Cheiloneurus loresa, 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 : 257-259

Cheiloneurus loresa sp.nov.

( Figs 637-643)

DIAGNOSIS. Female (length about 1.5mm): body generally dark brown to black with a metallic sheen; antenna ( Fig. 639) with scape dark brown with apex pale orange; pedicel dark brown proximally, venter and apex pale orange; funicle yellow to pale orange, clava dark brown; mesoscutum with translucent, slightly silvery setae; fore and hind coxae white, mid coxa dark brown mixed white or pale yellow; hind tibia dark brown, legs otherwise white to pale orange mixed dark brown; fore wing ( Fig. 640) hyaline; head ( Fig. 638) about 4.7X as wide as frontovertex, in facial view about as broad as long and subcircular, gena weakly and fairly evenly curved; frontovertex without setae medially below anterior ocellus; area between eye and scrobe about as wide as anterior ocellus, with shallow sculpture, scrobal margin dorsally and laterally rounded; interantennal prominence dorsally rounded with only a few inconspicuous setae; mandible with two long, acute, lower teeth and a very short upper tooth; antenna ( Fig. 639) with scape about 3.5X as long as broad; funicle segments mostly transverse. F1 subquadrate; flagellum about as long as head width; linear sensilla on F5-F6; clava 3-segmented, slightly longer than funicle, sensory area extending very nearly 0.5X along ventral surface; mesoscutum ( Fig. 641) with imbricate reticulate sculpture; scutellum with distinct apical tuft of setae; wings fully developed; fore wing ( Fig. 640) about 2.7X as long as broad; parastigma not curved downwards; costal cell dorsally with 5 or 6 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. 643) not connected by a naked hyaline area; apical bristle of postmarginal vein not more than one-third as long as marginal vein; mid tibial spur hardly longer than basitarsus; propodeum ( Fig. 641) with about 15 setae around each spiracle, side naked; syntergum about as long as mid tibia; ovipositor ( Fig. 642) about 3.2X gonostylus or 1.4X mid tibia; gonostylus about 1.2X mid tibial spur; exserted part of ovipositor 0.2X mid tibial spur. Male: unknown.

Female (holotype): length, including ovipositor, 1.45mm; excluding ovipositor, 1.43mm ( CPD) .

Head black with a dull metallic green and purple sheen on frontovertex, scrobal area mostly with a purple sheen with some copper above mouth margin; purple area of scrobes extending between eye and scrobe, shining metallic green and coppery purple outside this; temple predominantly shining metallic green mixed with some copper along eye margin and brassy areas; gena metallic green immediately below eye, otherwise coppery purple; frontovertex clothed with inconspicuous dark brown setae; antenna ( Fig. 639) with radicle dark brown; scape mostly dark brown with apical one-third pale orange; pedicel dark brown in proximal two-thirds, apex and venter pale orange; funicle with F1-F3 pale orange, F4-F6 yellow; clava dark brown; thorax mostly dark brown to black; pronotum with a dull coppery-purple sheen; mesoscutum clothed with fairly conspicuous, evenly distributed, pale, translucent setae and metallic blue-green with some brassy reflections, especially posteriorly, posterior margin coppery 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 a slight purple sheen; mesopleuron largely dark purple with some blue reflections anteriorly; fore coxa white, femur proximally white but mostly brown in apical half; fore tibia pale orange with a diffuse brown subbasal band; mid coxa dark brown, apically very pale yellow or white; mid femur white with a broad subapical dark brown band in apical one-third; mid tibia pale orange with a broad, brown subbasal band in proximal one-third; hind coxa white; hind femur white with apical half dark brown; hind tibia dark brown, narrowly dusky pale yellow proximally, slightly more than apical one-third pale yellow; all tarsi pale orange; pretarsi brownish; fore wing ( Fig. 640) completely hyaline, venation pale brown; propodeum dark purple-brown; sides metallic green with conspicuous silvery setae in spiracular area; gaster dark purple-brown, Gt1 distinctly metallic green; remainder of gaster mixed brassy, sides of apical tergites metallic green; outer plates of ovipositor blue-green; gonostylus dark brown.

Head ( Fig. 638) about 4.7X as wide as frontovertex with occipital margin sharp and without a median groove to foramen; ocelli forming an angle of about 40°; frontovertex slightly shiny, with conspicuous reticulate sculpture of mesh size slightly smaller than diameter of eye facet; scrobes, interantennal prominence and mouth margin with shallow sculpture, almost smooth; temple and posterior gena completely smooth adjacent to eye margin but posteriorly with shallow, irregular sculpture; scrobes moderately deep, meeting dorsally, dorsal and lateral margins weakly rounded; antenna as in Fig. 639; scape slightly broadened and flattened, about 3.5X as long as broad; funicle with F1 subquadrate, all other segments transverse and broadening distad, linear sensilla present only on F5-6; clava slightly longer than funicle, both sutures slightly oblique, sensory area hardly longer than ventral surface, forming an oblique truncation that extends a little less than half-way along clava; eye virtually reaching occipital margin, separated by much less than diameter of facet and clothed in fairly conspicuous setae that are each about as long as diameter of facet; malar sulcus absent; mandible with 2 long, acute lower teeth and a very short upper tooth. Relative measurements: HW 74.5, HH 74, FV 16, OD 5.5, POL 7.5, OOL 1, OCL 7, AOL 10.5, EL 49, EW 39, MS 28, SL 40, SW 11.5.

Thorax ( Fig. 641) with shallow, irregular, polygonally reticulate sculpture on pronotum, of slightly larger mesh size than on frontovertex; sculpture on mesoscutum largely similar but imbricate reticulate and very slightly obliquely elongate anteriorly; sculpture on axilla coarser and reticulate; scutellum mostly with coarse, longitudinally elongate, reticulate sculpture almost forming whorls, 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 one-third as long as scutellum; hind femur about 3.5X as long as broad; fore wing with venation and setation as in Figs 640, 643; costal cell with 6 setae dorsally at apex; no naked streak present between apices of postmarginal and stigmal veins ( Fig. 643); propodeum ( Fig. 641) with 12 or 13 setae in spiracular area, side naked, medially about 0.1X as long as scutellum and smooth. Relative measurements: FWL 82, FWW 30.5; HWL 63, HWW 14.5.

Gaster without “gland-like” structures on Gt1 or Gt5; hypopygium ( Fig. 637) reaching about 0.4X to apex; ovipositor ( Fig. 642) hardly exserted, the exserted part about 0.2X as long as mid tibial spur or about 0.1X as long as mid tibia; syntergum about as long as mid tibia. Relative measurements: OL 50, GL 15.5 [MT 36].

Variation. Only holotype examined.

Male. Unknown.

DISTRIBUTION. Costa Rica.

HOSTS. Unknown.

MATERIAL EXAMINED.

Type material. Holotype E: COSTA RICA, Alajuela, PN Arenal, Sect. la Peninsula, LN 271500 453800, 600m, #54382, i.2000 (G. Carballo) . Holotype in NHMUK .

COMMENTS. Cheiloneurus loresa is very similar to rosea and, apart from the relatively narrower fore wing (see key), differs in lacking linear sensilla on F4 and having a relatively longer hypopygium. In loresa the hypopygium is at least 0.6X as long as broad, whilst in rosea it is not more than 0.5X as long as broad.