Hebynthus erythrax, 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 : 702-704

Hebynthus erythrax sp.nov.

(Figs 1939-1947; Hab. E 288, G 289)

DIAGNOSIS. Female (length about 1.1-1.8mm): antenna (Fig. 1943) with scape pale orange; funicle brown mixed orange, clava brown; coxae dark brown; fore and mid femora brown with some orange; hind tibia pale orange; fore wing (Fig. 1947) hyaline; head (Fig. 1944) about 3.3- 4.0X as wide as frontovertex; malar sulcus absent; antenna (Fig. 1943) with scape about 7X as long as broad; pedicel hardly longer than F1-F2 combined; funicle with F1-F5 longer than broad; linear sensilla on all funicle segments; sensory part of clava extending about 0.5X along ventral surface; fore wing (Fig. 1947) about 2.6X as long as broad; ventral surface of costal cell with a single complete line of setae and a second interrupted line; mid tibial spur about as long as basitarsus; ovipositor slightly exserted with exserted part about 0.3X as long as mid tibial spur; gonostylus about 1.1X as long as mid tibial spur. Male (length about 0.9-1.4mm): antenna (Fig. 1939) with scape about 3.7-4.0X as long as broad; funicle segments each about 2X as long as broad, proximal segments slightly larger, aedeagus (Fig. 1945) about 0.4X as long as mid tibia.

Female (holotype): length, including ovipositor, 1.44mm; excluding ovipositor, 1.39mm ( CPD) .

Head mainly black; occipital margin with a weak, metallic dark blue sheen, rest of head with a moderately strong purple sheen with a few dark blue reflections; setae on frontovertex, interantennal prominence and gena dark brown; antenna (Fig. 1943) with radicle dusky orange; scape orange; pedicel brown, orange towards apex and ventrally; funicle brown dorsally and laterally, orange ventrally; clava brown; maxillary palpus dark brown; pronotum black with a slight purple sheen; propleuron and prosternum black; mesoscutum black with a moderately strong purple sheen with a few coppery, green and dark blue reflections; tegula dark brown; axilla and anterior three-quarters of scutellum black with moderately strong purple sheen, posterior part of scutellum black with a more conspicuous coppery sheen mixed with dark blue-green reflections; vertical apex and side very strongly coppery; metanotum black; mesopleuron black with a purple and blue sheen, with some coppery reflections; mesosternum dark brown; fore coxa dark brown; fore femur proximally dark brown, apical one-third or so orange, tibia and tarsus orange; mid coxa dark brown; mid femur dark brown, partially orange at apex, tibia dark brown in proximal 0.4X, remainder pale orange, spur and tarsus orange; hind coxa mainly dark brown, ventrally orange-brown, hind leg otherwise orange, apical tarsomere brown; wings (Fig. 1947) hyaline, venation orange to slightly dusky orange; propodeum black with a brassy sheen, side metallic green anteriorly, coppery posteriorly, a group of about 20 conspicuous silvery setae anterolateral to spiracle and along side nearly to posterior margin; gaster dark brown, with a fairly strong brassy, coppery and purple sheen dorsally, Gt1 contrasting and strongly metallic blue-green, green and brassy with some coppery areas, side of gaster brassy and coppery with some green reflections, venter slightly weaker mixed green, purple and blue, outer plates of ovipositor relatively dull coppery and blue; gonostylus dark brown.

Head (Fig. 1944) submenisciform, about 3.9X as wide as frontovertex, in profile about 2.2X as high as deep, fairly evenly curved from occipital margin to mouth margin, although slightly straighter below top of scrobes with interantennal prominence slightly protuberant; occipital margin sharp, carinate; ocelli forming an angle of about 75°; frontovertex slightly shiny, with fairly regular, moderately deep, polygonally reticulate sculpture of mesh size slightly smaller than eye facet; frontovertex with 2 pairs of setae in front of anterior ocellus, a line of sparse setae along inner eye margin continued along lower eye margin; temple and gena hardly more shiny than frontovertex, with shallower, longitudinally elongate, strigose to striate-reticulate sculpture; eye reaching occipital margin, with conspicuous pale setae that are each a little longer than diameter of facet, separated from scrobe by about 1.5X diameter of ocellus; scrobes shallow, narrowly ∩-shaped, meeting, with sculpture similar to that on frontovertex, weakly margined dorsally and laterally; interantennal prominence weak, rounded dorsally, with shallow, regular, polygonally reticulate sculpture; antenna as in Fig. 1943; scape subcylindrical, about 7X as long as broad; all funicle segments longer than broad, F6 subquadrate, segments slightly larger and broader distad; clava hardly broadened, slightly shorter than F3-F6 combined, sutures strongly oblique, sensory area enlarged, extending ventrally about 0.5X length of clava, apex strongly obliquely truncate; malar sulcus absent; clypeal margin weakly emarginate medially; mandible with two acute teeth and a broadly truncate upper tooth. Relative measurements: HW 89, HH 85, FV 23, POL 14, OOL 0.5, OCL 4.5, AOL 13, EL 61, EW 44, MS 27, SL 42, SW 6.

Thorax (Fig. 1941) in dorsal view with pronotum short, mostly hidden by head; pronotum dorsally with moderately deep, imbricate-reticulate to polygonally reticulate sculpture that is about as deep as sculpture on frontovertex, but of larger mesh; mesoscutum with mainly polygonally reticulate sculpture that is about as deep as that on pronotum; axilla with polygonally reticulate sculpture that is conspicuously deeper than that on mesoscutum and of slightly larger mesh; anterior three-quarters of scutellum with sculpture similar to that on axilla, a little more elongate laterally, sculpture towards apex and side of scutellum slightly deeper and coarser, vertical apex and much of side completely smooth and shiny; visible part of mesoscutum about 1.7X as broad as long; scutellum hardly broader than long; fore wing with venation and distribution of setae as in Figs 1946, 1947, ventral surface of costal cell with a single complete line of setae and a second interrupted line; mid tibial spur about as long as basitarsus; propodeum (Fig. 1941) medially about 0.23X as long as scutellum, virtually smooth, but with 3 or 4 reticulate cells in a line medially and a few along posterior margin. Relative measurements: FWL 78, FWW 29.5; HWL 61, HWW 15.

Gaster with hypopygium reaching about 0.5X to apex; syntergum about 0.75X as long as mid tibia, with apex acute; ovipositor slightly exserted, the exserted part about one-quarter as long as mid tibial spur or a little less than 0.1X mid tibia.

Paratype. Funicle with linear sensilla present on all segments; gonostylus about 1.1X as long as mid tibial spur; hypopygium Fig. 1942; ovipositor Fig. 1940. Relative measurements: OL 94.5, GL 35 [MT 87].

Variation. Females vary in length from 0.95-1.81mm, larger specimens may have the apical one-third of the fore wing appearing to be very slightly darker, the head may vary from about 3.3-4.0X as wide as the frontovertex, in smaller specimens the scutellum may have coarser, more lineolate, reticulate sculpture and may be more evenly curved than in the holotype with the posterior smoother part not being vertical and the propodeum may have a pair of very fine carinae medially instead of linear reticulate cells.

Male: length 0.90-1.41mm.

Generally very similar to female but for colour of hind femur and structure of head, antenna and genitalia; hind femur largely brown; head about 2.2-2.7X as wide as frontovertex, ocelli forming a right angle with posterior ocelli closer to eyes than to occipital margin; antenna (Fig. 1939) with scape about 3.7-4.0X as long as broad; funicle segments each about 2X as long as broad, proximal segments slightly larger, clothed in setae that are about as long as diameter of segments or a little shorter; genitalia (Fig. 1945) with a single apical hook on digitus, aedeagus slender with acute apex. Relative measurements: HW 77, FV 30, POL 15, OOL 2, OCL 4.5, AOL 10, EL 48, EW 36, MS 23, SL 29, SW 7.5; AL 31.5, MT 78.

DISTRIBUTION. Trinidad & Tobago, Costa Rica.

HOSTS. In Trinidad, reared from Phenacoccus madeirensis Green ( =grenadensis Green & Laing ) ( Hemiptera : Pseudococcidae ) on Tussacia [sic] pulchella ? (?= Justicea pulchella Sessé & Moc. ; Lamiales : Acanthaceae ) and Phenacoccus Cockerell on tomato ( Solanum lycopersicum L.; Solanales : Solanaceae ).

MATERIAL EXAMINED.

Type material. Holotype E: COSTA RICA, Guanacaste, Est. Cacao (ACG) , 10°55’N 85°30’W, 19-20. ii.2005 (J.S. Noyes). Paratypes: COSTA RICA, 9E, 1G, Guanacaste, Santa Rosa NP , various localities and dates 13.viii.1985 - 18.v.1987 (Janzen, Gauld); 1E, Guanacaste, Maritza ( ACG), 700m, MT/YPT, 20.i- 24.ii.1996 (J.S. Noyes); 1E, Guanacaste, Nandayure, Cerro Azul, LN 214769 397000, 1050m, #72539, 20.x.2002 - 15.i.2003 (W. Porras); 1E, Guanacaste, PN Palo Verde, Sector Palo Verde, LN 258450 386600, 40m, #52766, vi.1999 (I. Jiménez); 3E, Guanacaste, PN Palo Verde, Sect. Palo Verde, Camino a OET, 150m E. Estación, LN 260952 385020, 0-50m, 4-14.ix.1999 and 8.xi-9.xii.1999 and 7-17.vi.2000 (I. Jiménez); 2E, Guanacaste, PN Palo Verde, Est. Palo Verde, LN 259050 388400, 0-10m, x.2000 and xi.2000 (I. Jiménez); 2E, Guanacaste, PN Palo Verde, Sector Catalina, Fila Catalina, LN 257400 400000, 250m, xii.1999 and i.2000 (I. Jiménez); 1E, Guanacaste, PN Palo Verde, Campo Aterrizaje, LN 385020 260952, 10m, #58297, 10.vii-9.ix.2000 (I. Jiménez); 3E, Guanacaste, Santa Cruz, PN Marino las Baulas, 0m, 16.viii.2000 and 20.ix-16.x.2000 (Y. Cárdenas); 11E, 8G, Guanacaste, BN Diriá, Ret. Alr. Torre Control de Incendio, LN 238550 358650, 600-700m, 18.x-15.xi.2001 and xii.2001 - i.2002 (I. Jiménez); 1E, San José, Tigra Cacao, iii-iv.1990 (P. Hanson); 1E, San José, San Antonio de Escazu, 1300m, ii.1999 (W. Eberhard); 1E, San José, Ciudad Colón, xii.1989 - i.1990 (L. Fournier); 10E, Puntarenas, Res. Priv. Karen Mogensen, 9°52’N 85°03’W, 305m, 14-15.ii.2003, 23-24.ii.2007, 19-20.ii.2009 and 19-20.ii.2016 (J.S. Noyes); 1E, Puntarenas, RP Karen Mogensen, Send. Quebr. Perez, LN 205300 429750, 300-400m, #75744, 6.x.2003 (W. Porras); 1E, Puntarenas, Coto Brus, Sabalito, ZP Las Tablas, LS 597500 317800, 1400m, 6.xii.2000 - 6.i.2001 (M. Alfaro); 4E, Puntarenas, Monteverde, 1200-1700m, 2-6.xii.1987 (Génier, Bertrand); 1E, Puntarenas, Las Alturas, 8°57’N 82°50’W, 1500m, iii.1992 (P. Hanson); 1G, Puntarenas, Puerto Jiménez, Est. El Tigre, LS 277800 529600, 34m, 7.ii.2002 (J. Azofeifa). Holotype in MZUCR, paratypes in NHMUK, MZUCR, USNM and CNC

Non type material. TRINIDAD & TOBAGO, 1G, St George, El Tucuche, (west slope), rainforest, 25.vi.1976 (J.S. Noyes); 3E, St George, St Augustine, Malaise trap, 15.vii-13.viii.1976 (J.S. Noyes); 1E, St George, St Augustine, Malaise trap, ix.1976 (F.D. Bennett); 1E, 1G, Curepe, Phenacoccus grenadensis / Tussacia [sic] pulchella , iv.1979 (F.D. Bennett); 2E, Curepe, ex mealybug on tomato, 20.x.1979 (F.D. Bennett); 7E, 2G, Curepe, ex Phenacoccus sp. on tomato, ix.1983 (F.D. Bennett).