Protyndarichoides isonus, 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 : 538-540

Protyndarichoides isonus sp.nov.

(Figs 1350-1355; Hab. E 196)

DIAGNOSIS. Female (length about 0.8-0.9mm): funicle with F1-F5 pale orange, F6 dark brown, clava dark brown; thorax dark brown to black with a weak to moderate metallic sheen; coxae white to pale orange; gaster dark brown with Gt1 and Gt2 pale orange, proximal sternites sometimes pale orange; gonostylus pale orange; head (Fig. 1351) slightly broader than high; antenna (Fig. 1350) with F1 smaller than F3; linear sensilla on F3-F6; clava 3-segmented; mesoscutum (Fig. 1352) with shallow polygonally reticulate sculpture that is clearly shallower than deep polygonally reticulate sculpture on scutellum; only extreme apex and side of scutellum completely smooth; propodeum with 3 inconspicuous, pale setae outside spiracle. Male: unknown.

Female (holotype): length 0.87 mm (CPD).

Head mainly dark brown; frontovertex generally with a weak brassy sheen with some coppery purple reflections; temple, gena and scrobal area coppery purple, slightly brassy on temple; frontovertex, gena and interantennal prominence with moderately conspicuous, long brown setae; antenna (Fig. 1350) with radicle, scape and F1-F5 pale orange, F6 and clava brown; maxillary palpus pale orange; pronotum dark brown with a weak brassy sheen mixed with weak purple reflections; propleuron dark brown, prosternum dark orange-brown; mesoscutum (Fig. 1352) dark brown with a slight brassy sheen and some coppery purple reflections, especially along posterior margin; tegula dark purple brown with a slight brassy sheen; axilla dark brown with a weak brassy sheen; scutellum mostly black with a weak brassy sheen, dark brown and slightly brassy on side and at apex; dorsum of thorax clothed with dark brown setae; metanotum dark orange-brown with a weak brassy sheen; mesopleuron dark orange-brown, mesosternum pale orange; legs, including coxae, almost completely pale orange, but fore coxa and fore femur proximally white and hind tibia pale orange brown, with dorsal margin brown; wings virtually hyaline, but very weakly infuscate immediately below marginal vein (Fig, 153); propodeum orange anteriorly orange-brown and with a weak brassy sheen and a few coppery reflections, 3 inconspicuous pale setae outside spiracle; gaster mostly dark brown with mixed brassy, purple, coppery and green reflections, Gt1 and Gt2 pale orange, sternites dark orange-brown, paler proximally; gonostylus pale orange.

Head (Fig. 1351) about 2.6X as wide as frontovertex. in profile about 1.6X as high as deep, anteriorly largely quite evenly curved from occipital margin to mouth margin, but more strongly so level with top of scrobes with interantennal prominence slightly protuberant; occipital margin not carinate; ocelli forming an angle of about 85°; frontovertex shiny, with conspicuous, moderately deep, irregular, polygonally reticulate sculpture of mesh size generally subequal to diameter eye facet or less; frontovertex with piliferous punctures shallow, but distinct, 3 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 about as shiny as frontovertex, with slightly shallower, longitudinally elongate, strigose to striate-reticulate sculpture; eye not quite reaching occipital margin, separated by about half diameter of facet, with conspicuous pale setae about as long as diameter of facet; eye separated from scrobal margin by about diameter of ocellus, area between eye and scrobe with shallow, transversely elongate, imbricate-reticulate sculpture; scrobes separated dorsally by interantennal prominence, with shallow sculpture, poorly delimited and weakly margined laterally; interantennal prominence moderate and distinct, dorsally reaching frontovertex, sculpture on interantennal prominence polygonally reticulate but much shallower than that on frontovertex; antenna as in Fig. 1350; scape hardly broadened, about 4.9X as long as broad; funicle with F1 hardly longer than broad, F2 slightly larger and F3 slightly larger than F2, F4-F6 subequal in length, becoming wider distad, but conspicuously shorter than F3 which is clearly the longest funicle segment, F6 subquadrate, linear sensilla present only on F3-F6; clava 3-segmented, slightly broadened, about 1.1X as wide as F6, slightly longer than F4-F6 combined, sutures not oblique, sensory area slightly enlarged, extending ventrally about 0.33X length of clava, apex conspicuously obliquely truncate; clypeal margin weakly concave. Relative measurements: HW 48.5, HH 47, FV 19, POL 7.5, OOL 2.5, OCL 2.5, AOL 5.5, EL 29, EW 23, MS 17, SL 27, SW 5.5.

Thorax (Fig. 1352) with imbricate-reticulate to polygonally reticulate sculpture on pronotum that is slightly shallower than that on frontovertex; mesoscutum with polygonally reticulate sculpture that is slightly shallower than that on frontovertex; axilla with polygonally reticulate sculpture that is finer and deeper than that on mesoscutum; scutellum only slightly convex, dorsally with regular, fine, polygonally reticulate sculpture that is much finer and deeper than that on mesoscutum or axillae, apex and side completely smooth and shiny; visible part of mesoscutum about 1.8X as broad as long; scutellum about as long as broad; fore wing with venation and distribution of setae as in Fig. 1353; propodeum (Fig. 1352) medially about 0.3X as long as scutellum, with a median carina and two submedian carinae, and some polygonally reticulate sculpture medially, a curved transverse carina from anterior margin submedially towards spiracle and shallow, irregular sculpture elsewhere, especially between transverse carina and anterior margin, side of propodeum clearly delimited outside spiracle by a conspicuous, translucent flange extending from anterior margin to posterior margin immediately above hind coxa, about 3 inconspicuous brown setae present outside spiracle. Relative measurements: FWL 57, FWW 20.5; HWL 40, HWW 8.

Gaster conspicuously dorsoventrally flattened, slightly longer than head and thorax combined, with hypopygium reaching about 0.8X along gaster (but slightly retracted towards anterior); syntergum about 0.6X as long as broad and about 0.6X as long as mid tibia, with apex broadly rounded; ovipositor hardly exserted.

Paratype. Hypopygium (Fig. 1354) transverse, about 2.3X as broad as long with anterior margin conspicuously concave; ovipositor Fig. 1355. Relative measurements: OL 30, GS 6.5 [MT 51.5].

Variation. The overall length of the female varies from 0.79-0.87mm, the hind tibia may be almost completely pale orange with only the dorsal margin a little dusky, the base of the gaster may be pale orange ventrally, the fore wing is about 2.6-2.8X as long as broad, otherwise very little variation in material examined.

Male. Unknown.

DISTRIBUTION. Costa Rica.

HOSTS. Unknown.

MATERIAL EXAMINED.

Type material. Holotype E: COSTA RICA, Puntarenas, Las Alturas , 8°57’N 82°50’W, 1500m, v.1992 (P. Hanson, C. Godoy) . Paratypes: COSTA RICA, 1E, Guanacaste, Santa Rosa NP, Hacienda 1-0, 22.vi-13. vii.1985 (Janzen & Gauld); 1E, Guanacaste, ZP Nosara, Fila Maravilla, LN 221350 381700, 800m, #63993, vi-vii.2001 (I. Jiménez); 1E , Puntarenas, Res. Priv. Karen Mogensen, 9°52’N 85°03’W, 305m, 14-15. ii.2005 (J.S. Noyes) . Holotype in MZUCR, paratypes in NHMUK .

COMMENTS. This species is quite close to nigriceps , females of both species having a distinct translucent flange extending from anterior margin to posterior margin immediately above hind coxa and similarly shaped hypopygium. The two species can be separated using the characters given in the key (see p. 536).