Cheiloneurus simus, 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 : 288-290

Cheiloneurus simus sp.nov.

( Figs 714-719; Hab. E 109)

DIAGNOSIS. Female (length about 1.4-2.0mm): body generally orange, mesoscutum posteriorly with a dark band ( Fig. 719), gaster mostly dark brown, paler areas with a weak metallic sheen, darker areas with a moderate to strong metallic sheen; antenna ( Fig. 718) with scape mostly pale orange, ventrally margined brown; pedicel very pale orange with a dark brown streak; funicle with orange-brown to brown segments; clava dark brown; posterior half of mesoscutum with dense silvery setae; fore and hind coxae white, mid coxa very pale orange; legs mostly white to pale orange; fore wing ( Fig. 715) mostly infuscate with basal cell mostly hyaline, a small hyaline area at apex of venation which continues more broadly around wing apex to opposite margin; head ( Fig. 716) about 4.7-5.3X as wide as frontovertex, in facial view slightly broader than long, subquadrate, genae quite strongly and evenly curved, but hardly converging; frontovertex with about 3 setae medially between anterior ocellus and scrobes; eye separated from scrobe by about 1.7X diameter of anterior ocellus, area between eye and scrobe completely smooth, scrobes deep and sharply margined; interantennal prominence with about 10 inconspicuous setae and dorsally rounded; mandible virtually tridentate; scape ( Fig. 718) about 2.2X as long as broad; funicle segments subquadrate or transverse; linear sensilla on F4-F6; clava 3-segmented, about as long as F2-F6 combined, sensory area enlarged, extending nearly 0.4X along ventral surface of clava giving it a strongly obliquely truncate appearance; head width slightly less than length of pedicel and flagellum combined; mesoscutum ( Fig. 719) anteriorly with fine, longitudinally elongate, striate-reticulate sculpture, posteriorly with slightly shallower polygonally reticulate sculpture; scutellum with a distinct, apical tuft of setae; wings fully developed; fore wing ( Fig. 715) about 2.5-2.6X as long as broad; parastigma clearly downcurved; costal cell dorsally naked but for two or three apical setae, ventrally with a virtually complete line of setae; area below proximal part of parastigma with a line of about ten paler setae that curves towards fore wing base, one or two setae outside this; apices of postmarginal and stigmal veins connected by a naked, hyaline area that extends a little way into disc ( Fig. 714); seta at apex of postmarginal vein about 0.5X as long as marginal vein; mid tibial spur hardly shorter than basitarsus; propodeum ( Fig. 719) with only about four setae adjacent to spiracle; syntergum about 0.8X as long as mid tibia; ovipositor ( Fig. 717) about 4.1X gonostylus or about 1.4X as long as mid tibia; gonostylus about as long as mid tibial spur; exserted part of ovipositor about 0.2X as long as mid tibial spur. Male: unknown.

Female (holotype): length, including ovipositor, 1.50mm; excluding ovipositor, 1.48mm (CPD). Head generally orange; occiput pale orange; an oblique, brown stripe across temple towards torulus, mouth margin brown ( Fig. 716); frontovertex with a weak metallic blue sheen, some distinct purple reflections on ocellar area, purple and brassy immediately above scrobes; temple with a weak silvery and purple sheen; shining purple between eye and scrobe; gena relatively dull green, purple and brassy; top of scrobes delimited by a slender, slightly curved, brown band; interantennal prominence with a weak purple and brassy sheen; frontovertex with inconspicuous pale brown setae along inner eye margins; a line of slightly more conspicuous, translucent, white setae below eye; interantennal prominence clothed with inconspicuous, sparse, translucent, white setae; maxillary palpus pale orange; antenna ( Fig. 718) with radicle pale orange with a narrow brown apical ring; scape pale orange, white at extreme apex, ventral margin dark brown; pedicel very pale orange with a dark brown streak along inner surface; F1-F3 brown, F4-F6 slightly paler orange-brown, clava dark brown; pronotum orange with weak brassy and coppery reflections, neck marked brown; prosternum pale orange, brown anterior to coxa; mesoscutum orange in anterior half with some very weak coppery and brassy reflections, clothed in relatively sparse golden brown and dark brown setae, posterior half and side brown with a moderately strong, dark blue sheen and distinct purple reflections, clothed in conspicuous, relatively dense silvery setae, posterior margin purple-brown with a purple sheen; tegula orange with apex orange-brown; axilla and scutellum orange, clothed with golden brown and dark brown setae, subapical tuft on scutellum black; metanotum orange; mesopleuron orange with a weak brassy sheen, posterior half pale brown with a weak green, purple and brassy sheen; mesosternum pale orange; fore coxa and proximal half of fore femur white, fore tibia with dorsal margin brown proximally, fore leg otherwise pale orange; mid coxa slightly dusky, very pale orange; mid femur white in proximal half, apex pale orange, tibia pale orange, slightly dusky subbasally, spur and tarsus pale orange; hind coxa white; hind femur pale orange, slightly dusky along margins towards apex and with a subapical brown streak on inner surface, tibia pale orange with diffuse brown subbasal and subapical rings and extreme base white, tarsus pale orange; fore wing ( Fig. 715) mostly infuscate, hyaline towards base, along anterior margin distad of venation and at apex; submarginal vein pale orange, venation otherwise brown; propodeum orange medially, brown laterally and on side with a dark metallic blue and purple sheen, about 3 or 4 long, translucent, white setae in a line outside spiracle; gaster dark brown with a coppery sheen, Gt1 largely with a metallic blue and green sheen, side and venter paler orange to orange-brown and largely with coppery, brassy and purple reflections, syntergum pale orange-brown; gonostylus pale orange.

Head ( Fig. 716) about 5.3X as wide as frontovertex, in profile 1.6X as high as deep, anteriorly quite straight from top of scrobes to mouth margin, interantennal prominence slightly protuberant; occipital margin sharp, carinate; ocelli forming an angle of about 70°; frontovertex quite shiny, with shallow, polygonally reticulate sculpture of mesh size generally a little smaller than diameter of facet; narrowest point between eye and scrobe about 1.7X diameter of anterior ocellus and completely smooth; temple quite smooth, but with shallow, irregular, elongate, reticulate sculpture; gena with slightly deeper more regular, polygonally reticulate sculpture; scrobes deep, ∩-shaped, meeting, sharply margined; interantennal prominence dorsally rounded, with an indistinct median ridge and with shallow, polygonally reticulate sculpture; antenna as in Fig. 718; scape strongly broadened and flattened, about 2.2X as long as broad, broadest in middle; F1 subquadrate, F2-F6 transverse, segments larger and broader distad; clava clearly broadened, about as long as F2-F6 combined, sutures slightly oblique, sensory area enlarged, extending ventrally slightly less than 0.4X length of clava, apex appearing obliquely truncate; eye reaching occipital margin, clothed in sparse, inconspicuous, fine, short setae, each much shorter than diameter of facet; inner eye margins subparallel, converging slightly anteriorly; malar sulcus absent; clypeal margin very slightly concave medially; mandible with two sharp teeth and a truncation, virtually tridentate; apical segment of maxillary palpus not enlarged, about as long as radicle. Relative measurements: HW 72, HH 67, FV 13.5, POL 7.5, OOL 0, OCL 5.5, AOL 8, EL 44, EW 37, MS 33, SL 34, SW 15.5.

Thorax ( Fig. 719) with pronotum short and hardly exposed behind head, about 0.6X as long as mesoscutum, pronotum with polygonally reticulate sculpture that is about as deep as that on frontovertex; mesoscutum anteriorly with fine, longitudinally elongate, striate-reticulate sculpture, posteriorly with slightly shallower polygonally reticulate sculpture; axilla with similar sculpture to pronotum, scutellum with similar but slightly coarser sculpture which is longitudinally elongate laterally; visible part of mesoscutum about 1.7X as broad as long; scutellum about as long as broad with a distinct subapical tuft, setae mostly about half as long as scutellum; mid tibia with a distinct external carina for about half its length; hind femur about 4.3X as long as broad; fore wing with venation and setation as in Figs 714, 715; costal cell with 2 setae dorsally at apex; apices of postmarginal and stigmal veins connected by a distinct, naked, hyaline streak ( Fig. 714); propodeum ( Fig. 719) medially about 0.10X as long as scutellum and virtually smooth, setae on side conspicuous. Relative measurements: FWL 71.5, FWW 27.5; HWL 62, HWW 17.

Gaster with hypopygium reaching about 0.4X to apex; syntergum about 0.9X as long as mid tibia, with apex fairly acute; ovipositor slightly exserted, the exserted part about 0.16X as long as mid tibial spur or less than 0.1X as long as mid tibia.

Paratype. Funicle with linear sensilla present only on F4-F6; gaster without “gland-like” structures on Gt1 or Gt5; ovipositor Fig. 717. Relative measurements: OL 51, GL 12.5 [MT 37].

Variation. Females vary in overall length from 1.35-2.00mm, the colour of the flagellum varies a little, F3 may be orange-brown and slightly paler than F1-F2, or F5 and F6 may be concolourous with F1, the faint brown rings on the hind tibia may not be apparent, the purple reflections on the posterior part of the mesoscutum may be virtually absent and the head varies from 4.7-5.3X as wide as the frontovertex.

Male. Unknown.

DISTRIBUTION. Costa Rica.

HOSTS. Some of the paratypes were reared from an unknown coccid ( Hemiptera : Coccidae ) on Psittacanthus sp. ( Santalales : Loranthaceae ).

MATERIAL EXAMINED.

Type material. Holotype E: COSTA RICA, Alajuela, Volcan Poas, Lagunillas , 2400m, ex scale on Psitacanthus [sic], 8.vi.2003 (M. Gates) . Paratypes: COSTA RICA, 2E, Alajuela, same data as holotype; 1E , Heredia, 6km ENE Vara Blanca, 10°11’N 84°07’W, 2000m, 20/M/NOTN, iii.2002, INBio-OET/ ALAS); 1E, Heredia, 6km ENE Vara Blanca, 10°11’N 84°07’W, 2000m, 20/M/TN, iv.2002, INBio-OET/ ALAS); 2E, San José, 19km S 3km W Empalme, 9°39’N 83°52’W, x-xi.1993 and xii.1993 (P. Hanson); 1E, San José, 19km S Empalme, Mirador Quetzal , 9°39’N 83°52’N, 2600m, iii.2000 (P. Hanson); 1E , Cartago, Madreselva, Finca Los Lagos , LN 184450 550050, 2600m, 23.x-8.xi.1994 (M.M. Chavarria); 1E , Puntarenas, Buenos Aires, Est. Altamira , Cerro Frantzius, LS 574450 334150, 2134m, #61083, xii.2000 ( D. Rubí ) . Holotype in MZUCR, paratypes in NHMUK, MZUCR and USNM .

COMMENTS. As the key suggests, Cheiloneurus simus is very similar to marcius , both being of similar habitus, general colouration and having a similar pattern of infuscation of the fore wing. Both species also appear to have a small part of the apex of the fore wing straight or even very slightly convex. Apart from the characters given in the key simus differs from marcius in having the clava only about as long as F2-F6 combined, the sensory part of the clava extending only about one-third along the clava, the scape about 2.2X as long as broad, the occipital margin carinate, the mandible with two short teeth and a truncation and the ovipositor about 4X as long as the gonostylus. In marcius the clava is about as long as the funicle, the sensory part of the clava extends nearly 0.5X along clava, the scape is about 1.8X as long a broad, the occipital margin is not carinate, the mandible has three distinct teeth and the ovipositor is less than 3.5X as long as the gonostylus.