Cheiloneurus seius, 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 : 307-309

Cheiloneurus seius sp.nov.

( Figs 760-766; Hab. E 113)

DIAGNOSIS. Female (length about 1.5-1.7mm): body almost completely dark brown with a weak to moderate metallic sheen; antenna (Fig,. 761) with scape mostly white with dorsal and ventral margins largely brown; pedicel and flagellum dark brown; posterior half of mesoscutum with silvery setae; coxae dark brown; legs mostly dark brown; fore wing ( Fig. 766) mostly infuscate with basal cell mostly hyaline, a small hyaline area at apex of venation, another similar-sized paler area opposite and pale area at apex; head ( Fig. 760) about 5.2-5.5X as wide as frontovertex, in facial view clearly longer than broad, subrectangular, genae slightly curved and converging, but strongly curved inwards near mouth; frontovertex naked medially between anterior ocellus and scrobes; eye separated from scrobe by about diameter of anterior ocellus, area between eye and scrobe completely smooth; scrobes deep, sharply margined, carinate below eye; interantennal prominence with about 40 inconspicuous setae and dorsally rounded and without a median ridge; mandible with one acute tooth and a truncation; antenna ( Fig. 761) with scape about 3.8-4.1X as long as broad; F1-F3 longer than broad, F4-F6 quadrate or transverse; linear sensilla on F3-F6, sometimes absent from F3; clava 3-segmented, slightly shorter than F4-F6 combined; sensory area enlarged, extending ventrally nearly 0.3X length of clava, apex obliquely truncate; head width slightly less than flagellum length; mesoscutum ( Fig. 765) anteriorly with fine, longitudinally elongate, striate to striate-reticulate sculpture, posteriorly with shallower, polygonally reticulate sculpture; scutellum with a distinct, apical tuft of setae; wings fully developed, fore wing ( Fig. 766) about 2.7X as long as broad; parastigma downcurved; costal cell dorsally with one or two apical setae, ventrally with a line of setae that is narrowly interrupted above parastigma; area below proximal part of parastigma with a group of about 13 setae; apices of postmarginal and stigmal veins connected by a naked hyaline area that hardly continues into disc ( Fig. 762); apical bristle of postmarginal vein about as long as marginal vein; mid tibial spur longer than basitarsus; propodeum ( Fig. 765) with about five inconspicuous setae adjacent to spiracle, side naked; syntergum very nearly as long as mid tibia with apex virtually rounded; ovipositor ( Fig. 763) about 5.2X gonostylus or about 1.4X mid tibia; gonostylus about 0.7X as long mid tibial spur; exserted part of ovipositor about 0.3X as long as mid tibial spur. Male: unknown.

Female (holotype): length, including ovipositor, 1.53mm; excluding ovipositor, 1.50mm (CPD).

Head mainly dark brown, virtually black; small area outside torulus and lower occiput pale orange; frontovertex with occipital margin partly dark metallic blue, purple to posterior ocelli, anterior to this with a slight blue-green, brassy and purple sheen, more strongly metallic immediately above scrobes; area between eye and scrobe coppery brassy, purple and green; temple with a relatively strong metallic green, blue-green and purple sheen, this continuing more weakly onto upper part of gena, lower part of gena brassy, green and coppery; upper part of scrobes metallic green, upper part of interantennal prominence metallic green and blue-green, below this coppery from about half-way down toruli to mouth margin but for a narrow, metallic, dark blue line connecting lower parts of toruli; frontovertex clothed with inconspicuous, pale brown setae, these continued as a line below eye; gena and interantennal prominence with relatively dense, scattered, short, translucent setae; antenna ( Fig. 761) with radicle mostly dark brown, but pale orange proximally; scape mostly white, ventral margin dark brown from base to about 0.75X along its length, dorsal margin and apex dark brown; pedicel and flagellum dark brown, almost black; maxillary palpus pale brown, apical segment dark brown; thorax mostly dark brown; sides of pronotum orange; mesoscutum black, anterior half virtually matt, posterior half with a weak brassy sheen with weak blue and coppery reflections, anterior part clothed with dark brown setae, posterior part clothed with silvery setae, these more dense towards sides and near posterior margin; tegula dark brown with a weak coppery sheen; axilla and scutellum dark orange-brown mixed dark brown, with weak brassy reflections, axillae with dark brown setae, scutellum anteriorly with dark, golden brown setae, posterior setae and subapical tuft black; mesopleuron dark chestnut brown, anteriorly with a weak brassy, coppery and blue sheen, posteriorly with a relatively strong coppery, purple and green sheen; legs more or less completely dark brown, mid tarsus orange; fore wing ( Fig. 766) mostly infuscate, largely hyaline towards base, submarginal vein orange-brown, otherwise venation brown; propodeum dark brown, with a weak metallic purple sheen, mixed metallic blue-green outside spiracle, 6 or 7 translucent, white setae outside spiracle; gaster dark brown, mostly with a coppery-purple sheen, Gt3-Gt5 laterally mixed metallic green; gonostylus orange.

Head ( Fig. 760) about 5.5X as wide as frontovertex, in profile about 1.9X as high as deep, frontovertex weakly and evenly curved to top of scrobes then slightly angled towards mouth margin and virtually straight from top of scrobes to mouth margin, interantennal prominence slightly protuberant; occipital margin sharp, carinate; ocelli forming an angle of about 50°; frontovertex quite shiny, with shallow, fairly regular, polygonally reticulate sculpture of mesh size smaller than diameter of eye facet, sculpture slightly coarser and more transversely elongate immediately above scrobes, this area of coarser sculpture clearly defined laterally and with a broadly truncate lower margin that is about as wide as narrowest part of frontovertex, and not projecting into scrobes; upper part of interantennal prominence narrowly smooth, but mostly with moderately deep, slightly coarse, regular polygonally reticulate to imbricate-reticulate sculpture; temple with shallow, irregular, longitudinally elongate polygonally reticulate sculpture, posterior part of gena with similar sculpture, anterior part of gena with regular, polygonally reticulate sculpture that is about as deep as that immediately above scrobes; area between eye and scrobe about as wide as diameter of anterior ocellus and smooth; scrobes deep, meeting dorsally, sharply margined, carinate below eye, very broadly ∩-shaped, interantennal prominence dorsally broadly rounded, without a median ridge; antenna as in Fig. 761; scape broadened and flattened, broadest above middle, about 3.8X (3.8) as long as broad; F1-F3 longer than broad, F4 quadrate, F5-F6 transverse, segments wider and larger distally so that F6 is largest and widest, linear sensilla present only on F4-F6; clava slightly broadened, a little shorter than F4-F6 combined, sensory area slightly enlarged, extending about 0.3X along ventral surface, giving it an obliquely truncate appearance; eye not quite reaching occipital margin, separated by a little less than diameter of facet, appearing naked, but clothed with inconspicuous setae that are much shorter than diameter of facet; inner eye margins subparallel, narrowest point of frontovertex a little in front of anterior ocellus; malar sulcus absent; clypeal margin medially weakly concave; mandible with one acute tooth and a broad, slightly concave truncation; apical segment of maxillary palpus not enlarged, hardly longer than radicle. Relative measurements: HW 116, HH 119, FV 21, POL 10, OOL 0, OCL 12, AOL 17, EL 80, EW 57, MS 46, SL 48, SW 12.5.

Thorax ( Fig. 765) with pronotum hardly exposed behind head and about 0.6X as long as mesoscutum; pronotum slightly shiny with similar sculpture to that in ocellar area; mesoscutum in anterior half matt, with fine, longitudinally elongate, striate to striate-reticulate sculpture that is slightly finer than that in ocellar area, posterior half relatively shiny with shallower, polygonally reticulate sculpture; axilla and scutellum with deeper, coarser, polygonally reticulate sculpture, side of scutellum with slightly longitudinally elongate sculpture; visible part of mesoscutum about 2.1X as broad as long; scutellum about 1.2X as broad as long, with a distinct subapical tuft, setae mostly about 0.6X as long as scutellum; hind femur about 4.1X as long as broad; fore wing with venation and setation as in Figs 764, 766; costal cell naked dorsally at apex; apices of postmarginal and stigmal veins connected by a distinct, naked, hyaline streak ( Fig. 762); mid tibia with a weak, external carina in proximal half; propodeum ( Fig. 765) medially about 0.19X as long as scutellum and smooth. Relative measurements: FWL 83.5, FWW 30.5; HWL 76, HWW 19.

Gaster without “gland-like” structures on Gt1 or Gt5; hypopygium ( Fig. 764) reaching about 0.4X to apex; syntergum about as long as mid tibia, with apex weakly angular, virtually rounded; ovipositor ( Fig. 763) slightly exserted, the exserted part about 0.25X as long as md tibial spur or a little less than 0.1X as long as mid tibia. Relative measurements: OL 52, GL 10 [MT 38].

Variation. Females vary in overall length from about 1.5-1.7mm, the head varies from about 5.2-5.5X as wide as frontovertex, the scape varies from about 3.8-4.1X as long as wide, F3 may be without linear sensilla, otherwise little variation noted on material examined.

Male. Unknown.

DISTRIBUTION. Costa Rica.

HOSTS. Unknown.

MATERIAL EXAMINED.

Type material. Holotype E: COSTA RICA, Puntarenas, Pen Osa , 5km N Puerto Jimenez, 8°33’N 83°21’W, 10m, i-ii.1991 (P. Hanson, C. Godoy) . Paratypes: COSTA RICA, 1E, Puntarenas, PN Corcovado, Los Patos, 8°33’N 83°30’W, 200m, ii.2000 (J.S. Noyes, J.A. Azofeifa); 1E, Puntarenas, Golfito, Puerto Jimenez, Bosque del Cabo , LS 259300 540900, #72911, 30.i.2003 (J. Azofeifa) . Holotype in NHMUK, paratypes in MZUCR and NHMUK .

COMMENTS. Cheiloneurus seius is generally similar in habitus and colouration to both amadeus and medusa . It differs from these species in lacking the infuscate area below the proximal part of the parastigma, the head being at least 5X as wide as the frontovertex the ovipositor being less than 5.4X as long as the gonostylus and the mid tibia being less than 0.75X as long as the ovipositor. In amadeus and medusa there is a distinct triangular infuscate area below the parastigma, the head is less than 4.5X as wide as the frontovertex, the ovipositor is more than 5.5X as long as a gonostylus and the mid tibia is more than 0.8X as long as the ovipositor. It further differs from amadeus in having the posterior margin of the hypopygium strongly invaginate whilst in amadeus the posterior margin of the hypopygium is quite evenly rounded. Finally, it differs from medusa in having striate-reticulate sculpture on the anterior part and sides of the mesoscutum whereas in medusa the mesoscutum has fairly uniform imbricate-reticulate to polygonally reticulate sculpture.

See also comments under grimus (p. 304), poeana (p. 314) and oshtan (p. 316).