Cheiloneurus poeana, 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 : 311-314

Cheiloneurus poeana sp.nov.

( Figs 772-777; Hab. E 114)

DIAGNOSIS. Female (length about 1.4-1.8mm): body almost completely dark brown with a weak to moderate metallic sheen; antenna ( Fig. 772) with scape mostly white with dorsal and ventral margins largely brown; pedicel and flagellum dark brown; mesoscutum mostly with silvery setae; fore coxa white, mid and hind coxae dark brown; legs dark orange-brown to dark brown, fore and mid legs paler; fore wing ( Fig. 775) mostly infuscate with basal cell mostly hyaline, a small hyaline area at apex of venation this connected by a paler line to a larger hyaline area opposite, apex with a narrow subtriangular hyaline area; head ( Fig. 774) about 4.5-5.3X as wide as frontovertex, in facial view clearly longer than broad, suboval, genae slightly curved and converging, slightly more curved inwards near mouth; frontovertex naked medially between anterior ocellus and scrobes; eye separated from scrobe by about diameter of anterior ocellus, area between eye and scrobe completely smooth and shiny, occasionally with very shallow sculpture; scrobes deep, sharply margined, carinate below eye; interantennal prominence with about 50 fairly conspicuous setae and dorsally broadly rounded without a median ridge; mandible with one acute tooth and a broad truncation; antenna ( Fig. 772) with scape about 3.5-3.7X as long as broad; F1-F4 longer than broad, F5-F6 quadrate or transverse; linear sensilla on F3-F6, occasionally also on F2; clava 3-segmented, slightly shorter than F4-F6 combined; sensory area enlarged, extending ventrally about 0.4X length of clava, apex obliquely truncate; head width slightly less than flagellum length; mesoscutum mostly with regular, polygonally reticulate sculpture, anterolateral areas with distinctly more longitudinally elongate sculpture; scutellum with a distinct, apical tuft of setae; wings fully developed, fore wing ( Fig. 775) about 2.7X as long as broad; parastigma downcurved; costal cell dorsally naked or with a single apical seta, ventrally with a line of setae in proximal 0.8X, apex naked; area below proximal part of parastigma with a group of about 6-17 setae; apices of postmarginal and stigmal veins connected by a naked hyaline area that continues a little way into disc ( Fig. 776); apical bristle of postmarginal vein about 0.6X as long as marginal vein; mid tibial spur slightly longer than basitarsus; propodeum with about five inconspicuous setae adjacent to spiracle, side naked; syntergum about 0.7X as long as mid tibia with apex broadly rounded; ovipositor ( Fig. 777) about 4.6X gonostylus or about as long as mid tibia; gonostylus about 0.6X as long mid tibial spur; ovipositor not exserted. Male: unknown.

Female (holotype): length, 1.75mm ( CPD) .

Head mainly dark brown, virtually black; a very small area outside torulus, posterior part of gena and area above mandible pale orange; occipital margin faintly metallic blue, frontovertex generally with a dull purple sheen; area between eye and scrobe more strongly shining purple and green; temple with a relatively strong metallic green and blue-green sheen mixed with some purple, this continuing more weakly to upper part of gena, area immediately below eye weakly shining coppery, violet and purple, lower part of gena dull with a weak blue-green and coppery sheen; scrobes very shiny, metallic green; upper part of interantennal prominence with a narrow green sheen, below this purple, a narrow coppery, purple, brassy and bright blue line more or less connects lower margins of toruli, below this metallic green with mouth margin mixed coppery and purple; frontovertex clothed with inconspicuous, pale brown setae, these continued as a line below eye; gena and interantennal prominence with relatively dense, scattered, short, translucent setae; antenna ( Fig. 772) with radicle mostly orange, apex dark brown; scape mostly white, ventral margin dark brown from base to about 0.75X along its length, dorsal margin and apex dark brown; pedicel and flagellum dark brown, almost black; maxillary palpus dark brown; thorax mostly dark brown; pronotum dark brown with sides pale orange; propleuron pale orange; prosternum pale orange; mesoscutum black generally with a purple sheen and some blue, green and coppery reflections, clothed in anterior one-quarter with brown setae, posterior three-quarters or so with paler, translucent, silvery setae; tegula dark brown with weak coppery and brassy reflections; axilla orange-brown, bordered dark brown, clothed with dark brown setae; scutellum matt black mixed with some dark orange-brown, anteriorly with golden brown setae, posterior setae and subapical tuft black; mesopleuron dark chestnut brown, anteriorly with a weak green, brassy, coppery and blue sheen, posteriorly with a coppery, purple and green sheen; fore coxa white; fore femur pale orange, bordered brown, tibia brown, tarsus brown; mid coxa dark brown; mid femur largely off-white, dorsally dark brown, tibia pale orange with a subbasal white band, extreme base dark brown and a dark brown, external streak subbasally, spur orange mixed dark brown, with apex dusky, tarsus orange; hind coxa dark brown, mixed pale orange posteriorly; hind femur dark brown with a small, subapical, orange-brown area, tibia pale orange, bordered brown, tarsus pale orange, apex dark brown; fore wing ( Fig. 775) mostly infuscate, largely hyaline towards base, venation brown; propodeum dark brown, medially with a metallic purple sheen, area around spiracle metallic dark blue, blue-green and purple, about 7 or 8 translucent, setae outside spiracle; gaster dark brown, mostly with a coppery-purple and brassy sheen, Gt3-Gt5 laterally with distinct coppery and green reflections; visible part of gonostylus very pale orange.

Head ( Fig. 774) about 5.2X as wide as frontovertex, with gena rounded in facial view, in profile about 1.8X as high as deep, frontovertex slightly angled level with posterior ocelli, then weakly and evenly curved to top of scrobes, slightly angled towards mouth margin and virtually straight from top of scrobes to mouth margin, interantennal prominence slightly protuberant; occipital margin sharp, carinate; ocelli forming an angle of about 55°; frontovertex slightly shiny, with shallow, fairly regular, polygonally reticulate sculpture of mesh size smaller than diameter of eye facet, sculpture immediately above scrobes clearly coarser and transversely elongate, this area bordered laterally by a completely smooth area and broadly below by dorsal margin of scrobes; scrobes completely smooth; upper part of interantennal prominence narrowly smooth, but mostly with moderately slightly coarse, regular polygonally reticulate to imbricate-reticulate sculpture; temple with shallow, irregular, longitudinally elongate polygonally reticulate sculpture, posterior part of gena with similar sculpture, anterior part of gena with elongate, polygonally reticulate sculpture that is conspicuously deeper than that immediately below anterior ocellus; narrowest part between eye and scrobe hardly wider than diameter of anterior ocellus, completely smooth; 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. 772; scape broadened and flattened, broadest above middle, about 3.7X as long as broad; F1-F4 longer than broad, F5 quadrate, F6 transverse, segments wider and larger distally so that F6 is largest and widest; clava slightly broadened, slightly shorter than F4-F6 combined, sensory area slightly enlarged, extending about 0.4X along ventral surface, giving it an obliquely truncate appearance; eye not quite reaching occipital margin, separated by slightly less than diameter of facet, clothed with inconspicuous, very short setae that are much shorter than diameter of facet; inner eye margins subparallel, narrowest point of frontovertex about midway between anterior ocellus and top of scrobes; malar sulcus absent; clypeal margin medially very slightly convex; mandible with one acute tooth and a broad, slightly concave truncation; apical segment of maxillary palpus not enlarged, about as long as radicle. Relative measurements: HW 83, HH 93, FV 16, POL 9.5, OOL 0.5, OCL 10.5, AOL 11, EL 60, EW 45, MS 41, SL 39, SW 10.5.

Thorax with pronotum hardly exposed behind head and about 0.6X as long as mesoscutum; pronotum slightly shiny with similar sculpture to that in ocellar area; mesoscutum mostly with regular, polygonally reticulate sculpture that is similar to that in ocellar area, anterolateral areas with finer, slightly narrower but more longitudinally elongate polygonal sculpture; axilla and scutellum with polygonally reticulate sculpture that is slightly deeper than that on mesoscutum; visible part of mesoscutum about 2X as broad as long; scutellum about as broad as long, with a distinct subapical tuft, setae mostly about 0.6X as long as scutellum; hind femur about 4.4X as long as broad; fore wing with venation and setation as in Figs 775, 776; costal cell with 1 seta dorsally at apex; apices of postmarginal and stigmal veins connected by a distinct, naked, hyaline streak ( Fig. 776); mid tibia without a distinct, external carina; propodeum medially about 0.1X as long as scutellum and smooth. Relative measurements: FWL 79, FWW 29.5; HWL 70, HWW 17.

Gaster with hypopygium reaching about 0.4X to apex; syntergum about 0.7X as long as mid tibia, with apex broadly rounded, virtually truncate; ovipositor hidden.

Paratype. Funicle with linear sensilla present only on F2-F6 or F3-F6; gaster without “gland-like” structures on Gt1 or Gt5; hypopygium Fig, 773; ovipositor Fig. 777. Relative measurements: OL 60, GL 13 [MT 60].

Variation. Females vary in overall length from 1.43-1.84mm; the area below the torulus may be distinctly brassy, the dorsal part of the interantennal prominence may be purple, the mesoscutum may have only a weak purple sheen, the narrowest point between the eye and scrobe may have extremely shallow, polygonally reticulate sculpture and the head vary from 4.5-5.3X as wide as the frontovertex.

Male. Unknown.

DISTRIBUTION. Costa Rica.

HOSTS. Unknown.

MATERIAL EXAMINED.

Type material. Holotype E: COSTA RICA, Guanacaste, Santa Rosa NP, Hacienda 2-C, 17.vi-27. iv.1985 (Janzen & Gauld). Paratypes: COSTA RICA, 9E, Guanacaste, Santa Rosa NP , various localities and dates, 27.vi.1985 - 25.iv.1987 (D. Janzen, I.D. Gauld); 1E, Guanacaste, Guanacaste NP (error for Santa Rosa NP ), near HQ, MT/YPT, 2-10.iii.1990 (J.S. Noyes); 1E, Guanacaste, Est. Maritza ( ACG), LN 326900 373000, 600m, iii.1996 (M. Pereira); 1E, Guanacaste, BN Diriá, Vista del Mar, LN 233900 358750, 890m, #64075, vii-viii.2001 (I. Jiménez); 2E, San José, Ciudad Colon, iii-iv.1990 (L. Fournier); 3E, San José, Ciudad Colon, iv-v.1990 (P. Hanson). Holotype in MZUCR, paratypes in MZUCR and NHMUK.

COMMENTS. Excluding the characters given in the key, within this group of similar species ( poeana , amadeus , medusa , seius , grimus and oshtan ), poeana differs from oshtan in having the scape about 3.5-3.7X as long as broad, whereas in oshtan the scape is about 3.2X as long as broad. Cheiloneurus amadeus , medusa and grimus all have a narrower scape which is greater than 4.2X as long as broad. In poeana the fore coxa is white, whereas in all of the above species it is dark brown, or mostly so. Cheiloneurus poeana has a relatively narrow frontovertex which is about 0.16-0.2X head width whilst in amadeus and medusa the frontovertex is greater than 0.25X head width. Finally, poeana differs from seius in having the ovipositor about as long as the mid tibia and about 4.7X as long as a gonostylus whilst in seius the ovipositor is about 1.4X as long as the md tibia and about 5.2X as long as a gonostylus.

See also comments under herxius (p. 306) and oshtan (p. 316).