Dalek pleione, 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 : 646-648

Dalek pleione sp.nov.

(Figs 1768-1774; Hab. E 262, G 263)

DIAGNOSIS. Female (length about 2.0- 2.3mm): scape (Fig. 1771) dark brown with apical half orange; mesoscutum dull metallic dark blue; all coxae dark brown; clypeal margin (Fig. 1774) with a short, convexly rounded, median lobe; OOL slightly less than OCL; antenna (Fig. 1771) with scape about 4.7X as long as broad; funicle with all segments at least nearly 2X as long as broad; linear sensilla on all segments; mesoscutum with sculpture shallower than on scutellum (Fig. 1773); scutellum with side and apex completely smooth and shiny; mid tibial spur shorter than basitarsus; fore wing (Fig. 1768) about 2.5X as long as broad; propodeum with about 15 setae around spiracle; apex of syntergum angular; ovipositor longer than mid tibia, exserted part slightly longer than mid tibial spur; gonostylus longer than mid tibial spur. Male: (length about 1.7-1.9mm): generally very similar to female but for slightly wider frontovertex, higher placement of antenna and structure of antenna (Fig. 1770) and genitalia (Fig. 1772).

Female (holotype): length, including ovipositor, 2.13mm; excluding ovipositor, 1.92mm (CPD).

Head generally black with a coppery sheen; ocellar area metallic blue-green, slightly brassy with some purple reflections; temple slightly brassy; frontovertex, gena and interantennal prominence with inconspicuous, brown setae; antenna (Fig. 1771) with radicle mostly dark brown, mixed with some pale orange; scape with extreme base and apical 0.5X pale orange, remainder dark brown; pedicel dark brown, pale orange ventrally and at extreme apex; flagellum brown; maxillary palpus very pale orange; thorax generally dark brown to black; pronotum with a moderate coppery purple sheen; mesoscutum dull, metallic dark blue, posterior margin narrowly coppery purple; tegula dark brown with a coppery purple sheen; axilla dark purple-brown with a coppery purple sheen; scutellum very dull, metallic dark green, weakly mixed coppery purple, in basal 0.7X, apex and side strongly shining, metallic dark green, brassy and coppery; mesoscutum and scutellum clothed with fairly inconspicuous dark brown setae; metanotum dark purple-brown; mesopleuron very dark brown, with a brassy sheen mixed with some coppery purple; mesosternum dark brown; all coxae dark brown; fore femur dark brown in proximal 0.7X, apex pale orange, tibia pale orange with a weak indication of a pale brown subbasal ring, tarsus dusky pale orange, apical tarsomere orange-brown; mid femur virtually white in proximal 0.3X, extreme apex pale orange, otherwise dark brown, tibia pale orange with a narrow, brown, subbasal ring, spur and tarsus very pale orange, apical tarsomere very slightly dusky; hind femur pale orange in proximal 0.4X, extreme apex pale orange, remainder dark brown, tibia mostly dark brown with extreme base pale orange and extreme apex orange-brown, tarsus dark orange-brown; wings (Fig. 1768) hyaline; propodeum dark brown, with a weak purple and brassy sheen, side mainly with a dull metallic blue-green and coppery purple sheen with about 15 conspicuous, translucent, silvery setae outside spiracle, extending towards posterior margin and most of the way towards hind coxa; gaster dark brown, with a distinct coppery purple sheen, dorsal anterior part of Gt1 with a distinct dark blue sheen, side of gaster with a mixed metallic green, brassy and coppery sheen; gonostylus dark brown.

Head (Fig. 1774) about 2.4X as wide as frontovertex, in profile about 2.0X as high as deep; occipital margin sharp, strongly carinate; ocelli forming an angle of about 105°; frontovertex with irregular, fairly deep, polygonal sculpture, in ocellar area of mesh size smaller than eye facet, subequal or conspicuously larger in front of anterior ocellus; frontovertex with piliferous punctures moderately deep and distinct, about 7 or 8 pairs of setae in front of anterior ocellus, a line of sparse setae along inner eye margin continued along lower eye margin on to gena; interantennal prominence with a few inconspicuous setae; temple and gena with some shallow, longitudinally elongate, polygonally reticulate sculpture of relatively large mesh, area immediately below eye completely smooth; eye nearly reaching occipital margin, separated by about 0.5X diameter of facet, clothed with fairly conspicuous setae, each slightly longer than diameter of facet, separated from scrobal margin by slightly less than diameter of ocellus, area between eye and scrobe partly with shallow, transversely elongate, polygonally reticulate sculpture, completely smooth towards gena; scrobes shallow, more or less ∩-shaped, meeting dorsally, very weakly margined dorsally and laterally; interantennal prominence shallow, dorsally rounded; antenna as in Fig. 1771; scape subcylindrical, about 4.7X as long as broad, dorsal margin straight; all funicle segments at least nearly 2X as long as broad, becoming slightly broader distad, linear sensilla on all funicle segments; clava hardly enlarged, less than 1.1X as wide as F6, a little shorter than F4-F6 combined, outer suture not oblique, sensory area hardly enlarged, at apex only giving it a rounded or slightly pointed appearance; malar sulcus present but shallow and indistinct; clypeal with a short, broad, rounded median lobe; mandible with two acute teeth and a truncate upper tooth. Relative measurements: HW 94, HH 90, FV 38.5, POL 18, OOL 4, OCL 5.5, AOL 10.5, EL 56, EW 39, MS 35, SL 52, SW 11.

Thorax (Fig. 1773) in dorsal view with pronotum clearly visible behind head, its posterior margin concave, with polygonally reticulate sculpture that is generally similar to that on anterior part of frontovertex; mesoscutum with slightly irregular, polygonally reticulate sculpture that is similar to that on pronotum, a little coarser posteriorly and of conspicuously smaller mesh; axilla with transversely elongate, polygonally reticulate to imbricate-reticulate sculpture that is of similar depth to that on posterior part of mesoscutum; scutellum dorsally convex, in proximal 0.7X or so with similar sculpture to that on posterior part of mesoscutum, but clearly coarser, and much deeper, apical 0.3X completely smooth and shiny, this smooth area extending slightly more anteriorly in middle; visible part of mesoscutum about 1.5X as broad as long; scutellum nearly 1.1X as long as broad, apex not flange-like; fore wing with venation and distribution of setae as in Figs 1768, 1769; costal cell with a single line of setae dorsally in apical 0.5X or so; mid tibial spur slightly shorter than basitarsus; propodeum (Fig. 1773) medially about 0.16X as long as scutellum, with some irregular longitudinal carinae and polygonally reticulate sculpture; side clearly carinate and flange-like posteriorly above hind coxa, and with a distinct, triangular tooth behind spiracle. Relative measurements: FWL 117, FWW 46; HWL 81, HWW 21.

Gaster with hypopygium reaching about 0.9X to apex; syntergum about 0.7X as long as mid tibia, with apex angular; ovipositor clearly exserted, the exserted part slightly longer than mid tibial spur or about 0.3X as long as mid tibia.

Paratype. Relative measurements: OL 79.5, GL 23.5 [MT 52, MTS 13.5].

Variation. Females vary in overall length from 2.00- 2.29mm, the fore wing varies from about 2.4-2.5X as long as broad, otherwise very little variation noted in material available.

Male: length 1.68-1.94mm.

Generally very similar to female but for slightly wider frontovertex, higher placement of antenna and structure of antenna and genitalia. Frontovertex about 0.5X head width; antenna as in Fig. 1770; antennal torulus about 2X its own length from mouth margin, its lower margin slightly below lower eye margin; phallobase (Fig. 1772) with each digitus about 1.4X as long as broad with a single apical tooth and a short outer seta. Relative measurements: HW 97, FV 46, MT 102.5, AL 46.

DISTRIBUTION. Costa Rica.

HOSTS. The type series was reared from an unidentified triozid ( Hemiptera : Triozidae ) on Oreomunnea costaricensis D.E. Stone ( Fagales : Juglandaceae ).

MATERIAL EXAMINED.

Type material. Holotype E: COSTA RICA, San José, San Gerardo de Dota , ex (1 of 3 spp. of) triozid on Oreamunnea costaricensis , 2300m, xii.1995 (P. Hanson) . Paratypes: COSTA RICA, 1E, Heredia, 6km ENE Vara Blanca , 10°11’N 84°07’W, 2000m, iv.2002 (INBio-OET-ALAS); 5E, 7G , San José, same data as holotype . Holotype in MZUCR, paratypes in MZUCR and NHMUK .