Cheiloneurus numida, 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 : 368-370

Cheiloneurus numida sp.nov.

( Figs 937-939; Hab. E 135)

DIAGNOSIS. Female (length about 3.2-4.5mm): head and thorax orange, gaster dark brown, generally with a weak metallic sheen; darker areas with a stronger metallic sheen; antenna ( Fig. 937) with scape pale orange, ventral margin brown; pedicel pale orange with a dark brown streak; funicle pale yellow to pale orange, F6 largely dark brown; clava dark brown; mesoscutum with conspicuous brown setae; fore and hind coxae white, mid coxa orange; legs generally pale orange; fore wing ( Fig. 938) mostly infuscate with basal cell mostly hyaline, a small hyaline area at apex of venation; head about 4.7-8.2X as wide as frontovertex, in facial view slightly broader than long, subcircular, genae converging, weakly curved, but more strongly curved inwards near mouth; frontovertex naked medially between anterior ocellus and scrobes; eye separated from scrobe by about 1.8X diameter of anterior ocellus, area between eye and scrobe completely smooth, scrobes moderately deep, sharply margined only below eye; interantennal prominence with about 20 inconspicuous setae and dorsally rounded; mandible tridentate; antenna ( Fig. 937) with scape about 4.4X as long as broad; all funicle segments clearly longer than broad, linear sensilla on F3-F6; clava 3-segmented, slightly longer than F5-F6 combined, apex with an weak oblique truncation, sensory area extending slightly more than 0.1X along ventral surface; head width slightly less than funicle length; mesoscutum generally with uniform, fine sculpture that is very slightly elongate anteriorly and laterally; scutellum with a distinct, apical tuft of setae; wings fully developed; fore wing ( Fig. 938) about 3.0-3.1X as long as broad; parastigma slightly downcurved; costal cell dorsally with eight or nine apical setae, ventrally with a complete line of setae; area below proximal part of parastigma with a group of about 25-30, paler setae; apices of postmarginal and stigmal veins connected by a naked, hyaline line that extends a little way into disc ( Fig. 939); seta at apex of postmarginal vein about 0.2X as long as marginal vein; mid tibial spur slightly shorter than basitarsus; propodeum with only about ten setae adjacent to spiracle, these not extending down side; syntergum about as long as mid tibia; ovipositor about 1.9X gonostylus or about 2.9X as long as mid tibia; gonostylus about 4.9X as long as mid tibial spur; exserted part of ovipositor about 4X as long as mid tibial spur. Male: unknown.

Female (holotype): length, including ovipositor, 4.41mm; excluding ovipositor, 3.03mm (CPD).

Head orange, generally with a weak brassy and purple sheen; occiput with a small, triangular brown spot above foramen; area between posterior ocelli stronger metallic blue-green, a weak metallic purple stripe behind this; gena with some additional, weak blue and green reflections; mouth margin weakly marked brown above mandibular base; frontovertex with inconspicuous pale brown setae along inner eye margins; a line of more conspicuous, translucent pale setae below eye; interantennal prominence with a few scattered, translucent setae; maxillary palpus pale orange, apex pale brown; antenna ( Fig. 937) with radicle pale orange with a narrow brown apical ring; scape pale orange, externally with ventral margin narrowly dark brown for about 0.8X its length, internally with ventral margin more broadly bordered brown in its middle 0.4X and extreme apex brown; pedicel pale orange with a dark brown streak internally along its length; F1-F3 pale orange, internally dark brown, F4-F5 pale yellow, F6 dark brown, proximally orange, clava dark brown; pronotum orange with weak brassy sheen with some coppery purple reflections, neck with a small, pale brown spot; prosternum pale orange; mesoscutum orange with a weak brassy and purple sheen, clothed with conspicuous brown setae; tegula orange with apex orange-brown; axilla and scutellum orange, clothed with dark brown setae, subapical tuft on scutellum black; metanotum orange; mesopleuron orange with a weak brassy and purple sheen; mesosternum orange; fore coxa white, leg otherwise pale orange; mid leg generally pale orange, tibia white at base and with a very weak, dusky, subbasal ring; hind coxa white, leg otherwise pale orange; fore wing ( Fig. 938) mostly infuscate, hyaline towards base; submarginal vein orange, venation otherwise brown; propodeum orange with a weak brassy and purple sheen, side with a weak metallic green and brassy sheen; about 5 or 6 long, translucent, pale brown setae in a line outside spiracle; gaster dark brown with coppery, purple and brassy sheen mixed metallic green on Gt1 and on side, syntergum mixed orange proximally; gonostylus very pale orange.

Head about 8.2X as wide as frontovertex, in profile 1.5X as high as deep, anteriorly quite straight from top of scrobes to mouth margin, interantennal prominence slightly protuberant; occipital margin sharp, not carinate; ocelli forming an angle of about 40°; frontovertex quite shiny, with fine, shallow, polygonally reticulate sculpture of mesh size conspicuously smaller than diameter of facet, area immediately above scrobe with slightly coarser, more transversely elongate sculpture; narrowest point between eye and scrobe about 1.8X diameter of anterior ocellus and completely smooth; temple and gena with shallow, irregular, elongate, reticulate sculpture; scrobes moderately deep, ∩-shaped, meeting, sharply margined only at point closest to eye; interantennal prominence dorsally rounded and with shallow, polygonally reticulate sculpture; antenna as in Fig. 937; scape slightly broadened and flattened, about 4.4X as long as broad, broadest in middle; all funicle segments clearly longer than broad; F1 about 3.5X as long as broad, F6 about 1.3X as long as broad, segments broader and shorter distad; clava hardly broadened, a little longer than F5-F6 combined, outer suture slightly oblique, sensory area enlarged but extending ventrally only about 0.13X along clava, apex hardly obliquely truncate; eye not quite reaching occipital margin, separated by about diameter of facet, virtually naked but clothed in sparse, inconspicuous, fine, very short setae, each much shorter than diameter of facet; inner eye margins clearly converging anteriorly; malar sulcus present, but fine and indistinct; clypeal margin virtually straight medially; mandible with three acute teeth; apical segment of maxillary palpus not enlarged, about as long as radicle. Relative measurements: HW 103, HH 100, FV 12.5, POL 6, OOL 0, OCL 11.5, AOL 12, EL 73, EW 60, MS 35, SL 51, SW 11.5.

Thorax with pronotum short and hardly exposed behind head, about 0.6X as long as mesoscutum, pronotum and mesoscutum with similar shallow, polygonally reticulate to imbricate-reticulate sculpture that is about as deep as that on frontovertex; axilla with very slightly deeper sculpture than mesoscutum; scutellum with deeper, polygonally reticulate sculpture, distinctly longitudinally elongate laterally; visible part of mesoscutum about 1.5X as broad as long; scutellum about 1.1X as broad as long with a distinct subapical tuft, setae mostly about 0.3X as long as scutellum; mid tibia without a distinct external carina; hind femur about 4.8X as long as broad; fore wing with venation and setation as in Figs 938, 939; costal cell dorsally with 7 or 8 setae at apex; apices of postmarginal and stigmal veins connected by a distinct, naked, hyaline streak ( Fig. 939); propodeum medially about 0.18X as long as scutellum and virtually smooth; setae on side moderately conspicuous. Relative measurements: FWL 132, FWW 43; HWL 106, HWW 26.

Gaster with hypopygium reaching about half-way to apex; syntergum about 1.1X as long as mid tibia, with apex very narrowly rounded; ovipositor strongly exserted, the exserted part nearly as long as gaster or about 4X as long as mid tibial spur or 1.3X mid tibia.

Paratype. Funicle with linear sensilla present only on F3-F6; gaster without “gland-like” structures on Gt1 or Gt5. Relative measurements: OL 95, GL 49 [MT 32.5].

Variation. Females vary in overall length from 3.22-4.45mm, the mouth margin may be completely orange, the outer plates of the ovipositor may be orange, in smaller specimens the inner eye margins may be hardly converging anteriorly and the head may be only about 4.7X as wide as the frontovertex with the ocelli forming an angle of about 70°

Male. Unknown.

DISTRIBUTION. Costa Rica.

HOSTS. Unknown.

MATERIAL EXAMINED.

Type material. Holotype E: COSTA RICA, Heredia, Est. Biol. La Selva , 10°25’N 84°01’W, iii.1994 (INBio-OET) . Paratypes: COSTA RICA, 1E, Guanacaste, Pitilla ( ACG), 700m, MT/YPT, 24.i-27.ii.1996 (J.S. Noyes); 1E, Guanacaste , Est. Maritza ( ACG), 10°58’N 85°29’W, 700m, 23.ii.2003 (J.S. Noyes); 2E ,

Alajuela, PN Volcán Tenorio, Est. Pilón, 700m, 10°43’N 84°59’W, 13-17.ii.2004 (C. Hansson, J. Azofeifa); 1E, Heredia, OTS-La Selva, 10°26’N 84°01’W, iii-iv.1993 ( ALAS); 1E, Heredia, Estacion Biológica La Selva , 10°26’N 84°01’W, 75m, 28-29.ii.2008 (J.S. Noyes); 1E, Puntarenas, San Vito, Las Cruces, Wilson Bot. Gdns, 8°46’N 82°57’W, 7-19.ii.2007 (C. Hansson); 1E, Puntarenas, PN Piedras Blancas, Est. El Bonito, 100m, 8°43’N 83°13’W, 100m, 13-14.ii.2012 (J.S. Noyes); 1E, Limón, RB Hitoy Cerere, Sendero Espavel hacia el Cerco, LS 400702 570120, 560m, #52200, 19.v-19.vi.1998 (C. Rojas). Holotype in MZUCR, paratypes in MZUCR and NHMUK.