Mendisa gaia, 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 : 667-668

Mendisa gaia sp.nov.

(Figs 1836-1839)

Female (holotype): length, including ovipositor, 1.30mm; excluding ovipositor, 1.20mm ( CPD) .

Head generally black with a moderate metallic green and coppery purple sheen, a little stronger on temple and gena, slightly brassy on frontovertex; frontovertex, gena and interantennal prominence with inconspicuous, translucent, pale brown setae; antenna (Fig. 1837) with radicle dark brown, mixed dusky, pale orange; scape dark brown with extreme apex white; pedicel dark brown; funicle with F1 white, F2-F4 brown, F5-F6 pale yellow; clava dark brown; maxillary palpus white; thorax generally dark brown to black, pronotum with a moderate coppery purple sheen; mesoscutum relatively bright metallic blue-green, mixed slightly coppery purple behind pronotum and near posterior margin; tegula dark brown with a weak coppery purple sheen; axilla dark purple-brown with a weak coppery purple sheen; scutellum generally relatively dull coppery purple as axilla, slightly coppery towards apex, side and apical 0.3X more strongly shining metallic green mixed coppery; mesoscutum clothed with conspicuous, translucent pale brown setae, scutellum with less conspicuous, dark brown setae; metanotum dark purple-brown with a weak brassy sheen; mesopleuron dark brown, with a weak coppery purple and brassy sheen; mesosternum dark brown; all coxae dark brown; fore femur dark brown, tibia dark brown with extreme base and apical 0.25X pale orange, tarsus orange-brown with apical tarsomere brown; mid femur with proximal 0.5X white, most of apex dark brown, extreme apex white, tibia with base dark brown, apical 0.5X pale orange, spur and tarsus pale orange, apical tarsomere pale orange-brown; hind femur dark brown, tibia dark brown with extreme distal apex dusky pale orange, tarsus pale brown; wings (Fig. 1839) hyaline, fore wing with a very small, infuscate area adjacent to marginal vein; propodeum dark brown, with a weak purple and brassy sheen, side mainly relatively dull, metallic, dark green about 10 conspicuous, translucent, silvery setae outside spiracle; gaster dark brown, with a distinct coppery purple sheen, dorsal part of Gt1 with a distinct dark blue, green and brassy sheen, side of gaster with a mixed metallic green, brassy and coppery sheen; gonostylus dark brown, extreme apex dusky, pale orange.

Head about 2.3X as wide as frontovertex, without a shallow, oval, depression adjacent to eye margin behind posterior ocellus; ocelli forming an angle of about 95°; frontovertex with slightly irregular, moderately deep, polygonally reticulate sculpture of mesh size generally subequal to eye facet, sculpture between posterior ocellus and occipital margin similar, but slightly irregular; frontovertex with piliferous punctures shallow, but distinct, 4 in front of anterior ocellus and a conspicuous line of 5 along occipital margin, a line of sparse setae along inner eye margin continued along lower eye margin; interantennal prominence with two submedian lines of inconspicuous setae; temple with relatively shallow, longitudinally elongate, polygonally reticulate sculpture of relatively large mesh; gena with similar sculpture to temple but of smaller mesh; eye virtually reaching occipital margin, naked, separated from scrobal margin by about 1.5X diameter of ocellus, area between eye and scrobe with transversely elongate, imbricate-reticulate sculpture; scrobes meeting dorsally, very weakly margined dorsally and laterally; interantennal weak, dorsally rounded, separated from frontovertex, with fine, shallow, polygonally reticulate sculpture; antenna as in Fig. 1837; scape strongly broadened and flattened, about 1.7X as long as broad, dorsal margin slightly convex; funicle with linear sensilla only on F3-F6; clava slightly enlarged, about 1.2X as broad as F6, slightly longer than F4-F6 combined, sutures slightly oblique, sensory area slightly enlarged, but extending little more than 0.1X along ventral surface giving apex a very slight, obliquely truncate appearance; mandible with 2 teeth and a vestigial, broadly truncate, upper tooth. Relative measurements: HW 79, HH 73, FV 34.5, POL 17.5, OOL 5, OCL 4.5, AOL 11, EL 44, EW 34.5, MS 32.5, SL 49, SW 28.5.

Thorax in dorsal view with pronotum hardly visible behind head, its posterior margin clearly concave; pronotum with polygonally reticulate sculpture that is generally of similar mesh size to that on frontovertex but slightly shallower; mesoscutum with fairly regular, polygonally reticulate sculpture that is similar to that on frontovertex, but perhaps a little deeper and coarser; axilla with transversely elongate, polygonally reticulate to imbricate-reticulate sculpture that is very slightly shallower than that on mesoscutum; scutellum dorsally convex, generally with slightly irregular, polygonally reticulate sculpture that is similar to that on mesoscutum but perhaps very slightly deeper, sculpture towards apex and side shallower with extreme apex and side completely smooth and shiny; visible part of mesoscutum about 1.7X as broad as long; scutellum about as long as broad, apex not thin and flange-like; fore wing with venation and distribution of setae as in Figs 1838, 1839; costal cell with a single line of setae dorsally in apical 0.4X or so; propodeum medially about 0.1X as long as scutellum; side of propodeum rounded posteriorly above hind coxa. Relative measurements: FWL 106.5, FWW 43.5; HWL 69.5, HWW 18.

Gaster with hypopygium reaching about 0.7X to apex; syntergum about 0.7X as long as mid tibia; ovipositor (Fig. 1836) slightly exserted, the exserted part about 0.8X as long as mid tibial spur or 0.3X as long as mid tibia. Relative measurements: OL 85, GL 27 [MT 73, MTS 25].

Variation. Only the holotype examined.

Male. Unknown.

DISTRIBUTION. Costa Rica.

HOSTS. Unknown.

MATERIAL EXAMINED.

Type material. Holotype E: COSTA RICA, Heredia, 6km ENE Vara Blanca , 10°11’N 84°07’W, iii.2002 (INBio-OET-ALAS) . Holotype in NHMUK .