Cheiloneurus horocles, 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 : 363-366

Cheiloneurus horocles sp.nov.

( Figs 921-927; Hab. E 133)

DIAGNOSIS. Female (length about 1.2-1.9mm): head and thorax mostly orange to orange-brown, mesoscutum, propodeum and gaster dark brown, darker areas with a weak to moderate metallic sheen; antenna ( Fig. 925) with scape mostly white, margins largely brown; pedicel mostly dark brown; flagellum mostly dark brown, F2-F4 at least partially pale orange; mesoscutum with dense silvery setae in posterior two-thirds; fore and hind coxae white, mid coxa brown dorsally, white ventrally; legs mostly white to pale orange with dark brown areas on tibiae and femora; fore wing ( Fig. 921) mostly infuscate, basal cell mostly hyaline, a small hyaline area at apex of venation, apex with a small triangular hyaline area; head ( Fig. 926) about 4.7-6.8X as wide as frontovertex, in facial view slightly to very clearly broader than long, suboval, genae hardly curved, converging, distinctly curved inwards near mouth; frontovertex with two setae medially between anterior ocellus and scrobes; eye separated from scrobe by about diameter of anterior ocellus, area between eye and scrobe smooth and shiny; scrobes deep, sharply margined, carinate below eye, interantennal prominence with about 40-50 inconspicuous setae, dorsally rounded, without a median ridge; mandible tridentate; antenna ( Fig. 925) with scape about 4.1-4.3X as long as broad; funicle with F1-F4 slightly longer than broad, F5-F6 quadrate or transverse, F4 may be quadrate; linear sensilla on F2-F6; clava 3-segmented, about as long as F3-F6 combined or F4-F6; sensory area enlarged, extending ventrally about 0.3-0.4X length of clava, apex obliquely truncate; head width greater than funicle length but less than flagellum length; mesoscutum ( Fig. 927) with fairly regular, coarse, polygonally reticulate sculpture, very slightly more elongate and coarser anterolaterally; scutellum with a distinct, apical tuft of setae; wings fully developed, fore wing ( Fig. 921) about 2.8-2.9X as long as broad; parastigma downcurved; costal cell dorsally naked or with a single seta at apex, ventrally with a line of setae that is interrupted above parastigma; area below proximal part of parastigma with a group of about 25 uniform, fine setae; apices of postmarginal and stigmal veins connected by a naked hyaline area that continues a little way into disc ( Fig. 922); apical bristle of postmarginal vein about 0.7-0.8X as long as marginal vein; mid tibial spur about as long as basitarsus; propodeum with about five inconspicuous setae adjacent to spiracle, side naked; syntergum about as long as mid tibia with apex narrow and angular; ovipositor ( Fig. 924) about 4.2X gonostylus or about 1.5X as long as mid tibia; gonostylus very nearly as long as long mid tibial spur; exserted part of ovipositor about 0.5X as long as mid tibial spur. Male: unknown.

Female (holotype): length, including ovipositor, 1.93mm; excluding ovipositor, 1.84mm (CPD).

Head generally slightly dusky orange; occiput pale orange with a dark brown, triangular mark above foramen; lower scrobes, lower interantennal prominence, much of mouth margin and posterior part of gena pale orange; mouth margin below torulus dark brown; carinate part of occipital margin dark, dull metallic purple, area to posterior ocelli with a metallic sheen, coppery between posterior ocelli, area between ocelli with a weak purple, blue and green sheen, frontovertex in front of anterior ocellus with a weak brassy and slightly purple sheen; immediately above scrobes with a weak metallic blue sheen; area between eye and scrobe with a relatively strong metallic green and purple sheen, this bordered laterally by a purple and blue line; temple and upper gena with a metallic green sheen, mixed coppery posteriorly and ventrally; lower gena with a weaker purple, coppery and brassy sheen; top of scrobes metallic green; upper part of interantennal prominence with weak purple sheen, lower part of interantennal prominence with a weak brassy sheen with weak green and purple reflections; mouth margin below torulus with a metallic green and coppery sheen; frontovertex clothed with inconspicuous, pale brown setae, these continued as a line below eye and scattered on gena; interantennal prominence with relatively dense, translucent, slightly silvery setae; antenna ( Fig. 925) with radicle pale orange proximally, but mostly dark brown; scape largely white but with ventral margin broadly dark brown to about 0.75X along its length, base completely dark brown, dorsal margin proximally orange with apical 0.4X and apex dark brown; pedicel mainly dark brown, but paler orange-brown dorsally; F1 dark brown, F2-F4 pale orange mixed dark brown, F3-F4 mostly pale orange, F5-F6 and clava dark brown; maxillary palpus white, terminal segment brown; pronotum mostly pale orange with weak purple and brassy reflections, neck brown; propleuron pale orange, dark brown in front of coxa; prosternum pale or- ange; mesoscutum black with weak brassy, coppery, purple, green and blue reflections, these most distinct posteriorly and virtually absent anteriorly, mesoscutum mainly clothed in conspicuous, translucent silvery setae, anterior one-third or so with slightly less dense and golden brown to dark brown setae; tegula dark orange-brown with a weak purple sheen; axilla slightly dusky orange, bordered brown, with weak purple reflections and with a few black and golden brown setae; scute- llum orange, slightly dusky between axillae, with weak purple reflections, with golden brown setae, subapical tuft black; metanotum very dark purple-brown; mesopleuron orange-brown, with a moderate coppery, blue, green brassy and purple sheen; mesosternum dark brown mixed pale orange; fore coxa white; fore femur mostly white, apex and margins dark brown, tibia white at extreme base, broadly dark brown medially, apex slightly dusky pale orange, tarsus slightly dusky orange; mid coxa mostly brown, white apically and on much of venter; mid femur white, with an incomplete subapical dark brown ring on inner surface and dorsal margin, tibia dark brown at extreme base, white subbasally otherwise very pale orange with an incomplete, subbasal dark brown ring continued as a dark brown streak externally for most of length of tibia, spur and tarsus pale orange; hind coxa white, hind femur white at extreme base, apex brown with a preapical orange area, tibia white at base, otherwise dark brown, tarsus pale orange; fore wing ( Fig. 921) mostly infuscate, largely hyaline towards base, apex with a small hyaline area, submarginal vein pale orange otherwise venation brown; propodeum dark brown, medially with a coppery and metallic green sheen, laterally with coppery purple and metallic green patches, side relatively dull blue-green, blue and purple, about 5 silvery setae in a line outside spiracle; gaster mainly dark brown with a slight brassy and purple sheen, Gt1 and Gt2 dorsally mixed relatively strongly coppery, green, purple and blue, sides of Gt3-Gt5 with a relatively strong green and blue-green sheen with coppery and purple reflections, sternites with coppery, blue, green, purple and brassy reflections; gonostylus very pale orange.

Head ( Fig. 926) in facial view about 5.9X as wide as frontovertex with upper part of gena straight and converging, in profile about 1.6X as high as deep, frontovertex slightly angled level with posterior ocelli, then weakly and evenly curved to top of scrobes, strongly angled at top of scrobes towards mouth margin, with interantennal prominence slightly protuberant; occipital margin sharp, carinate; a shallow groove present on eye margin behind ocellus which connects with occipital carina; ocelli forming an angle of about 38°; frontovertex with shallow, fine polygonally reticulate sculpture of mesh size generally slightly smaller than eye facet; area immediately above scrobes with relatively deep, coarse, transversely elongate, polygonally reticulate to imbricate-reticulate sculpture, area outside this between eye and scrobe completely smooth and shiny; temple and upper gena with distinct, shallow, longitudinally elongate imbricate-reticulate to strigose sculpture, lower gena with similar sculpture to that on temple but less shiny; scrobes smooth; interantennal prominence virtually smooth but with fine, shallow, polygonally reticulate sculpture; narrowest part between eye and scrobal margin about as wide as diameter of anterior ocellus, scrobes deep, meeting dorsally, sharply margined, carinate below eye, very broadly ∩-shaped, interantennal prominence dorsally broadly rounded, without a median ridge; antenna as in Fig. 925; scape broadened and flattened, broadest subapically, about 4.3X as long as broad; funicle with F1-F4 very slightly longer than broad, F5 quadrate, F6 transverse, segments clearly larger and wider distally; clava hardly broadened, slightly shorter than F4-F6 combined, sutures oblique, sensory area slightly enlarged, extending about 0.4X along ventral surface, giving it a distinct obliquely truncate appearance; eye virtually reaching occipital margin, separated by much less than diameter of facet, with extremely short, inconspicuous setae, each much shorter than diameter of facet; inner eye margins diverging in front of anterior ocellus, narrowest part of frontovertex slightly in front of anterior ocellus; malar sulcus absent; clypeal margin medially weakly convex; mandible with 2 acute teeth and a truncation, virtually tridentate; apical segment of maxillary palpus not enlarged, about 1.5X as long as radicle. Relative measurements: HW 122, HH 129, FV 21, POL 9.5, OOL 0, OCL 18, AOL 20, EL 94, EW 69, MS 42, SL 60, SW 14.

Thorax ( Fig. 927) with pronotum hardly exposed behind head and about 0.5X as long as mesoscutum; pronotum with shallow, imbricate-reticulate to polygonally reticulate sculpture that is of similar depth to that in ocellar area; mesoscutum with fairly regular, coarse, polygonally reticulate sculpture, slightly deeper anteriorly and laterally, overall clearly a little deeper than that on pronotum; axilla and scutellum with polygonally reticulate sculpture, more elongate on side of scutellum, generally slightly coarser than that on mesoscutum but of similar depth; visible part of mesoscutum about 1.8X as broad as long; scutellum about as long as broad, with a distinct subapical tuft, setae mostly about 0.75X as long as scutellum; hind femur about 4.8X as long as broad; fore wing with venation and setation as in Figs 921, 922; costal cell naked dorsally at apex; apices of postmarginal and stigmal veins connected by a distinct, naked, hyaline streak ( Fig. 922); mid tibia with a weak external carina proximally; propodeum ( Fig. 927) medially about 0.21X as long as scutellum and smooth. Relative measurements: FWL 96.5, FWW 34.5; HWL 86.5, HWW 21.5.

Gaster with hypopygium reaching about 0.4X to apex; syntergum about as long as mid tibia, with apex narrow and angular; ovipositor exserted, the exserted part about 0.5X as long as mid tibial spur or 0.2X as long as mid tibia.

Paratype. Funicle with linear sensilla present only on F2-F6; gaster without “gland-like” structures on Gt1 or Gt5; hypopygium Fig. 923; ovipositor Fig. 924. Relative measurements: OL 62, GL 15 [MT 42].

Variation. Females vary in overall length from 1.2-1.93mm, F2-F3 may be almost completely pale orange, the funicle may be virtually completely dark brown with F1-F3 only very slightly paler, the hind femur may be almost completely dusky, pale orange, the head varies from 4.7-6.8X as wide as the frontovertex in facial view slightly to clearly higher than broad, wider and shorter in smaller specimens, the interantennal prominence has about 40-50 setae, the scape varies from 4.1-4.3X as long as broad, and in smaller specimens F4 may be quadrate and F5 transverse, the clava may be about as long as F4-F6 combined with the sensory part extending ventrally about 0.3-0.4X length of clava, the fore wing may be about 2.8-2.9X as long as broad and the costal cell may be dorsally naked or with a single apical seta.

Male. Unknown.

DISTRIBUTION. Costa Rica.

HOSTS. Unknown.

MATERIAL EXAMINED.

Type material. Holotype E: COSTA RICA, Guanacaste, Santa Rosa NP, Hacienda 3-0, 26.x-16.xi.1985 (Janzen, Gauld) . Paratype: COSTA RICA, 12E, Guanacaste, Santa Rosa NP , various localities and dates 28.vii.1985 - 21.ii.1987 (D. Janzen, I. Gauld); 1E, Guanacaste, PN Palo Verde, La Espuela, Q. Mula, LN 386300 260770, 10m, #61362, 10-20.i.2001 (I. Jiménez); 1E, Guanacaste, Volcan Orosí, SW side, Est. Orosí, 1100m, 1988-1989; 1E , Alajuela, San Pedro de la Tigra, cacao, i-ii.1990 (R. Cespedes); 1E , Puntarenas, Pen Osa , Puerto Jimenez , 10m, ii-iii.1993 (P. Hanson) . Holotype in MZUCR, paratypes in NHMUK and MZUCR .

COMMENTS. Cheiloneurus horocles is superficially very similar to feritas in general habitus and colouration and at a quick glance the two species could be easily confused. Other than the relative width of the scape given in the key to species (about 4X as long as broad in horocles and about 3X in feritas ), horocles can be distinguished from feritas on the colour of the funicle segments, size of the sensory area of the clava, relative length of the head, mandibular teeth, the setae below the parastigma and the relative length of the gonostyli. In horocles , at least some funicle segments are marked yellow or pale orange, the sensory part of the clava extends about 0.4X along its ventral surface, the head is slightly higher than broad, the mandible has 2 teeth and a truncation, there is a group of about 20 pale uniform setae below the parastigma and the ovipositor is a little more than 4X as long as the gonostylus. In feritas the scape is about 3X as long as broad, the flagellum is uniformly dark brown, the sensory part of the clava does not extend more than about 0.25X along the ventral surface of the clava, the head is a little broader than high, the mandible is tridentate, there is a group of about 40 variable setae below the parastigma and the ovipositor is about 3.6X as long as the gonostylus.