Esphora, 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 : 674-675

Genus ESPHORA gen.nov.

Type species: Esphora cyllene sp.nov. Gender feminine.

Female. Length about 1.0- 1.9mm.

Body robust, generally dark with a weak to moderate metallic sheen; funicle with pale and dark segments; dorsum of thorax with dark setae; legs generally dark with pale areas; wings hyaline, sometimes weakly infuscate below marginal vein; propodeum dark with a weak metallic sheen, side more strongly metallic, some silvery setae near spiracle; gaster dark brown with a metallic sheen.

Head in profile about 1.5-1.8X as high as deep, anteriorly fairly evenly curved from occipital margin to top of scrobes, more curved at top of scrobes and virtually straight to mouth margin, interantennal prominence hardly protuberant; occipital margin carinate; frontovertex about one-quarter to slightly more than one-third head width and with slightly irregular, polygonally reticulate sculpture and sparse, shallow piliferous punctures; ocelli forming a slightly acute to slightly obtuse angle; temple and gena with shallow, longitudinally elongate, polygonally reticulate sculpture; eye virtually reaching occipital margin, naked; scrobes shallow, ∩-shaped; antenna attached well below eyes, much closer to mouth margin than to lower eye margin; scape strongly broadened and flattened, less than 2X as long as broad, about 0.5X as long as head width; funicle segments transverse to slightly longer than broad, gradually becoming broader distally, linear sensilla only on distal segments; clava shorter than funicle, 3-segmented, sutures subparallel, not oblique, sensory area slightly enlarged, extending a little way along ventral surface giving clava a slightly obliquely truncate appearance; malar sulcus absent; mouth about 0.4X head width, margin medially weakly to strongly concave; mandible with three teeth, upper tooth truncate; palp formula 4-3.

Thorax with pronotum very short; mesoscutum without notaular lines; scutellum dorsally flat, mostly with fine, polygonally reticulate to longitudinally elongate sculpture that is conspicuously deeper than sculpture on mesoscutum, extreme sides and apex completely smooth; mid tibial spur longer than basitarsus; fore wing fully developed; about 2.4-2.5X as long as broad; costal cell with only 1 line of setae ventrally and a line of dorsally in apical one-third or so; submarginal vein with an apical hyaline break; marginal vein about 6X as long as broad, 2X stigmal vein and 3X postmarginal vein; linea calva open; filum spinosum present, consisting of a line of about 4 stouter, peg-like setae; posterior margin of mesopleuron not reaching level with posterior margin of propodeum, falling short by slightly less than diameter of propodeal spiracle; propodeum short, virtually smooth medially and without a posterolateral tooth behind spiracle; up to about 10 setae near spiracle, not extending towards hind coxa.

Gaster with hypopygium not reaching apex; paratergites absent; syntergum shorter than mid tibia to about as long, apex angular, sometimes acute; ovipositor slightly exserted; ovipositor longer than mid tibia, second valvifer basally broadly C-shaped; second valvifer with 1 or 2 subapical setae; hypopygium transverse, subrectangular, anteriorly biconcave with moderately long anterolateral projections, posteriorly biconvex with a moderately deep median invagination.

Male. Unknown.

DISTRIBUTION. Known only from Costa Rica, but likely to be more widespread in the Neotropics.

HOSTS. Unknown.

COMMENTS. Esphora is probably close to Dalek and similar genera (e.g. Hebynthus , Alkonia , Raquanus , Polaszekius , etc.) that may form a monophyletic group, along with Caldencyrtus (see comments under Alkonia , p. 708). It can be separated from other genera in this group by having the scape less than 3X as long as broad, the funicle with dark and light segments and some quadrate or transverse segments, the clava shorter than the funicle with a weakly oblique, truncate apex and the scutellum dorsally flat, with fine, reticulate sculpture of silky appearance, contrasting with the shallow, more shiny, polygonally reticulate sculpture of the mesoscutum. As suggested by the key to genera, it is possibly most similar to Sosara . Apart from the structure of the mandible and colouration of the antenna the two genera differ fundamentally in the shape of the hypopygium and structure of the ovipositor.