 110, with only one pair of hyaline spots; propodeum dark brown with a weak brassy and purple sheen, side with a metallic dark green and dark blue sheen mixed brassy; gaster dark purple-brown, dorsally with a coppery purple sheen, Gt1 with a metallic, dark blue sheen, side and venter with coppery, blue, brassy and green reflections; gonostylus dark brown.

Head ( Fig. 120) about 4.9X as wide as frontovertex, in profile about 1.7X as high as deep, tangent to frontovertex forming an angle of about 55° with that of face occipital margin rounded with a conspicuous, elongate seta present behind each posterior ocellus, seta about as long a width of frontovertex across anterior ocellus; a slender, oval depression adjacent to eye near occipital margin and a small, shallow median depression medially in front of occipital margin; ocelli forming an angle of about 60°; frontovertex clearly narrowing anteriorly; ocellar area with relatively deep, fine, polygonally reticulate sculpture of mesh size slightly less than diameter of eye facet ( Fig. 120), area between anterior ocellus and top of scrobes with slightly shallower, finer, slightly transversely elongate polygonally reticulate to imbricate-reticulate sculpture; temple completely smooth and shiny adjacent to eye, otherwise temple and gena with relatively shallow, longitudinally elongate, fine polygonally reticulate sculpture; top of scrobes with shallow, regular, polygonally reticulate sculpture, above torulus almost completely smooth and shiny, elsewhere with shallow sculpture; interantennal prominence and mouth margin with shallow, relatively fine, polygonally reticulate sculpture; antenna as in Fig. 122; scape hardly broadened and flattened, about 4.9X as long as broad; all funicle segments at least about 1.5X as long as broad, F2 shortest, segments slightly broader distad, linear sensilla present only on F3-F4; clava slightly longer than F2-F4 combined, sutures parallel, sensory area small, at apex only giving it a rounded appearance; eye slightly overreaching occipital margin, naked; clypeal margin medially virtually straight; mandible with four teeth, two uppermost very short. Relative measurements: HW 82.5, HH 75, FV 17, POL 11, OOL 0, OCL 14 (shortest line from posterior ocellus to elongate seta on occipital margin), AOL 12, EL 43, EW 43, MS 40, SL 42, SW 8.5.

Thorax ( Fig. 121) with visible part of mesoscutum about 1.5X as broad as long; scutellum about 1.3X as broad as long, apex with 2 pairs of elongate, scale-like setae, longer (inner) pair each about 0.9X as long as scutellum, shorter (outer) pair each about 0.8X as long as scutellum; hind femur about 3.6X as long as broad; fore wing with venation and setation as in Figs 119, 123; costal cell distally with about 10 setae extending dorsally in apical 0.3X; linea calva entire; propodeum medially about 0.07X as long as scutellum. Relative measurements: FWL 116, FWW 48; HWL 84, HWW 22.

Gaster with hypopygium ( Fig. 125) reaching about 0.6X towards apex; syntergum about 0.9X as long as mid tibia, with apex acute; ovipositor ( Fig. 124) slightly exserted, the exserted part about 0.4X length of mid tibial spur or about 0.2X mid tibia; second valvifer without any subapical setae. Relative measurements: OL 70.5, GL 20 [MT 48].

Variation. Females vary in overall length from 1.60-1.89mm, otherwise little variation in material examined.

Male. Unknown.

DISTRIBUTION. Costa Rica.

HOSTS. Unknown.

MATERIAL EXAMINED.

Type material. Holotype E: COSTA RICA, Guanacaste, Cacao (ACG), 1100 m, MT/YPT, 26.i-24. ii.1996 (J.S. Noyes) . Paratypes: COSTA RICA, 1E, Puntarenas, Res. Priv. Karen Mogensen, 9°52’N 85°03’W, 305m, 11-12.2018 (J.S. Noyes) . Holotype and paratype in NHMUK .