Homalopoda carpha, 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 : 67-69

Homalopoda carpha sp.nov.

( Figs 113-118; Hab. E 19)

DIAGNOSIS. Female (length about 1.2-1.5mm): scape dark brown; flagellum dark brown; fore femur and tibia dark brown, apex orange, mid femur proximally white, apex dark brown, tibia dark brown, apex pale yellow; fore wing ( Fig. 115) with apical area generally pale brown; paired hyaline spots at apex of venation separated by about 2X length of marginal vein; no well-defined hyaline spot present in middle of wing below marginal vein; head ( Fig. 117) about 3.3X as wide as frontovertex; occipital margin with a bristle-like seta behind posterior ocellus; mandible with 4 teeth; an indistinct line of silvery setae adjacent to eye above scrobe; scape about 4.8X as long as broad; funicle segments subcylindrical ( Fig. 113), all at least about 2X as long as broad, linear sensilla present only on F2-F4; flagellum slightly longer than head width; apex of scutellum with two pairs of scale-like setae ( Fig 118); costal cell of fore wing ventrally with 2 or 3 lines of setae proximally, a single line of setae in distal half; postmarginal vein much shorter than stigmal vein ( Fig 114); linea calva interrupted by 3 or 4 setae; hind tibia without a subbasal constriction. Male: unknown.

Female (holotype): length, including ovipositor, 1.50mm; excluding ovipositor, 1.42mm (CPD).

Head dark brown to black with a distinct metallic lustre; area between posterior ocelli and occipital margin metallic dark green with a slight coppery sheen, occipital margin blue-green; area between ocelli metallic green mixed dark blue and violet; metallic dark blue and violet between anterior ocellus and top of scrobes; deep violet a little above top of scrobes with a narrow metallic, dark blue line separating this area from a coppery area at top of scrobes; scrobes and interantennal prominence metallic dark green with a very slight coppery and brassy lustre; area between eye and scrobe copper and metallic dark blue; temple slightly duller metallic dark blue, brassy and copper; posterior gena relatively dull, coppery, anterior gena dark blue and copper; mouth margin dark orange-brown with a weak brassy sheen; frontovertex with a few, fairly conspicuous, scattered, brown setae; an inconspicuous line of short, translucent silvery setae between eye and scrobe extending to position of malar sulcus; gena and interantennal prominence with a few scattered, moderately conspicuous, translucent, pale brown setae; maxillary palpus orange-brown; radicle pale orange, with a dark brown apical ring; scape, pedicel and flagellum dark brown; thorax dark brown to black with a metallic lustre; pronotum mainly with a dark blue and violet sheen; mesoscutum mostly shining, but relatively dull, dark metallic, green with coppery reflections, posterior margin coppery purple; tegula dark brown with a weak purple and brassy sheen; axilla dark brown with a relatively dull brassy and coppery purple sheen; scutellum relatively dull, dark, metallic green, mixed slightly coppery, especially towards base, side shining dark blue, apex violet; mesopleuron anteriorly with a moderate violet and dark blue sheen, medially dark green and brassy, posteriorly coppery purple; all coxae brown, but mid coxa externally very pale yellow; fore femur brown, extreme apices orange-brown, tibia mostly brown, but ventrally pale orange-brown with apical 0.3X pale orange, tarsus dusky pale orange; mid femur with proximal 0.4X white, apex brown but ventral margin narrowly pale orange, tibia with proximal 0.4X dark brown apex pale yellow, spur and tarsus pale yellow, apical tarsomere pale brown; hind femur and tibia dark brown with apical 0.2X of tibia very pale yellow, tarsus white with apical tarsomere dusky pale orange; fore wing with a pattern of hyaline and infuscate areas as in Fig. 115; propodeum dark brown with a weak brassy and purple sheen, side metallic dark green mixed with some blue-green; gaster dark purple-brown, dorsally with a coppery purple sheen, Gt1 proximally with a metallic dark blue sheen, side and venter with coppery, blue, brassy and green reflections; gonostylus dark brown.

Head ( Fig. 117) about 3.3X as wide as frontovertex, in profile about 1.6X as high as deep, tangent to frontovertex forming an angle of about 90° with that of face; occipital margin sharp, weakly carinate, with a moderately conspicuous, slightly longer seta present behind each posterior ocellus; a short, oval depression adjacent to eye near occipital margin; ocelli forming an angle of about 75°; frontovertex hardly narrowing in front of anterior ocellus, shiny; ocellar area with relatively deep, polygonally reticulate sculpture of mesh size mostly subequal to eye facet, area between anterior ocellus and top of scrobes virtually smooth, with extremely shallow sculpture; temple and gena with relatively shallow, longitudinally elongate, fine polygonally reticulate sculpture; top of scrobes with shallow, regular, polygonally reticulate sculpture, below this with conspicuously shallower sculpture; interantennal prominence and mouth margin with shallow, relatively fine, polygonally reticulate sculpture; antenna as in Fig. 113; scape very slightly broadened and flattened, about 4.8X as long as broad; all funicle segments at least 1.8X as long as broad ( Fig. 113), linear sensilla present only on F2-F4; clava very nearly as long as funicle, sutures parallel, sensory area small, at apex only giving it a rounded appearance; eye slightly overreaching occipital margin, clothed with short, very inconspicuous setae, each clearly shorter than diameter of facet; clypeal margin medially virtually straight; mandible with four teeth, two lower teeth longest. Relative measurements: HW 70, HH 55, FV 21, POL 10.5, OOL 1, OCL 6.5, AOL 9, EL 37, EW 35.5, MS 25, SL 33.5, SW 7.

Thorax ( Fig. 118) with visible part of mesoscutum about 1.6X as broad as long; scutellum about 1.4X as broad as long, apex with two pairs of flattened, scale-like setae, inner pair much broader and larger, each about 0.9X as long as scutellum, outer pair more slender, slightly curved and about 0.7X as long as scutellum; hind femur about 3X as long as broad; fore wing with venation and setation as in Figs 114, 115; costal cell with 5 or 6 dorsal setae at apex; linea calva interrupted by 2 or 3 setae; propodeum medially about 0.07X as long as scutellum. Relative measurements: FWL 89.5, FWW 36.5; HWL 68.5, HWW 17.

Gaster with hypopygium reaching about 0.7X towards apex; syntergum about 0.9X as long as mid tibia, with apex more or less rounded; ovipositor exserted, the exserted part about 0.5X length of mid tibial spur or about 0.2X mid tibia; ovipositor ( Fig. 116) with second valvifer with two subapical setae. Relative measurements: OL 59.5, GL 15 [MT 35].

Variation. Females vary in overall length from 1.16-1.50mm, otherwise very little variation noted in material examined.

Male. Unknown.

DISTRIBUTION. Costa Rica.

HOSTS. Unknown.

MATERIAL EXAMINED.

Type material. Holotype E: COSTA RICA, Guanacaste, Pitilla ( ACG), 700m, MT/YPT, 24.i-27.ii.1996 (J.S. Noyes) . Paratypes: COSTA RICA, 1E, Puntarenas, 14km NE Dominical, Rio Magnolia Biol. Res. 9°20’N 83°47’W, 800m, 16-17.ii.2017 (J.S. Noyes) . Holotype and paratype in NHMUK .

COMMENTS. Females of Homalopoda carpha are very similar to those of aesira but can be separated by the fore wing lacking any indication of subapical hyaline spots. In carpha the fore wing is entirely infuscate apically.