Cheiloneurus danessa, 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 : 223-225

Cheiloneurus danessa sp.nov.

( Figs 547-553; Hab. E 85)

DIAGNOSIS. Female (length about 0.9 mm): body generally dark brown with a weak to moderate metallic sheen; mesoscutum with uniform brown setae; fore wing ( Fig. 553) hyaline; fore coxa white; head about 2.7X as wide as frontovertex; antenna ( Fig. 547) with pedicel about as long as F1-F2 combined; all funicle segments very slightly longer than broad and with linear sensilla; clava slightly longer than F4-F6 combined, with apex rounded; mandible with 1 acute tooth and a broad, upper truncation; mesoscutum ( Fig. 552) with longitudinally elongate, lineolate sculpture, some elongate, polygonally reticulate sculpture medially and rounded cells near posterior margin; scutellum with longitudinally elongate, lineolate sculpture, a few polygonally reticulate cells in middle; scutellum without tuft of setae medially in apical half; fore wing ( Fig. 553) about 2.3X as long as broad; parastigma slightly swollen, not downcurved; stigmal vein ( Fig. 550) with 3 campaniform sensilla at apex; gaster ( Fig. 551) with “glands” on Gt1 and Gt5, those on Gt1 continuous, not separated, those on Gt5 separated by less than 0.2X their own lengths; syntergum broader than long. Male: unknown.

Female (holotype): length, including ovipositor, 0.90mm; excluding ovipositor, 0.86mm ( CPD) .

Head dark brown to black with a metallic sheen; occiput with a weak coppery sheen, some metallic blue-green reflections below occipital margin; frontovertex generally slightly shiny with a weak coppery purple sheen along occipital margin and above scrobes, some dull coppery purple elsewhere, with some hardly discernible metallic dark blue-green; scrobal area with a moderate coppery purple sheen, area between eye and scrobes dull coppery purple with a hint of metallic dark blue-green; temple and gena with a dull coppery purple sheen; frontovertex, gena and interantennal prominence with a few scattered, inconspicuous, pale brown setae; palpi white; radicle orange-brown; scape mostly dark brown on external surface with apical 0.4X ventrally pale orange, internal surface similar but with most of apical half pale orange; pedicel mainly dark brown, apex very pale orange; flagellum slightly dusky, yellow, clava dusky pale orange; thorax dark brown to black with a weak to moderate metallic lustre; pronotum with a moderate coppery sheen; mesoscutum quite dull with a slight brassy and weak purple sheen, posteriorly a little more shiny and coppery along posterior margin; tegula dark brown with a slight coppery sheen; axilla with a weak to moderate coppery purple sheen; scutellum dorsally about as shiny as mesoscutum, medially with a weak coppery purple sheen, laterally mixed with weak to moderate metallic dark blue-green, extreme side and apex with a moderate metallic dark blue-green sheen mixed coppery; mesopleuron fairly shiny with a slight brassy and coppery purple sheen with a hint of metallic dark blue-green; fore coxa white, mid and hind coxae dark brown; fore femur white to very pale yellow with a very thin dark brown line along dorsal margin in middle half and a very faint, shorter one opposite, tibia white at extreme base, otherwise pale orange with a very weak dusky spot subbasally on outer surface, tarsus pale orange with apical tarsomere slightly dusky; mid femur white with a narrow, incomplete, dark brown subapical band, tibia white with knee very narrowly dark brown and with a narrow, dark brown subbasal band, spur very pale yellow, tarsus white to very pale yellow; hind femur dark brown with extreme base and apex white, tibia dark brown with extreme base white and apical two-fifths white, tarsus white to pale yellow with apical tarsomere dusky; wings hyaline; propodeum dark brown with a weak purple sheen, side with a moderate coppery sheen; gaster dark brown with coppery purple, brassy, green and blue reflections; gonostylus brown.

Head about 2.7X as wide as frontovertex, in profile about 1.4X as high as deep, tangent to frontovertex forming an angle of about 95° with that of face; occipital margin sharp, not carinate; no distinct oval depression adjacent to eye near occipital margin; ocelli forming an angle of about 80°; inner eye margins subparallel; frontovertex with moderately deep, polygonally reticulate sculpture of mesh size generally subequal to eye facet, not shallower above top of scrobes; temple and gena with shallower, fine, elongate, polygonally reticulate sculpture; top of scrobes with shallow, regular, polygonally reticulate sculpture, scrobes smooth; interantennal prominence and mouth margin with slightly shallower, polygonally reticulate sculpture; scrobes shallow, indistinctly margined, broadly ∩-shaped; interantennal prominence dorsally narrowly rounded; antenna as in Fig. 547; scape relatively short and stout, slightly broadened and flattened, about 3.4X as long as broad; funicle with segments all slightly longer than broad and becoming progressively larger distad so that F6 is largest; linear sensilla present on all funicle segments; clava about 3.2X as long as broad and about 1.1X as wide as F6, not curved downwards towards apex, slightly longer than F4-F6 combined, sutures parallel, sensory area small, at apex only giving it a rounded appearance; eye slightly overreaching occipital margin, appearing naked; malar sulcus absent; clypeal margin weakly concave; mandible with one tooth and a broad, slightly oblique, truncation. Relative measurements: HW 79, HH 61, FV 29, POL 14.5, OOL 2, OCL 4, AOL 9, EL 42, EW 38.5, MS 24, SL 27.5, SW 8.

Thorax ( Fig. 552) with pronotum hardly exposed behind head, its posterior margin broadly concave, with a shallow median invagination; pronotum with shallower, finer polygonally reticulate sculpture than ocellar area; mesoscutum with conspicuously longitudinally lineolate striate-reticulate to striate sculpture that is finer than that in ocellar area and about as deep, a few rounded cells near posterior margin; axilla with slightly transversely elongate, polygonally reticulate sculpture that is slightly shallower than that on mesoscutum; scutellum dorsally with striate to striate-reticulate sculpture that is slightly deeper and coarser than that on mesoscutum, cellular sculpture along mid-line more rounded, extreme side and apex quite smooth and shiny; visible part of mesoscutum about 1.8X as broad as long; scutellum about 1.2X as broad as long, apex with a pair of slender, elongate setae; hind femur about 3.4X as long as broad; fore wing with venation and setation as in Figs 550, 553; linea calva entire and open; propodeum ( Fig. 552) medially less than 0.1X as long as scutellum. Relative measurements: FWL 67.5, FWW 29.5; HWL 47.5, HWW 11.

Gaster with hypopygium reaching about 0.5X to apex; last tergite about 0.9X as long as mid tibia, with apex acute; “glands” ( Fig. 551) present on Gt1 and Gt5, those on Gt1 continuous, not separated, those on Gt5 separated by less than 0.2X their own lengths; hypopygium Fig. 551; ovipositor ( Fig. 548) slightly exserted, the exserted part about 0.5X as long as mid tibial spur or about 0.15X as long as mid tibia. Relative measurements: OL 75, GL 20 [MT 48].

Variation. Only holotype examined.

Male. Unknown.

DISTRIBUTION. Costa Rica.

HOSTS. Unknown.

MATERIAL EXAMINED.

Type material. Holotype E: COSTA RICA, Guanacaste, 18km N. Liberia, Buena Vista Lodge , 10°48’N 85°24’W, 770m, 15-17.ii.2016 (J.S. Noyes) . Holotype in NHMUK .

COMMENTS. The holotype has the right flagellum missing but is otherwise in good condition.