Ludesia hemera, 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 : 180-182

Ludesia hemera sp.nov.

( Figs 454-462; Hab. E 71, G 72)

DIAGNOSIS. Female (length about 1.2-1.9mm): head and thorax largely black or very dark brown with a weak metallic sheen; eye moderately hairy with dense pale setae, each of which is about as long as facet; frontovertex and posterior part of mesoscutum ( Fig. 455) completely smooth and shiny; all gastral tergites smooth and shiny. Male (length about 1.00- 1.4mm): frontovertex with relatively shallow imbricate-reticulate to polygonally reticulate sculpture that is about as deep as that on mesoscutum ( Fig. 456).

Female (holotype): length, 1.73mm ( CPD) .

Head with frontovertex mainly metallic purple, but with some blue areas around anterior ocellus; scrobes metallic green, but slightly brassy or coppery in some lights; interantennal prominence dorsally metallic blue; temple and area between eye and scrobe, metallic green with some weak coppery reflections; gena with a relatively dull brassy and green sheen; lower part of interantennal prominence and mouth margin purple-brown with a weak brassy sheen; radicle and scape dark brown, apical one third of scape dorsally pale orange to slightly dusky orange; pedicel and F1-F5 dark brown, F6 and clava white; frontovertex, gena and interantennal prominence with inconspicuous brown setae; pronotum black with a weak, very dark green sheen, coppery along posterior margin; propleuron and prosternum dark brown with a weak brassy sheen and weak coppery and green reflections; mesoscutum weakly shining, more or less matt black in anterior three-fifths or so, posterior two-fifths similar to frontovertex with a strong purple sheen, with dark metallic blue areas, setae dark brown and conspicuous; tegula dark brown; axilla virtually matt black, but with a very weak purplish or dark blue sheen, clothed with dark brown setae; scutellum virtually matt black, but with a weak, metallic, dark green sheen, clothed with dark brown setae; metanotum black; mesopleuron with anterior half dark brown with a weak brassy and purple sheen, posterior half glossy white; mesosternum white; fore femur white at base, otherwise orange-brown margined dark brown, tibia orange-brown at base, otherwise dark brown, tarsus orange-brown; mid coxa white; proximal two-fifths of femur white, apex dark brown, tibia dark brown, spur and tarsus orange; extreme base of hind femur white, otherwise femur dark brown, extreme base of tibia orange-brown, remainder of tibia dark brown, proximal half of basitarsus dark brown, remainder of tarsus pale orange; fore wing remnant ( Fig. 457) hyaline with a broad, oblique, dark brown, subapical band, venation orange-brown to dark brown; propodeum white, dark brown with some weak brassy reflections around spiracle, a few, inconspicuous setae anterolateral to spiracle; gaster black, Gt1 with a strong coppery, purple and blue sheen, Gt2-Gt5 with a coppery and green sheen, Gt6 with a coppery and blue sheen; syntergum with a brassy and coppery sheen, side and venter of gaster mainly coppery and brassy with some green reflections; visible part of gonostylus orange.

Head about 5.6X as wide as frontovertex, subtriangular in profile, about 1.3X as high as deep, only slightly curved from occipital margin to top of scrobes and then forming a virtual right angle towards mouth margin, with interantennal prominence hidden; ocelli forming an angle of about 55°; frontovertex shiny, completely smooth apart from shallow, scattered piliferous punctures; eye appearing moderately hairy with dense pale setae as long as diameter of facet, eye separated from scrobe by about diameter of facet; area immediately below eye completely smooth, otherwise temple and gena with very shallow imbricate-reticulate sculpture; antenna as in Fig. 458; scape broadened and flattened, widest about middle, about 3X as long as broad; F1- F5 longer than broad, F1 about 3X as long as broad, F5 about 1.3X as long as broad, F6 quadrate, segments shorter and broader distad; clava not broadened, slightly shorter than F4-F6 combined, sensory slightly enlarged, extending ventrally about 0.3X length of clava, apex weakly obliquely truncate; eye not quite reaching occipital margin, separated by about diameter of facet, clothed in very conspicuous, relatively dense setae that are clearly longer than diameter of facet; inner eye margins weakly diverging immediately in front of anterior ocellus; malar sulcus present and distinct; apical segment of maxillary palpus not enlarged, hardly longer than radicle. Relative measurements: HW 90, HH 74, FV 16, POL 13, OOL 0, OCL 10.5, AOL 14.5, EL 61, EW 50.5, MS 28, SL 49, SW 16.5.

Thorax ( Fig. 455) in dorsal view with pronotum about as long as mesoscutum, but mostly hidden by head; pronotum dorsally with moderately deep, raised, polygonally reticulate sculpture that is finely granular in appearance, side with shallower sculpture; mesoscutum, axilla and scutellum mainly with similar sculpture to dorsal part of pronotum, but posterior two-fifths of mesoscutum completely smooth and shiny; visible part of mesoscutum about 1.8X as broad as long; scutellum about 1.1X as broad as long; mid tibia without an external carina; hind femur about 5.4X as long as broad; fore wing ( Fig. 457) shortened, hardly reaching posterior margin of Gt1, hind wing hardly reaching propodeal spiracle; propodeum ( Fig. 455) medially about 0.29X as long as scutellum, virtually smooth but with some shallow, fine polygonally reticulate sculpture. Relative measurements: FWL 75, FWW 20.5.

Gaster with hypopygium reaching about 0.7X along gaster; last tergite about 0.7X as long as mid tibia, with apex rounded; ovipositor hidden.

Paratype. Funicle with linear sensilla present only on F3-F6; hypopygium Fig, 460; ovipositor Fig. 454. Relative measurements: OL 81.5, GL 15 [MT 103].

Variation. Females vary in overall length from 1.16-1.90mm, the frontovertex may be mostly metallic green, mixed purple and blue, the lower part of the interantennal prominence and gena may be coppery, F6 may be yellow, orange-brown or dark brown; the pronotum and scutellum may be dark olive green, the anterior part of the mesoscutum may have dark, metallic blue reflections, the mesopleuron may have only the anterior one-third dark brown and posterior margin of the sculptured area of the mesoscutum may be straight or V-shaped.

Male: length 0.97-1.42mm.

Head generally black with weak coppery, green, blue and brassy reflections; scrobes dorsally with a weak coppery sheen, otherwise metallic green; radicle pale orange, distally dark brown; scape slightly dusky, pale orange, narrowly margined pale brown to brown; pedicel and flagellum testaceous yellow; pronotum dark brown with a weak dark, blue-green sheen, posterior margin coppery; propleuron and prosternum dark brown with a coppery sheen; mesoscutum dark purple-brown with a weak brassy or green sheen; tegula dark brown; axilla and scutellum dark brown with a slight dark green hue and weak brassy reflections, apex of scutellum distinctly coppery and narrowly metallic green along side and extreme apex; metanotum dark brown; anterior two-fifths of mesopleuron dark brown, posterior part white, occasionally whole mesopleuron dark brown; mesosternum white; fore coxa white; fore femur white at base, otherwise orange-brown margined dark brown, tibia white at base, otherwise orange with a pale brown subbasal band, tarsus orange; mid coxa white; proximal two-fifths of femur white, apex orange-brown, tibia largely orange, but externally mostly brown, spur and tarsus orange; hind coxa white, extreme base of hind femur white, otherwise femur dark brown, extreme base of tibia orange-brown, remainder of tibia dark brown, tarsus orange-brown, sometimes dark brown; fore wing ( Fig. 462) with a small infuscate area near base, otherwise hyaline to parastigma, remainder weakly infuscate, more strongly infuscate medially, venation pale brown; gaster dark brown with green, blue, coppery, purple and brassy reflections.

Head about 2.7X as wide as frontovertex, in profile similar in shape to that of female; occipital margin sharp, not carinate; ocelli forming an angle of about 80°; frontovertex shiny, with moderately deep, fairly regular, fine, imbricate-reticulate to polygonally reticulate sculpture of mesh size hardly less than diameter of facet; temple with similar, but shallower sculpture than frontovertex; gena with slightly longitudinally elongate sculpture; interantennal prominence with similar sculpture to frontovertex but slightly shallower; scrobes shallow, ∩-shaped, meeting, largely smooth, not sharply margined; interantennal prominence short, without median ridge, more or less acute dorsally, smooth; antenna as in Fig. 459; torulus at least 1.5X its own length from mouth margin; scape slightly broadened and flattened, widest below middle, about 3.6X as long as broad; all funicle segments at least slightly longer than broad, proximal segments slightly longer, segments clothed with short setae that are generally not more than half as long as diameter of segments; linear sensilla on all funicle segments; clava slender, 3-segmented and with apex rounded; eye reaching occipital margin, clothed in very conspicuous, dense setae that are slightly longer than diameter of facet; malar sulcus present. Relative measurements: HW 62.5, FV 23, POL 9.5, OOL 2.5, OCL 5, AOL 9.5, EL 35, EW 31.5, MS 17, SL 27, SW 7.5.

Thorax ( Fig. 456) with imbricate-reticulate sculpture on pronotum that is conspicuously deeper than that on frontovertex; sculpture on mesoscutum that is generally similar to that on frontovertex; scutellum with polygonally reticulate sculpture that is of similar depth to that on pronotum, but extreme apex and side smooth and shiny; sculpture on axilla more or less intermediate between that on mesoscutum and scutellum; visible part of mesoscutum about 1.7X as broad as long; scutellum about as broad as long; hind femur about 4.6X as long as broad; fore wing with venation and setation as in Fig. 462; costal cell with 4 to 8 setae dorsally towards apex. Relative measurements: FWL 65.5, FWW 28; HWL 44, HWW 10.

Gaster with a single of apical hook on digitus, aedeagus slender, rounded at apex ( Fig. 461). Relative measurements: AL 34, MT 80.

DISTRIBUTION. Costa Rica.

HOSTS. Unknown.

MATERIAL EXAMINED.

Type material. Holotype E: COSTA RICA, Puntarenas, [San Vito], Las Cruces, [Wilson Bot. Gdns], MT/YPT, 18-22.iii.1990 (J.S. Noyes). Paratypes: COSTA RICA, 1G, Guanacaste, Peñas Blancas, rainforest, YPT, iv.1986 (A Forsyth); 1G, Alajuela, San Ramon BS, 800m, x-xii.1995 (P. Hanson); 2E, Alajuela, PN Volcán Tenorio, Est. Pilón, 10°43’N 84°59’W, 700m, 13-17.ii.2004 (C. Hansson, J. Azofeifa); 3G, Alajuela, PN Arenal, Sendero Pilón, 10°27’N 84°43’W, 600m, 20.ii.2003 (J.S. Noyes); 1E, Alajuela, Peñas Blancas, 700m, 1.viii.1987 (E. Cruz); 1G, Heredia, Chilamate, 75m, xii.1989 - iii.1990 (Hanson, Godoy); 2E, Heredia, La Selva BS, 50m, 22.i-3.ii.1991 and ii.1991 (J.S. Noyes); 2E, Heredia, 3km S Puerto Viejo, OTS La Selva, 100m, xi.1992 and xii.1992 (P. Hanson); 3E, 1G, Heredia, Est. Biol. La Selva, 10°26’N 84°01’W, iii-iv.1993, x.1995, i.1996 and ix.1996 ( ALAS - OET / INBio); 1E, Heredia, Est. Biol. La Selva, 10°26’N 84°01’W, ii.2002 (J.S. Noyes); 1E, Heredia, Est. Biol. La Selva, 10°26’N 84°01’W, 75m, ii.2005 (J.S. Noyes); 3E, Heredia, 11km SE La Virgen, 10°20’N 84°04’W, 450-550m, 05/TN/ALL, 13.ii-20.iv.2003 (INBio-OET/ ALAS); 1E, Heredia, 11km SE La Virgen, 10°20’N 84°04’W, 450-550m, 05/M/NOTN, 27.ii- 20.iv.2003 (INBio-OET/ ALAS); 3E, Heredia, Braulio Carrillo NP 250-500m, 10.iv.1985 and 11-12.iv.1985 (L. Masner, H. Goulet); 1E, Cartago, Braulio Carrillo NP, 26.iii.1990 (J.S. Noyes); 1E, Cartago, Pejibaye, Est. Biol. Copal, Sendero Ron, LN 196107 563672, 1090m, #80028, 20.iv.2005 (J. Azofeifa); 1E, 2G, Cartago, Turrialba, CATIE, Reventazon, 8.ix.1986 (L. Masner); 2E, 1G, Cartago, Turrialba, CATIE, 14- 15.iii.1990 (J.S. Noyes); 3E, Puntarenas, PN Manuel Antonio, 23.vii.1986 and 26.viii.1986 (L. Masner); 3E, Puntarenas, San Vito, Jardin Bo. Las Cruces, 1200m, vi-vii.1988 (P. Hanson); 3E, 9G, Puntarenas, San Vito, Las Cruces, Wilson Bot. Gdns, 1500m, 18-22.iii.1990 (J.S. Noyes); 2E, Puntarenas, RF Golfo Dulce, Est. Agujas, LS 276750 526550, 250- 350m, 2-22.x.1999 and 1-11.xi.1999 (J.A. Azofeifa);5E, 2G, Limón, PN Braulio Carrillo, Est. Quebrada Gonzalez, LN 238380 543100, 400-500m, 21.viii.2002 and 24.ix.2002 - 15.x.2002 (P. Hanson, C. Godoy); Limón, PN Braulio Carrillo, Est. Quebrada Gonzalez, 10°09’N 83°57’W, 450m, 15.ii.2003 (J.S. Noyes); 1G, Limón, 16km W Guapiles, 400m, vii-xi.1990 (P. Hanson); 3G, Limón, 4km NE of Bribri, 50m, ix-xi.1989 and xii.1989 - iii.1990 (P. Hanson); 2G, Limón, 7km W of Bribri, 50m, ix-xi.1989 and i-ii.1990 (P. Hanson); 8E, 13G, Limón, RB Hitoy Cerere, 9°40’N 83°02’W, 100m, 14-19.i.1991 and ii.2004 (Noyes); 3G, Limón, RB Hitoy Cerere, Valle de Estrella, Send. Bobocara, 300m, LN 184250 641800, 18.v-18.vi.1999, 17.ix-10.x.1999 and 14-30.vii.2000 (F. Umaña); 1G, Limón, RB Hitoy Cerere, Send Espavel hacia el Cerco, LS 400702 570120, 560m, #52200, 19.v-19.vi.1998 (C. Rojas); 1G, Limón, RB Hitoy Cerere, Valle de la Estrella, Send. Espavel, LS 570460 401558, #61108, 4-18.i.2001 (F. Umaña); 2G, Limón, RB Hitoy Cerere, LS 569800 401200, 500m, #59089, 19.ix.2000 (F. Umaña); 1E, Limón, RB Hitoy Cerere, Send. Cascada, LN 643300 184500, 0-100m, #60671, 18-30.xi.2000 (F. Umaña). Holotype in MZUCR, paratypes in NHMUK, MZUCR, TAMU, USNM, LFCI and CNC.