Cheiloneurus miklo, 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 : 245-247

Cheiloneurus miklo sp.nov.

( Figs 608-611; Hab.E 93)

DIAGNOSIS. Female (length about 2.4mm): body generally dark brown to black with a weak to moderate metallic sheen; antenna ( Fig. 611) with scape pale orange, dorsally margined brown; pedicel mostly pale orange, dorsally dark brown proximally; funicle pale orange; clava dark brown; mesoscutum with uniform pale brown setae that appear silvery in some lights; coxae white; mid and hind tibiae each with a narrow, dark brown, subbasal band, legs otherwise yellowish with some dark brown areas; fore wing ( Fig. 608) largely hyaline but weakly infuscate below marginal and stigmal veins and with a weak, infuscate median streak in apical half; head ( Fig. 610) about 4.4X as wide as frontovertex, in facial view very slightly broader than long, subcircular, genae converging, moderately and evenly curved; frontovertex naked medially below anterior ocellus; area between eye and scrobe about as wide as diameter of anterior ocellus, with distinct sculpture, scrobal margin rounded; interantennal prominence dorsally rounded with only a few long setae; mandible with two long, sharp lower teeth and a short, sharp, upper tooth; antenna ( Fig. 611) with scape about 4.6X as long as broad; funicle with F1 slightly longer than broad, remaining segments slightly transverse; head width slightly greater than length of flagellum; linear sensilla on F4-F6; clava 3-segmented, about as long as F2-F6 combined, sensory area large and forming an oblique truncation, extending about 0.4X along ventral margin; mesoscutum with polygonally reticulate sculpture; scutellum with a distinct, but short apical tuft of setae; wings fully developed; fore wing ( Fig. 608) about 2.5-2.6X as long as broad; parastigma very weakly curved downwards; costal cell dorsally with about 5 to 11 setae at apex and a single, complete line of setae ventrally; area below proximal part of parastigma with a group of about 35 setae; apices of postmarginal and stigmal veins ( Fig. 609) not connected by a naked hyaline area; apical bristle of postmarginal vein about 0.4X as long as marginal vein; mid tibial spur about as long as basitarsus; propodeum with about 35 setae around each spiracle, side naked; syntergum about 1.3X as long as mid tibia; ovipositor about 2.7X gonostylus or 2.1X mid tibia; gonostylus about 2.3X as long as mid tibial spur; exserted part of ovipositor about 0.8X as long as mid tibial spur. Male: unknown.

Female (holotype): length, including ovipositor, 2.38mm; excluding ovipositor, 2.22mm (CPD).

Head black with a weak blue and purple sheen on frontovertex, more strongly purple anteriorly; occiput with a blue sheen; scrobal area mostly purple with some dark blue reflections, interantennal prominence with a coppery purple band connecting toruli; mouth margin metallic blue-green; gena and temple strongly metallic blue-green with some weak purple and coppery reflections; frontovertex with fairly conspicuous dark brown setae; antenna ( Fig. 611)with radicle dark brown; scape mostly pale orange with a narrow, proximal brown ring and dorsal margin brown except at extreme apex; pedicel mostly pale orange, basal half or so dark brown dorsally; funicle pale orange; clava dark brown; thorax mostly dark brown to black; pronotum mainly dull, dark green with a slight brassy sheen, posterior margin coppery; mesoscutum with a blue to blue-green sheen with purple reflections, posterior margin coppery purple, setae uniform and translucent pale brown, but silvery in some lights; tegula dark brown; axilla dull, dark purple-brown with coppery reflections; scutellum noticeably less shiny than mesoscutum, but with a distinct dark blue sheen, medially strongly coppery, clothed with dark brown setae, extreme sides and apex shining green mixed coppery, especially at apex; metanotum with slight purple sheen; mesopleuron in posterior half with a coppery purple and brassy sheen, anterior half mixed blue, green, coppery and brassy, these narrowly separated by a coppery, dark blue and violet sheen; fore coxa white; fore femur white, pale orange distally, fore tibia pale orange with an inconspicuous pale brown, subbasal spot; mid coxa white; mid femur white, pale orange towards apex, tibia pale orange with a dark brown, subbasal spot; hind coxa white; hind femur white, pale orange towards apex, tibia mostly pale orange with an incomplete, brown, subbasal ring; fore tarsus pale orange-brown, mid and hind tarsi pale orange, pretarsi slightly dusky; fore wing ( Fig. 608) almost completely hyaline but weakly infuscate immediately below marginal and stigmal veins, and with an extremely weakly infuscate median streak distad of pale brown venation; propodeum dark purple-brown; sides metallic green with a few conspicuous silvery setae in spiracular area; gaster dark purple-brown, Gt1 metallic green proximally, dorsum slightly coppery, mixed purple and brassy, sides and outer plate of ovipositor mixed metallic green, blue, coppery and brassy; gonostylus slightly dusky, pale orange.

Head ( Fig. 610) about 4.4X as wide as frontovertex, not subtriangular in profile, occipital margin carinate, occiput without a median groove above foramen; ocelli forming an angle of about 75°; frontovertex slightly shiny, with conspicuous reticulate sculpture of mesh size generally very slightly smaller than diameter of eye facet; scrobal area and mouth margin with shallower sculpture; area immediately below eye almost completely smooth; gena and temple with more elongate sculpture of larger mesh; scrobes shallow, meeting dorsally, dorsal and lateral margins weakly rounded; antenna as in Fig. 611; scape hardly broadened and flattened, about 4.6X as long as broad; F1 a little longer than broad, F2-F6 at least slightly transverse; clava hardly broadened, almost as long as F2-F6 combined; only outer suture noticeably oblique, sensory area enlarged, extending about two-fifths along clava ventrally and giving it an obliquely truncate appearance; eye reaching occipital margin, clothed with fairly conspicuous setae, each slightly longer than diameter of facet; inner eye margins not converging anteriorly; malar sulcus absent; mandible with two, relatively long, acute, lower teeth, and a short, upper tooth. Relative measurements: HW 87, HH 85, FV 20, OD 8, POL 10, OOL 1, OCL 5.5, AOL 11, EL 56, EW 54, MS 32, SL 46, SW 10.

Thorax with shallow, irregular, polygonally reticulate sculpture on pronotum, generally of mesh size subequal to diameter of facet; sculpture on mesoscutum generally of similar depth to that on pronotum, but more regular and of smaller mesh; sculpture on axilla similar to that on mesoscutum, but slightly deeper; scutellum with conspicuously deeper, polygonally reticulate sculpture; apex and sides completely smooth and shiny; visible part of mesoscutum about 1.6X as broad as long; scutellum about as long as broad, with a short subapical tuft, setae about one-fifth to one-quarter as long as scutellum; hind femur about 4X as long as broad; fore wing with venation and setation as in Figs 609, 611; costal cell with about 5 setae dorsally at apex; no naked streak present between apices of postmarginal and stigmal veins ( Fig. 609); propodeum with moderately dense setae in spiracular area, side naked, medially about 0.1X as long as scutellum and with some shallow polygonally reticulate sculpture. Relative measurements: FWL 109, FWW 42.5; HWL 85, HWW 23.

Gaster with hypopygium reaching about half-way to apex; syntergum about 1.3X as long as mid tibia, with apex acute; ovipositor slightly exserted, the exserted part about 0.75X as long as mid tibial spur.

Paratype. Funicle with linear sensilla only on F4-F6; gaster without “gland-like” structures on Gt1 or Gt5. Relative measurements: OL 107, GL 40 [MT 51].

Variation. Very little in material examined, but the fore wing varies from about 2.5-2.6X as long as broad.

Male. Unknown.

DISTRIBUTION. Costa Rica.

HOSTS. Unknown.

MATERIAL EXAMINED.

Type material. Holotype E: COSTA RICA, San José , Zurqui de Moravia, 1600m, i.1995 (P. Hanson) . Paratype: COSTA RICA, 1E, San José, same data as holotype but vii.1992 . Holotype in MZUCR, paratype in NHMUK .

COMMENTS. As the key suggests, Cheiloneurus miklo is quite similar to fidenas , lamus and rosea . In addition to the characters given in the key it can be separated from both fidenas and lamus by the lack of linear sensilla on F3. In both fidenas and lamus linear sensilla are present on F3. Also, in miklo the sensory area of the clava extends about 0.4X along ventral surface of the clava whereas in fidenas it extends only about 0.3X along ventral surface. It can be separated from rosea on the colour of the hind femur and relative proportions of the ovipositor. In miklo the hind femur is completely yellow, the ovipositor is about 2X as long as the mid tibia and less than 3X as long as the gonostylus whereas in rosea the hind femur is apically marked brown and the ovipositor is about 1.5X as long as the mid tibia and more than 3X as long as the gonostylus.

See also comments under herndonia (p. 240), exeres (p. 243) and myndus (p. 253).