Dalek gubrana, 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 : 658-660

Dalek gubrana sp.nov.

(Figs 1809-1817; Hab. E 271)

DIAGNOSIS. Female (length about 1.0- 1.7mm): scape (Figs 1813, 1814, 1816) dark brown with apex yellow to pale orange; mesoscutum relatively bright metallic blue-green to green; all coxae dark brown; clypeal margin (Fig. 1811) with a very short, truncate, median lobe; OOL greater than OCL; antenna (Figs 1813, 1814, 1816) with scape about 4.3X as long as broad; all funicle segments slightly longer than broad; linear sensilla only on F2-F6; mesoscutum with sculpture slightly shallower than on scutellum (Fig. 1812); side and apex of scutellum completely smooth and shiny; mid tibial slightly shorter than basitarsus; fore wing (Fig. 1817) about 2.6X as long as broad; propodeum with about 20 setae around spiracle; apex of syntergum rounded; ovipositor longer than mid tibia, exserted part about 0.6X as long as mid tibial spur; gonostylus longer than mid tibial spur. Male (length about 1.00- 1.2mm): generally very similar to female but for slightly wider frontovertex, higher placement of antenna and structure of antenna and genitalia.

Female (holotype): length, including ovipositor, 1.18mm; excluding ovipositor, 1.13mm ( CPD) .

Head generally black, occiput and frontovertex with a moderate, metallic, dark green sheen, distinctly coppery between anterior ocellus and top of scrobes, coppery purple along occipital margin; scrobal area coppery purple; temple shining metallic coppery purple; anterior part of gena coppery and brassy mixed with purple reflections; frontovertex, gena and interantennal prominence with moderately conspicuous, pale brown setae; antenna (Fig. 1816) with radicle dark brown; scape dark brown in proximal two-thirds, apical one-third yellow to pale orange; pedicel brown, paler ventrally and at extreme apex; flagellum ventrally pale yellow, F1 pale yellow, F2 yellow-brown, segments becoming progressively darker distally so that F6 is pale brown; clava dark brown; maxillary palpus white to very pale yellow; thorax generally dark brown to black; pronotum with a moderate coppery sheen mixed brassy; mesoscutum anteriorly coppery, otherwise relatively bright metallic blue-green, mixed dark green, coppery and brassy, narrowly coppery purple along posterior margin; tegula dark brown with a weak coppery purple sheen; axilla dark purple-brown with a slight coppery purple sheen; scutellum proximally relatively dull coppery purple, distinctly coppery medially in apical 0.5X, apical 0.4X and side strongly shining green and blue-green, side proximally dark blue, extreme apex mixed copper and metallic dark green; mesoscutum and scutellum clothed with inconspicuous, dark brown setae; metanotum dark purple-brown; mesopleuron very dark brown, with a brassy sheen mixed with some coppery purple; mesosternum dark brown; all coxae dark brown; fore femur dark brown with extreme apex pale orange, tibia similarly coloured to femur, tarsus dark brown; mid femur dark brown with extreme base pale yellow, tibia dark brown with a small dusky pale orange area at base, spur pale orange, tarsus brown, apical tarsomere dark brown; hind femur dark brown, a small dusky orange area at apex, tibia dark brown, tarsus dark brown; wings hyaline but fore wing (Figs 1809, 1817) with a small infuscate area below marginal and stigmal veins; propodeum dark brown, with a weak purple and brassy sheen, side mainly with a metallic blue-green, green and coppery sheen with about 20 conspicuous, translucent, silvery setae outside spiracle, extending part of the way down side of propodeum and towards posterior margin; gaster dark brown, with a distinct coppery purple sheen, dorsal part of Gt1 with a distinct blue-green sheen, side of gaster with a mixed metallic green, brassy and coppery sheen; gonostylus dark brown

Head (Fig. 1811) about 2.6X as wide as frontovertex, in profile about 1.7X as high as deep; occipital margin sharp, strongly carinate; ocelli forming an angle of about 95°; frontovertex with irregular, moderately deep, polygonal sculpture, in ocellar area of mesh size smaller than eye facet, generally subequal or conspicuously larger in front of anterior ocellus; frontovertex with piliferous punctures shallow and indistinct, about 3 or 4 in front of anterior ocellus, a line of sparse setae along inner eye margin continued along lower eye margin to gena; interantennal prominence with a few inconspicuous setae; temple completely smooth adjacent to eye, otherwise with relatively shallow, longitudinally elongate, polygonally reticulate sculpture of relatively large mesh; gena mostly quite smooth but posteriorly with similar sculpture to temple but of smaller mesh; eye reaching occipital margin, clothed with inconspicuous setae, each about 0.5X as long as diameter of facet, separated from scrobal margin by very slightly less than diameter of ocellus, area between eye and scrobe partly with transversely elongate, polygonally reticulate sculpture, completely smooth towards gena; scrobes shallow, more or less ∩-shaped, meeting dorsally, very weakly margined dorsally and laterally; interantennal prominence shallow, dorsally acute, nearly meeting frontovertex; antenna as in Fig. 1816; scape slightly broadened and flattened, about 4.3X as long as broad, dorsal margin straight; funicle with all segments slightly longer than broad, becoming broader and larger distad, linear sensilla on F2-F6; clava hardly enlarged, slightly longer than F4-F6 combined, outer suture hardly oblique, sensory area slightly enlarged, but hardly extending along ventral surface giving apex a weakly truncate appearance; malar sulcus absent; clypeal margin with a short, broad, truncate median lobe. Relative measurements: HW 79, HH 70, FV 39.5, POL 17, OOL 6, OCL 3.5, AOL 9.5, EL 44, EW 31, MS 29, SL 39, SW 9.

Thorax (Fig. 1812) in dorsal view with pronotum clearly visible behind head, its posterior margin concave, with polygonally reticulate sculpture that is generally similar to that on anterior part of frontovertex; mesoscutum with slightly irregular, polygonally reticulate sculpture that is similar to that on pronotum but of smaller mesh and posteriorly deeper and coarser; axilla with transversely elongate, polygonally reticulate to imbricate-reticulate sculpture that is clearly shallower than that on posterior part of mesoscutum; scutellum dorsally convex, in proximal 0.6X or so with similar sculpture to that on posterior part of mesoscutum, but slightly coarser and of smaller mesh, apical 0.4X completely smooth and shiny, this smooth area hardly extending anteriorly in middle; visible part of mesoscutum about 1.8X as broad as long; scutellum about 1.1X as long as broad, apex not flange-like; fore wing with venation and distribution of setae as in Figs 1809, 1817; costal cell with a single line of setae dorsally in apical 0.5X or so; mid tibial spur slightly shorter than basitarsus; propodeum (Fig. 1812) medially about 0.18X as long as scutellum, with a distinct longitudinal carina medially and some shallow, irregular sculpture; side clearly carinate posteriorly above hind coxa, this ending in a short, broad, truncate tooth a little way behind spiracle. Relative measurements: FWL 100, FWW 39; HWL 60, HWW 17.

Gaster with hypopygium reaching about 0.8X to apex; syntergum about 0.8X as long as mid tibia, with apex rounded; ovipositor slightly exserted, the exserted part about 0.6X as long as mid tibial spur or 0.2X as long as mid tibia.

Paratype. Mandible with two acute teeth and a truncate upper tooth; gonostylus longer than mid tibial spur; hypopygium Fig. 1810; ovipositor Fig. 1815. Relative measurements: OL 37, GL 10.5 [MT 30, MTS 6.5].

Variation. Females vary in overall length from 1.04-1.65mm, the funicle may be more or less completely brown or pale yellow, the scape varies from 3.3-4.4X as long as broad, F1 may have linear sensilla and some specimens appear to have fewer silvery setae on the side of the propodeum. One specimen excluded from the type series below is about 1.66mm in overall length and has the scape about 2.6X as long as broad, but this may represent a different species.

Male: length 1.05-1.21mm.

Generally very similar to female but for slightly wider frontovertex, higher placement of antenna and structure of antenna and genitalia. Frontovertex about 0.6X head width; antenna very similar to that of nationi (Fig. 1834); antennal torulus about 2X its own length from mouth margin, its lowest margin about level with lower eye margin.

DISTRIBUTION. Costa Rica.

HOSTS. Unknown.

MATERIAL EXAMINED

Holotype E: COSTA RICA, Heredia, 6km ENE Vara Blanca, 10°11’N 84°07’W, 2000m, 20/M/TN, iv.2002 (INBio-OET-ALAS). Paratypes: COSTA RICA, 2E, 1G, Guanacaste, Santa Maria, 25km N Liberia, LN 304700 393450, 1250m, 15.x-15.xi.1996 (D. Briceño); 1E, Guanacaste, Santa Maria, 25km N Liberia, LN 304700 393450, 790m, #47551, xii.1996 - i.1997 (D. Briceño); 6E, Guanacaste, Santa Maria, 25km NE Liberia, 790m, 15.i-15.ii.1997 (D. Briceño); 1E, Alajuela, Albergue Heliconias, Send. Laguna Danto, LN 298100 423760, 1150m, #56829, iv-v.2000 (J.D. Gutiérrez); 1E, Heredia, 16km SSE La Virgen, 10°16’N 85°05’W, 1050-1150m, 11/TN/ALL, 11.ii-21.iv.20012 ( INBio / OET – ALAS); 1E, Heredia, 16km SSE La Virgen, 10°16’N 85°05’W, 1050-1150m, 11/M/TN, 10.ii-21.iv.2001 ( INBio / OET – ALAS); 3E, 1G, Heredia, 6km ENE Vara Blanca, 10°11’N 84°07’W, 2000m, 20/M/TN, ii.2002, iii.2002 and iv.2002 ( INBio- OET-ALAS); 2E, 2G, Heredia, 6km ENE Vara Blanca, 10°11’N 84°07’W, 2000m, 20/M/NOTN, iii.2002 and iv.2002 (INBio-OET-ALAS); 1E, Heredia, 6km ENE Vara Blanca, 10°11’N 84°07’W, 2000m, 20/ /TN/ ALL, iv.2002 (INBio-OET-ALAS); 1E, Heredia, 9km NE Vara Blanca, 10°14’N 84°06’W, 1450-1550m, 15/M/TN, ii-iv.2005 ( INBio / OET-ALAS); 1E, Cartago, 20km S El Empalme, xi.1989 (P. Hanson); 1E, Cartago, Genesis II, 4km NE Cañon, 2350m, ii.1995 (P. Hanson); 1E, Cartago, AC Amistad, Madreselva, Finca Los Lagos, LN 184450 550050, 2000-2600m, i.1994 (M. Chavarría); 3E, Puntarenas, Monteverde, 15- 16.vii.1986 (L. Masner); 1E, Puntarenas, Est. Biol. Monteverde, 10°18’N 84°49’W, 1540-1890m, 25-26. ii.2007 (J.S. Noyes). Holotype in MZUCR, paratypes in MZUCR, NHMUK and CNC.

Excluded from type series: COSTA RICA, 1E, Cartago, 20km S El Empalme, v-vii.1989 (P. Hanson); 1E, Limón, Valle de Silencio, Alred , de Refugio, LS 340258 577465, 2480m, 19-27.vi.2003 (R. González, D. Rubí, M. Alfaro, R. Delgado ). Material in NHMUK .

COMMENTS. Dalek gubrana is very similar to nationi but generally has a slightly wider frontovertex, the posterior ocelli are always closer to the occipital margin than to the eye and the sculpture of the mesoscutum is generally relatively deeper than in nationi .