Prochiloneurus akea, 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 : 469-470

Prochiloneurus akea sp.nov.

(Figs 1181-1183; Hab. E 167)

DIAGNOSIS. Female (length about 1.6mm): head dusky orange, temple and gena without a conspicuous dark brown streak; antenna (Fig. 1181) with F1-F3 pale yellow or white, F4 brown mixed orange, F5-F6 and clava dark brown; thorax mostly orange, mesoscutum black, anteriorly with coppery and brassy reflections; mesopleuron uniformly dusky orange; fore wing (Fig. 1182) without any setae below proximal half of parastigma but with a group of about 15 pale setae below distal half; hyaline apex of fore wing very slightly wider than length of marginal vein; fore wing with a distinct subapical band of paler setae; propodeum brown with a blue or purple sheen, with about 8 or 9 silvery setae near spiracle; gaster dark brown to orange with a metallic sheen, at least syntergum pale orange; head (Fig. 1183) in facial view about 1.15X as high as broad and about 5.3X as wide as frontovertex; antennal scrobes sharply margined, carinate laterally; antenna (Fig 1181) with scape about 5.0X as long as broad, widest in proximal half; mesoscutum with sculpture on anterior part and sides generally obliquely strigose, that on posterior and middle part more regular, rounded, polygonally reticulate sculpture; apical scutellar tuft about 0.4X as long as scutellum; fore wing (Fig. 1182) about 3.2X as long as broad; line of setae on ventral surface of costal cell continuous above parastigma; exserted part of ovipositor about 0.6X as long as gaster. Male: unknown.

Female (holotype): length, including ovipositor, 1.63mm; excluding ovipositor, 1.34mm ( CPD) .

Head generally slightly dusky orange; occiput with hypostomal area bordered dark brown from foramen to mandibular base; frontovertex with a weak brassy sheen with weak purple reflections, area above scrobes more strongly metallic; area between eye and scrobe with a fairly strong pale green, brassy and coppery sheen, temple and gena similar, but partly mixed blue and purple; interantennal prominence with a weak purple and brassy sheen, rest of scrobal area mainly pale orange with a very weak brassy sheen; frontovertex with inconspicuous, translucent, pale brown setae along inner eye margins, these continued as slightly more conspicuous scattered setae below eye; gena and interantennal prominence with numerous, scattered setae; maxillary palpus orange-brown, terminal segment dark brown; antenna with radicle mostly dark brown, but proximally orange; antenna (Fig. 1181) with scape orange, ventral margin internally pale brown for about half its length; pedicel brown, apex and ventral surface orange-brown; F1 mostly very pale yellow, marked orange-brown externally, F2-F3 white, F4 brown, ventrally pale orange, F5-F6 and clava dark brown, almost black; pronotum orange with weak purple and brassy reflections, posterior margin translucent, neck brown; propleuron pale orange, brown in front of coxa; prosternum orange; mesoscutum black, anterior two-thirds with distinct coppery and brassy reflections, clothed with relatively sparse, translucent, golden brown setae, posterior one-third similar but more strongly metallic green and brassy and clothed with relatively dense silvery setae, posterior margin purple-brown; tegula orange with apex slightly darker orange-brown; axilla orange with very weak brassy reflections, brownish towards mid line and along posterior margins, with dark brown setae; scutellum orange with weak purple and brassy reflections, anteriorly with translucent pale brown setae, posteriorly with black setae, sub apical tuft black; metanotum dark orange-brown; mesopleuron slightly dusky orange, generally with a weak brassy and purple lustre; mesosternum pale orange, mixed brown; fore coxa white; fore femur pale orange, dorsally margined pale brown in apical half, tibia pale orange, externally mostly orange-brown, tarsus dusky pale orange; mid coxa slightly dirty white; mid femur white, apical one-third pale orange with dorsal margin pale brown; tibia pale orange with outer surface dark brown for about two-thirds of its length, spur and tarsus pale orange; hind coxa white; hind femur orange, tibia dark brown, ventral margin mixed orange, tarsus white, pale orange and brown at apex; fore wing (Fig. 1182) mostly infuscate but hyaline towards base and at apex, venation pale orange; propodeum brown with a purple sheen, slightly bluish submedially, 8 or 9 translucent silvery to pale brown setae near spiracle; gaster orange to dark brown with coppery, purple, green and brassy reflections, dorsum dark brown, Gt1 laterally with a metallic green sheen, syntergum orange, side and venter of gaster mostly orange, sides of tergites brownish; gonostylus orange.

Head (Fig. 1183) about 5.3X as wide as frontovertex, in profile about 2.0X as high as deep, anteriorly fairly evenly rounded from occipital margin to top of scrobes and from there virtually straight to mouth margin with interantennal prominence slightly protuberant; occipital margin sharp, not carinate; vertex with a short, inconspicuous groove from posterior ocellus along eye margin to about half way to occipital margin; ocelli forming an angle of about 40°; frontovertex quite shiny, with shallow, fairly regular, fine, polygonally reticulate sculpture of mesh size a little smaller than diameter of facet, area immediately above scrobes with coarser, more irregular, transversely elongate sculpture; narrowest point between eye and scrobe about 0.27X length of scape and with obliquely elongate, coarse polygonal sculpture; temple with irregular, transversely elongate, sculpture, gena with similar, but more longitudinally elongate sculpture; scrobes deep, very broadly ∩-shaped, meeting, dorsally very smooth, sharply margined dorsally and laterally, margin carinate laterally; interantennal prominence without median ridge, broadly rounded and completely smooth dorsally, below with shallow, regular, polygonally reticulate sculpture; antenna as in Fig. 1181; scape slightly broadened and flattened, widest in proximal half, about 5X as long as broad; F1 very slightly longer than broad, F2-F6 transverse, segments larger and broader distad, linear sensilla present only on F6; clava clearly broadened, slightly longer than funicle, sutures oblique, sensory area enlarged, extending ventrally about 0.9X length of clava, apex strongly obliquely truncate; eye not reaching occipital margin, separated by slightly more than diameter of facet, clothed in fairly conspicuous setae that are slightly shorter than diameter of facet; inner eye margins clearly diverging in front of anterior ocellus; malar sulcus absent; clypeal margin distinctly concave medially; mandible with three acute teeth; apical segment of maxillary palpus not enlarged, hardly longer than radicle. Relative measurements: HW 68.5, HH 79, FV 13, POL 7, OOL 0, OCL 7.5, AOL 10.5, EL 50, EW 34, MS 31.5, SL 45, SW 9.

Thorax with polygonally reticulate sculpture on pronotum and mesoscutum that is similar to that in ocellar area, axilla and scutellum with similar sculpture but clearly slightly deeper and coarser; mesoscutum in anterior one-third or so and on sides with generally obliquely strigose sculpture, middle and on posterior two-thirds with more regular, rounded, polygonally reticulate sculpture; visible part of mesoscutum about 2.3X as broad as long; scutellum about as broad as long, with a distinct subapical tuft, setae about 0.4X as long as scutellum; mid tibia with a strong external carina for about 0.7X its length; hind femur about 4.7X as long as broad; fore wing with venation and setation as in Fig. 1182; costal cell naked dorsally at apex; apices of postmarginal and stigmal veins connected by a naked, hyaline streak; propodeum medially about 0.16X as long as scutellum, virtually smooth but with some shallow irregular sculpture. Relative measurements: FWL 69.5, FWW 21.5; HWL 55, HWW 14.

Gaster with syntergum about 0.6X as long as mid tibia; exserted part of ovipositor about 0.6X length of gaster or about 0.6X mid tibia. Relative measurements: OL 81, GL 33.5 [MT 52].

Variation. Only holotype examined.

Male. Unknown.

DISTRIBUTION. Costa Rica.

HOSTS. Unknown.

MATERIAL EXAMINED.

Type material. Holotype E: COSTA RICA, Guanacaste, Valle Miravalles , Est. Cabro Muco, LN 299769 411243, 1100m, #74102, 4.vii.2003 (J.D. Gutierrez) . Holotype in NHMUK .