Noyesencyrtus brachyoculus Singh

Singh, Sudhir, Rema Devi, O. K. & Srinivasa, Y. B., 2014, Description of a new genus and three species of Encyrtidae (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea) from the Western Ghats of Karnataka, India, Zootaxa 3814 (3), pp. 369-384 : 374-376

Noyesencyrtus brachyoculus Singh sp. nov.

( Figs 1–18 )

Description. FEMALE. Holotype. Length, excluding exserted part of ovipositor sheaths, 0.95 mm; length of exserted part of ovipositor 0.05 mm

Color/Sculpture. Body ( Fig. 1 ) dark brown dorsally, pale brown on venter. Head dark brown dorsally, pale brown from below level of eyes; ocellar area with small, polygonal, reticulate sculpture, cells larger anterior to median ocellus; scrobes and malar area with weakly elongate-reticulate sculpture; frontovertex with feeble light blue reflection above scrobal area, with about 20 moderately long setae arranged in two rows, apart from a row of setae along inner margin of each eye; gena, inter-torular prominence, and mouth margin more densely setose. Eyes gray, sparsely setose, each seta longer than a facet. Mandible dark brown. Maxillary and labial palpi off-white. Antenna light brown except pedicel dorsally and club dark brown. Pronotum with transversely elongate reticulate sculpture, and with about 20 long brown setae along collar; mesoscutum with faint, raised reticulate sculpture; scutellum smooth with fine longitudinally elongate reticulate sculpture, with about 35–40 long brown setae. Wings hyaline; veins light brown, marginal vein darker. Legs mostly brown, fore and middle coxa white, rest of fore and hind legs pale brown with proximal ends of femur and distal portions of tibia lighter, middle leg with whitish knee, coxa and tarsal segments suffused light brown.

Structure. Head, in dorsal view ( Fig. 5 ), with anterior margin convex and occipital margin concave; eyes not reaching occipital margin posteriorly; frontovertex fully exposed ( Fig. 3 ), 2× as long as wide and at level of median ocellus 0.4× head width (100:234); ocelli in a slightly acute angled triangle, apical angle about 80°; POL 2.1×, OCL 0.6×, and OOL 0.2× as long as diameter of median ocellus (54: 15: 5: 25). Head, in frontal view ( Fig. 2 ), about 1.3× (306: 234) as high as wide; eye 2.4× (148: 60) as high as wide; scrobes shallow, meeting dorsally; toruli widely separated, torulus 1.4× (38: 26) as high as wide; ITD 1.7×, TMD 0.6×, TED 2.2× height of torulus (= 65: 23: 85: 38). Head, in profile ( Fig. 4 ), with anterior margin evenly rounded; malar space 0.4× (131: 306) head height, 0.8× eye height; eye 1.38× (151: 109) as high as wide. Antenna ( Fig. 7 ) with scape widest at middle, 3.7× (116: 31) as long as wide; pedicel conical, 1.64× (51: 31) as long as wide, as wide as scape; funicle 5-segmented, all segments wider than long, F1 the narrowest, about one-third as long as pedicel and 1.6× (29: 18) as wide as long, F2 2.27× (33: 14.5), F3 3.1× (34.5: 11), F4 2× (44: 22) and F5 2× (51: 25) as wide as long; club 2-segmented, obliquely truncate, 1.93× (120: 62) as long as wide and as long as scape or combined length of funicle and onethird length of pedicel.

Mesosoma ( Fig. 5 ) 1.6× (438: 273) as long as wide, slightly wider than head (273: 234); visible part of pronotum 6.25× (225: 36) as wide as long; mesoscutum slightly convex from side to side, 1.44× (262: 182) as wide as long; scutellum almost flat, sides rounded, slightly longer than wide (175: 164) and slightly shorter than mesoscutum (175: 182); propodeum narrow in about middle third, about 20× as wide as median length. Fore wing ( Figs 8, 9 ) 2.6× (756: 290) as long as wide; postmarginal vein one-fifth length of marginal vein (other characters as described in generic diagnosis). Hind wing 4.84× (499: 103) as long as wide, 1.8× (499: 275) as long as venation. Legs as in Fig.10 . Middle leg with tibial spur distinctly longer than basitarsus (65: 58); mesotibial apical rim with 1 peg; basitarsus with 8–10, second tarsomere with 3 or 4, third tarsomere with 2 or 3, and fourth tarsomere with 2 pegs. Hind leg with a small patch of small, stout setae in the form of a brush on fifth tarsomere.

Metasoma ( Fig. 1 ) 1.7× as long as wide (473: 275), longer than mesosoma (473: 436), pointed apically, with cercal plates situated at basal third; last tergite ( Fig. 11 ) Y-shaped, with pointed apex; hypopygium as in Fig.12 ; ovipositor sheaths exserted by one-fifth length of metasoma (102: 473); ovipositor ( Fig.13 ), 1.46× as long as middle tibia (400: 273).

MALE. Length 0.608–0.745 mm (0.7 ± 0.054 mm, n = 6).

Color/Sculpture. Similar to female in coloration ( Fig. 14 ).Head, in dorsal view, 2.1× (269: 124) as wide as frontovertex at level of median ocellus, with anterior margin convex and occipital margins concave; ocelli arranged in right-angled triangle; POL 2.7×, OOL 0.4×, and OCL 0.57× diameter of median ocellus (= 70: 11: 14: 25). Head, in frontal view ( Fig. 15 ), as wide as high (276: 269); eye about 2× as long as wide (145: 69); scrobes shallow, short, meeting dorsally; torulus its own height below line joining ventral margin of eyes; ITD1.75×, TED 2.2×, TMD slightly less than the height of torulus (= 58: 72: 29: 33). Head, in profile, with height 2.5× (276: 110) malar space; eye 1.16× (145: 125) as high as wide. Antenna ( Fig. 16 ) with scape short and spindle shaped, 3.48× (87: 25) as long as wide and 2.4× as long as pedicel; pedicel slightly longer than wide (36: 33); funicle 5-segmented, all segments as wide as or wider than long. F1–F4 each quadrate, F1–F3 (29: 29), F4 (33: 33), F5 slightly wider (36: 33); club 2- segmented, 2.25× (91: 44) as long as wide.

Mesosoma as wide as head (270: 269), 1.37× (370: 270) as long as wide; mesoscutum 1.4× (255: 181) as wide as long; scutellum as long as wide (182: 182). Fore wing ( Fig. 17 ) 2.23× (685: 306) as long as wide; length of marginal vein: stigmal vein = 25: 33, postmarginal vein absent ( Fig. 18 ); hind wing 4.33× (481: 111) as long as wide, 1.73× (481: 277) as long as venation.

Metasoma as long as mesosoma (370: 370); genitalia with aedeagus length: phallobase length: digitus length = 120: 145: 21; digitus with 1 hook; phallobase 0.6 × (145: 236) middle tibia length.

Variation. There is very little variation among females and males except for size. Females range in length from 0.70–0.94 mm (0.86 ± 0.08 mm, n=12), with the exserted part of the ovipositor sheaths ranging in length from 0.046–0.076 mm (0.06 ± 0.01 mm, n=12). The exserted part of the ovipositor varies a lot due to varied degrees of retraction of the ovipositor inside the metasoma when the specimens dried at the time of collection.

Material examined. Holotype (NFIC-FRI; accession No. 21917), female (whole-mounted on a slide under one cover glass) labeled “ INDIA, Karnataka, Nagarahole, Rajiv Gandhi National Park, coll. 19.x.2006, Sarasija, P., ex. larvae of unknown species of Coleoptera or Diptera inhabiting fruiting body of wood decaying fungi”.

Paratypes: 26♀, 15♂: 12♀ and 2♂, each specimen card-mounted and pinned separately (including 2 females sent to Dr. Noyes, BMNH, London); 9♀ and 9♂ (whole mounted in Canada Balsam in pairs under separate covers on eight slides, seven slides with 1♂ and 1♀ and one slide with 2♀ and 2♂; 1♀ and 1♂ each dissected and mounted under three and five covers, respectively, on a slide; 1♀ and 1♂ dissected and mounted on a slide under five and four covers; 3♀ and 2♂ each dissected and mounted on separate slide under seven, four, three, two and one cover glasses, respectively; other data same as for the holotype.

Two females and one male each (paratypes) will be deposited in NPC, ZDAMU and ZSID. Remaining paratypes in NFIC-FRI.

Host. Unknown, but likely species of Coleoptera or Diptera associated with fruiting body of wood-decaying fungi.

Distribution.* This species is known from Rajiv Gandhi National Park, Nagarahole, Karnataka, India.

Etymology. The species name is derived from the ‘short eye’ character (brachy = short, oculus = eye). *Note added in proof stage: species apparently also present in Costa Rica (J. Noyes, pers. com.).&#8221

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 5. Noyesencyrtus brachyoculus Singh, sp. nov., ♀: 1, body in lateral view (holotype); 2, head in frontal view; 3, head showing ocellar area; 4, head in profile; 5, head and mesosoma in dorsal view.

FIGURES 6 – 13. Noyesencyrtus brachyoculus Singh, sp. nov., ♀: 6, mandible; 7, antenna; 8, fore wing; 9, part of fore wing showing venation; 10, legs (left to right: hind, middle and fore leg); 11, last metasomal segment; 12, hypopygium; 13, ovipositor.

FIGURES 14 – 18. Noyesencyrtus brachyoculus Singh, sp. nov., ♂: 14, body in lateral view; 15, head in frontal view; 16, antenna; 17, fore wing; 18, part of fore wing showing venation.