Coccidencyrtus xylomus, 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 : 105-107

Coccidencyrtus xylomus sp.nov.

( Figs 230-238; Hab. E 38, G 39)

DIAGNOSIS. Female (length about 0.8-1.1mm): scape largely brown; pedicel and flagellum brown; fore and mid coxae white, hind coxa brown; fore femur and tibia white to pale orange; mid femur and tibia white to very pale orange; mid and hind tibiae immaculate, very pale orange; gaster dark brown; frontovertex slightly less than half head width; antenna ( Fig. 231) with scape about 3x as long as broad, funicle with F1 about as wide as pedicel, segments subequal, all longer than broad but becoming slightly broader distally, linear sensilla on all segments; clava about as long as F4-F6 combined and about 3X as long as broad; palp formula 3-2; scutellum ( Fig. 230) with 3 pairs of setae and with fine, polygonally reticulate sculpture that is slightly deeper than that on mesoscutum, becoming more longitudinally elongate laterally; mid tibial spur hardly longer than basitarsus; mid basitarsus with 4 ventral pegs; fore wing with stigmal vein ( Fig. 233) slightly longer than postmarginal but clearly shorter than marginal vein; hypopygium reaching a little more than half way along gaster; ovipositor ( Fig. 235) about 2.7X as long as gonostylus, the exserted part about 2X as long as mid tibial spur. Male (length about 0.7-1.0mm): legs darker than in female, with mid coxa slightly dusky and a poorly defined, broad, subapical, brown band on mid femur; all funicle segments clothed in whorls of long setae, longest about 5X as long as diameter of segments ( Fig. 237); phallobase ( Fig. 238) about 4X as long as broad; aedeagus about 7X as long as broad and about 0.5X as long as mid tibia.

Female (holotype): length, including ovipositor, 1.06mm; excluding ovipositor, 0.90mm ( CPD) .

Head dark brown to black with a weak to moderate metallic lustre; occiput with a weak brassy sheen; frontovertex near occipital margin with a weak coppery sheen, area around anterior ocellus relatively bright, metallic dark green; scrobal area, temple and gena relatively dull with a slight coppery purple sheen; frontovertex, gena and interantennal prominence with a few scattered, very inconspicuous, brown setae; maxillary palpus white; radicle dark brown; scape brown, orange-brown towards apex; pedicel dark brown proximally, apex pale brown; funicle and clava pale brown; thorax dark brown to black with a weak metallic lustre; pronotum with a weak coppery sheen; mesoscutum with a weak coppery sheen, posterolaterally with dark green and brassy reflections; tegula dark purple brown with a weak brassy sheen; axilla with a weak coppery purple and brassy sheen; scutellum less shiny than mesoscutum, but with a very weak coppery purple sheen, extreme side and apex more shiny and slightly brassy; mesopleuron with a moderate purplish sheen; fore coxa white; fore femur proximally white, distally very pale orange, tibia very pale orange, tarsus slightly dusky, pale orange; mid coxa white; mid femur white proximally, very pale orange distally, tibia very pale orange, spur and tarsus slightly dusky, pale orange; hind coxa brown; hind femur white in proximal 0.4X with a broad, subapical, brown band, extreme apex pale orange, tibia very pale orange, tarsus pale orange-brown; wings hyaline, fore wing with a very small, weakly infuscate area immediately below marginal vein; propodeum dark brown with a weak brassy and purple sheen; gaster dark brown with brassy, purple, blue, green and coppery reflections; gonostylus dark brown.

Head ( Fig. 232) about 2.3X as wide as frontovertex, in profile about 1.5X as high as deep, tangent to frontovertex forming an angle of about 100° with that of face; occipital margin sharp, not carinate; no distinct oval depression adjacent to eye near occipital margin; ocelli forming an angle of about 85°; frontovertex slightly widening in front of anterior ocellus with fairly coarse, polygonally reticulate sculpture of mesh size subequal to eye facet; temple and gena with relatively shallow, slightly longitudinally elongate, fine, polygonally reticulate sculpture; top of scrobes with shallow, regular, polygonally reticulate sculpture; interantennal prominence and mouth margin with shallow, polygonally reticulate sculpture; scrobes shallow, indistinctly margined, broadly ∩-shaped; interantennal prominence dorsally rounded; antenna as in Fig. 231; scape broadened and flattened, about 2.9X as long as broad; funicle with segments subequal, all slightly longer than broad, distal segments progressively slightly longer and broader; clava slender, about 4.3X as long as broad, about as wide as F6, and about as long as F4-F6 combined, sutures parallel, sensory area small, at apex only giving it a pointed appearance; eye slightly overreaching occipital margin, clothed with conspicuous setae, each slightly longer than diameter of facet; malar sulcus present, distinct; clypeal margin evenly very slightly concave, medially virtually straight. Relative measurements: HW 47.5, HH 36.5, FV 20.5, POL 7, OOL 3, OCL 2, AOL 5.5, EL 28, EW 22, MS 11, SL 17.5, SW 6.

Thorax ( Fig. 230) with pronotum hardly exposed behind head, its posterior margin broadly concave, not angular medially; pronotum and mesoscutum with polygonally reticulate sculpture that is similar to that in ocellar area but slightly shallower; axilla with transversely elongate reticulate sculpture that is much shallower than that on mesoscutum; scutellum dorsally with fine, polygonally reticulate sculpture that is slightly deeper than that on mesoscutum, sculpture much more longitudinally elongate laterally, extreme side and apex completely smooth and shiny; visible part of mesoscutum about 2X as broad as long; scutellum about 1.1X as broad as long and with 3 pairs of setae; mid tibial spur hardly longer than basitarsus; hind femur about 3.4X as long as broad; fore wing with venation and setation as in Figs 233, 234, stigmal vein slightly longer than postmarginal but clearly shorter than marginal vein; propodeum ( Fig. 230) medially about 0.09X as long as scutellum. Relative measurements: FWL 50, FWW 21.5; HWL 32.5, HWW 7.

Gaster with hypopygium reaching about 0.6X towards apex; last tergite about 0.9X as long as mid tibia, with apex angular but not acute; ovipositor exserted, the exserted part about 2X as long as mid tibial spur or about 0.6X mid tibia.

Paratype. Funicle with linear sensilla conspicuous and present on all funicle segments; mandible with 3 acute teeth; palp formula 3-2; hypopygium Fig. 236; ovipositor Fig. 235.. Relative measurements: OL 91.5, GL 34.5 [MT 47].

Variation. Females vary in overall length from 0.77-1.08mm, the hind coxa may be partially pale orange, the posterior ocellus may be equidistant from eye and occipital margins or even very slightly closer to the eye margin, and the exserted part of the ovipositor may be only about as long as the mid tibial spur or about 0.3X as long as the mid tibia.

Male: length 0.68-0.97mm.

Generally similar to female but for slightly darker legs and structure of antenna and genitalia. Legs generally slightly darker than those of female with mid coxa slightly dusky and a poorly defined, broad, subapical, brown band on mid femur; antenna ( Fig. 238) with all funicle segments longer than broad, F1 slightly longer than broad, F6 at least 2X as long as broad, all segments clothed with whorls of long setae, dorsal ones longest and at least about 5X as long as diameter of segments; phallobase ( Fig. 237) about 4X as long as broad with two apical hooks on each digitus, aedeagus apically acute, about 7X as long as broad and nearly 0.5X as long as mid tibia. Relative measurements MT 81; AL 37, AW 5.

DISTRIBUTION. Costa Rica.

HOSTS. Unknown.

MATERIAL EXAMINED.

Type material. Holotype E: COSTA RICA, Puntarenas, PN Corcovado, Est. Sirena, 8°29’N 83°35’W, 0-10m, 19-20.ii.2004 (J.S. Noyes). Paratypes: COSTA RICA, 1E, Alajuela, Peñas Blancas, 9.v.1987 (E.C. Cruz); 1E, Heredia, Est. Biol. La Selva, 10°26’N 84°01’W, 75m, 28-29.ii.2008 (J.S. Noyes); 1E, Cartago, Turrialba, CATIE, Reventazon, 550m, 4.ix.1996 (L. Masner); 1E, Puntarenas, San Vito, Las Cruces, Wilson Bot. Gdns, 8°46’N 82°57’W, 1300m, 15-16.ii.2006 (J.S. Noyes); 1E, Puntarenas, San Vito, Las Cruces, Wilson Bot. Gdns, 8°46’N 82°57’W, 1200-1350m, 15-16.ii.2012 (J.S. Noyes); 4E, 3G, Puntarenas, Los Charcos de Osa , 8°40’N 83°30’W, 50m, 18-19.ii.2008 (J.S. Noyes); 2E, Puntarenas, Los Charcos de Osa , 8°40’N 83°30’W, 50m, 15-16.ii.2010 (J.S. Noyes); 1E, Puntarenas, Golfo Dulce, 24km W Piedras Blancas, 200m, iii-v.1989 (P. Hanson); 1E, Puntarenas, PN Corcovado, Send. Los Patos/Sirena, LS 509200 275700, 70m, 20.ii.2002 (J. Azofeifa); 1E, Puntarenas, PN Corcovado, Los Patos, LS 514200 276500, 20.ii.2002 (J. Azofeifa); 2E, 1G, same data as holotype; 1E, Puntarenas, PN Piedras Blancas, Est. El Bonito, 8°43’N 83°13’W, 100m, 13-14.ii.2012 (J.S. Noyes); 1E, 1G, Limón, PN Cahuita, 5m, 1.iii.1991 (J.S. Noyes); 1E, Limón, RB Hitoy Cerere, Est. Hitoy Cerere, Send. Toma de Agua, LN 194600 643400, 100-140m, MT, #54013, 11.x-11.xi.1999 (F. Umana); 2E, 1G, Limón, RB Hitoy Cerere, 9°40’N 83°02’W, 100m, ii.2004 (J.S. Noyes); 1E, Limón, Res. Biol. Hitoy Cerere, 9°40’N 83°02’W, 100m, 20-21.ii.2006 (J.S. Noyes); 1E, Limón, RB Hitoy Cerere, 9°40’N 83°02’W 100m, 22-23.ii.2010 (J.S. Noyes). Holotype in MZUCR, paratypes in MZUCR, CNC and NHMUK.

COMMENTS. Of the Costa Rica species of Coccidencyrtus , females of xylomus are the most similar to any of the species known from the Palaearctic and adjacent areas because they have a clearly exserted ovipositor and subequal funicle segments that are at least as broad as the pedicel, longer than broad and with prominent linear sensilla. Of these, xylomus is most similar to amathus (Walker) in having the maxillary palpi 3-segmented and distinctly imbricate-reticulate sculpture on the mesoscutum. Females differ from those of amathus in many characters, but most conspicuously having the clava composed of three closely adpressed segments, very uniform imbricate sculpture on the mesoscutum and longitudinally elongate striate-reticulate to striate sculpture on the scutellum. In amathus the clava is composed of three clearly separate segments (especially the proximal one which has the appearance of a funicle segment) and the mesoscutum has imbricate-reticulate sculpture only medially and the sculpture on the scutellum is composed of longitudinally elongate, cellular, polygonally reticulate sculpture. The males of the two species have similar differences in sculpture of the mesoscutum and scutellum.