Cheiloneurus dymorus, 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 : 384-386

Cheiloneurus dymorus sp.nov.

( Figs 977-984; Hab. E 144)

DIAGNOSIS. Female (length about 1.7-1.9mm): body mostly orange-brown with scutellum orange, mesoscutum, propodeum and gaster darker brown, with a very weak to moderate metallic sheen, darker areas with a stronger metallic sheen, temple and gena with an elongate dark brown stripe; antenna ( Fig. 977) with scape pale orange, ventral margin brown proximally; pedicel mostly orange-brown; funicle proximally brown, F4-F6 pale yellow to white; clava dark brown; posterior half of mesoscutum with moderately dense silvery setae; fore and hind coxae white, mid coxa brown, mixed white; legs otherwise mostly brown with some orange areas; wings fully developed or shortened; fully developed fore wing ( Fig. 981) mostly infuscate with a vaguely V-shaped hyaline area in basal cell and a small hyaline area at apex of venation; abbreviated fore wing ( Fig. 980) weakly infuscate towards base and more strongly so in apical one-fifth, remainder hyaline; head ( Fig. 979) about 5.8X as wide as frontovertex, in facial view about 1.4X as long as broad, suboval with genae converging and virtually straight but more strongly curved inwards near mouth; frontovertex with about 7 inconspicuous setae medially between anterior ocellus and scrobes; eye separated from scrobe by about 3X diameter of anterior ocellus, area between eye and scrobe with conspicuous sculpture; scrobes deep, sharply margined; interantennal prominence with about 18 inconspicuous setae and dorsally rounded; mandible tridentate; antenna ( Fig. 977) with scape about 6.1X as long as broad; funicle with F1-F3 clearly longer than broad, F4-F6 subquadrate; linear sensilla on F4-F6; clava 3-segmented, nearly as long as F3-F6 combined; sensory area poorly defined, extending ventrally nearly 0.5X length of clava, apex obliquely truncate; head width clearly less than flagellum length, but much more than funicle length; mesoscutum (Fig, 982) with fairly uniform polygonally reticulate sculpture; scutellum with a distinct, apical tuft of setae; wings fully developed, or shortened with apex transversely truncate and just reaching cercal plates of gaster; fully developed fore wing ( Fig. 981) about 3.2X as long as broad; parastigma slightly downcurved; costal cell dorsally naked and ventrally virtually naked at most with two or three setae in a line; area below proximal part of parastigma with a group of about 12 setae; apices of postmarginal and stigmal veins connected by a naked hyaline area that hardly continues into disc ( Fig. 978); apical bristle of postmarginal vein about 0.5X as long as marginal vein; abbreviated fore wing ( Fig. 980) nearly 6X as long as broad; mid tibial spur about as long as basitarsus; propodeum ( Fig. 982) with about five to ten silvery setae adjacent to spiracle, side naked; syntergum about 0.9X as long as mid tibia with apex weakly angular; ovipositor ( Fig. 983) about 3.7X gonostylus or about 1.3X as long as mid tibia; gonostylus about 1.2X as long as mid tibial spur; exserted part of ovipositor about 0.5X as long as mid tibial spur. Male: unknown.

Female (macropterous holotype): length, including ovipositor, 1.85mm; excluding ovipositor, 1.76mm (CPD).

Head generally orange; occiput mostly dark brown; scrobal area pale orange-brown, mouth margin pale orange, a wide brown streak from posterior part of temple to base of mandible; frontovertex with a weak brassy sheen, slightly purplish between posterior ocelli and occipital margin; area between eye and scrobe brassy, purple and coppery; immediately below lowest part of eye with a purple, green, brassy and pale blue lustre; temple weakly brassy, gena with a purple sheen, brown areas on temple and gena with a coppery and purple sheen; frontovertex with inconspicuous pale brown setae along inner eye margins; 2 lines of pale brown, translucent setae between eye and scrobe; gena and interantennal prominence with numerous, scattered, pale brown setae; maxillary palpus dusky orange, terminal segment dark brown; antenna ( Fig. 977) with radicle pale orange-brown, apex dark brown; scape pale orange with ventral margin brown in proximal half, more widely so on inner surface, dorsal margin pale brown at extreme apex; pedicel orange-brown dorsally and laterally, darker proximally, orange ventrally; F1-F3 brown, F4 pale yellow, brownish proximally on ventral surface; F5-F6 white, clava dark brown; pronotum dusky orange with faint brassy, coppery and purple reflections, neck broadly dark brown, side orange-brown; prosternum dark orange-brown; mesoscutum dark brown, anterior one-third to half with predominantly dark reflections, posterior half to two-thirds with predominantly metallic blue and purple reflections, anterior part with scattered brown setae, posterior part with relatively dense silvery setae, posterior margin with a purple sheen; tegula orange, apex slightly dusky orange; axilla orange with coppery and brassy reflections; scutellum pale orange in anterior 0.6X and orange apically, with coppery and brassy reflections, with golden brown setae, subapical tuft black; metanotum dark brown; mesopleuron brown with a weak brassy lustre; fore coxa white; extreme base of fore femur white, rest of femur brown, tibia brown with apex orange, tarsus orange; mid coxa brown, apex white; mid femur white in proximal half, apex orange with a diffuse, incomplete, subapical, brown ring; mid tibia orange-brown externally, mostly orange internally and at apex, spur and tarsus pale orange to orange; hind coxa white; hind femur white at extreme base otherwise dark orange-brown, paler ventrally; hind tibia with basal 0.25X white, apex orange, otherwise dark brown; hind tarsus pale orange; fore wing ( Fig. 981) mostly infuscate but hyaline towards base, submarginal vein pale orange, otherwise venation brown; propodeum dark brown with a purple sheen medially, brassy and purple laterally, side with a weak metallic green sheen, a tight group of about 8 conspicuous silvery setae anterolateral to spiracle; gaster dark brown, generally with a brassy and coppery sheen mixed with some metallic blue and green, Gt1 slightly paler and more brassy than Gt2-Gt6, syntergum slightly paler than preceding tergites; gonostylus pale orange.

Head ( Fig. 979) about 5.8X as wide as frontovertex, in profile 1.9X as high as deep, anteriorly evenly rounded from occipital margin to just above top of scrobes then slightly angled towards mouth margin with interantennal prominence slightly protuberant; occipital margin sharp, not carinate; ocelli forming an angle of about 50°; frontovertex quite shiny, with conspicuous, coarse, polygonally reticulate sculpture of mesh size slightly smaller than diameter of facet; narrowest point between eye and scrobe about 3X diameter of anterior ocellus and with slightly coarser, more irregular, obliquely elongate sculpture; temple with shallow, irregular, elongate, sculpture; gena with slightly deeper more regular, polygonally reticulate sculpture; scrobes deep, ∩-shaped, meeting, sharply margined dorsally and laterally, carinate laterally; interantennal prominence without median ridge, dorsally rounded and with relatively shallow, polygonally reticulate sculpture; antenna as in Fig. 977; scape subcylindrical, about 6.1X as long as broad; F1-F3 clearly longer than broad, F4-F6 subquadrate, segments larger and broader distad; clava hardly broadened, nearly as long as F3-F6 combined, sutures oblique, sensory area enlarged, extending ventrally about half length of clava, apex strongly obliquely truncate; eye not reaching occipital margin, separated by about 2X diameter of facet, clothed in sparse, inconspicuous, setae, each clearly shorter than diameter of facet; inner eye margins converging slightly in front of anterior ocellus, but clearly diverging above top of scrobes; malar sulcus absent; clypeal margin concave medially; mandible with three acute teeth, upper tooth relatively short; apical segment of maxillary palpus slightly enlarged, about 2X as long as radicle. Relative measurements: HW 67, HH 93, FV 11.5, POL 6, OOL 0, OCL 11.5, AOL 10, EL 60, EW 38, MS 30, SL 43, SW 7.

Thorax ( Fig. 982) with pronotum moderately long, exposed behind head, about as long as mesoscutum, with polygonally reticulate sculpture that is similar to that on frontovertex; mesoscutum with similar sculpture to pronotum, but finer and more longitudinally elongate; axilla and scutellum with similar sculpture to mesoscutum but slightly coarser; visible part of mesoscutum about 1.9X as broad as long; scutellum about 1.1X as long as broad, with a distinct subapical tuft, setae about half as long as scutellum; mid tibia without a distinct external carina; hind femur about 6.5X as long as broad; fore wing with venation and setation as in Figs 978, 981; costal cell naked dorsally at apex; apices of postmarginal and stigmal veins connected by a naked, hyaline streak ( Fig. 978); propodeum ( Fig. 982) medially about 0.27X as long as scutellum and virtually smooth, but with some shallow, reticulate sculpture. Relative measurements: FWL 87.5, FWW 27; HWL 78, HWW 14.5.

Gaster with hypopygium reaching about 0.3X to apex; syntergum about 0.8X as long as mid tibia, with apex weakly angular; ovipositor slightly exserted, the exserted part about 0.5X length of mid tibial spur or about 0.2X mid tibia.

Paratype (brachypterous). Funicle with linear sensilla present only on F4-F6; gaster without “gland-like” structures on Gt1 or Gt5; hypopygium Fig. 984; ovipositor Fig. 983. Relative measurements: OL 61, GL16.5 [MT 47.5].

Variation. Females vary in overall length from 1.70-1.93mm, the wings may be shortened so that the fore wing is about 6.5X as long as broad, with apex truncate ( Fig. 980), hardly reaching the cercal plates and with only apical one-quarter or so infuscate and, in brachypterous forms, the mesoscutum may be only about 1.5X as broad as long and the propodeum may be about one-third length of scutellum.

Male. Unknown.

DISTRIBUTION. Costa Rica.

HOSTS. Unknown.

MATERIAL EXAMINED.

Type material. Holotype E: COSTA RICA, Puntarenas, Pen. Osa , Puerto Jimenez , 8°32’N 83°19’W, i.1992 (P. Hanson) . Paratypes: COSTA RICA, 1E, Puntarenas, Albergue Cerro de Oro ( ACOSA), LS 280000 518500, #4513, 5-7.v.1995 (E. Fletes, B. Gamboa, A. Picado); 1E, Puntarenas , RF Golfo Dulce , 5km W Piedras Blancas, 8°46’N 83°17’W, vi-vii.1992 (P. Hanson); 1E, same data as holotype . Holotype in NHMUK, paratypes in NHMUK and MZUCR .

COMMENTS. Cheiloneurus dymorus is very similar to glycon , both species of very similar in habitus and general colouration and both fully winged and brachypterous forms. Cheiloneurus dymorus differs from glycon in its generally darker colouration, especially in having the gaster entirely dark brown, almost black with a strong metallic sheen whereas in glycon the gaster is almost entirely pale orange with only a weak metallic sheen. In addition, the second valvifer of dymorus has a subapical seta, but in glycon the subapical seta is absent. As the key suggests, dymorus is also quite similar to meryae, Apart from being generally darker in colour, dymorus differs from meryae in having the head about 1.4X as high as wide in facial view and in fully winged forms having the parastigma much less strongly curved downwards so that the widest part of the costal cell is not more than 1.5X as wide as the parastigma. In meryae the head is about 1.2X as high as broad in facial view and the parastigma is strongly downcurved so that the widest part of the costal cell is nearly 3X as wide as the parastigma.

The three above named species ( glycon , dymorus and meryae ) are similar in habitus and general colouration to Cheiloneurus swezeyi Ashmead (1903) known only from North America. However, in swezeyi the middle segments of the funicle are white in contrast with the darker basal and apical segments, F5 and F6 are always brown or dark brown, the head is about as high as wide and the scape is not more than about 4X as long as broad. In dymorus and the other species F5 and F6 are white or pale yellow, the head is conspicuously higher than wide and the scape is at least about 6X as long as broad.