Cheiloneurus numitor, 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 : 432-434

Cheiloneurus numitor sp.nov.

(Figs 1099-1104)

DIAGNOSIS. Female (length about 1.4mm): body mostly orange with posterior half of mesoscutum, propodeum and parts of gaster dark brown, mouth margin brown, temple and gena with a diagonal brown streak, paler areas with a weak metallic sheen, darker areas with a weak to moderate metallic sheen; antenna (Fig. 1104) with scape mostly orange, ventral margin brown; pedicel pale orange with a dark brown streak; funicle dark brown; clava dark brown; mesoscutum with silvery setae in posterior half; fore coxa white, mid and hind coxae pale orange; legs otherwise white to pale orange, with some pale brown areas; fore wing (Fig. 1101) mostly infuscate with basal cell mostly hyaline, a small hyaline area at apex of venation and a narrow, subtriangular hyaline area at apex; head about 4.7X as wide as frontovertex, in facial view slightly broader than long, suboval, genae converging, hardly curved but distinctly curved near mouth margin; frontovertex with three setae medially between anterior ocellus and scrobes; eye separated from scrobe by slightly more than diameter of anterior ocellus, area between eye and scrobe completely smooth; scrobes moderately deep, sharply margined below eye; interantennal prominence dorsally rounded, without a median ridge and with about 25 inconspicuous setae; mandible virtually tridentate; antenna (Fig. 1104) with scape about 2.5X as long as broad; funicle with F1 quadrate, other segments transverse; linear sensilla on F3-F6; clava 3-segmented, about as long as F2-F6 combined, sensory area enlarged, extending ventrally nearly 0.5X length of clava, apex obliquely truncate; head width slightly more than flagellum length; mesoscutum (Fig. 1100) anteriorly with fairly coarse lineolate-reticulate sculpture, posteriorly with polygonally reticulate sculpture; scutellum with a distinct, apical tuft of setae; wings fully developed, fore wing (Fig. 1101) about 2.4X as long as broad; parastigma downcurved; costal cell dorsally naked save for two or three apical setae, ventrally with a complete line of setae; area below proximal part of parastigma with 9-13 setae arranged in two lines connecting with a line along cubital vein towards base; apices of postmarginal and stigmal veins connected by a naked hyaline area that continues some way into disc (Fig. 1099); apical bristle of postmarginal vein about 0.5X as long as marginal vein; mid tibial spur hardly shorter than basitarsus; propodeum with about eight silvery setae adjacent to spiracle, side naked; syntergum about 0.8X as long as mid tibia with apex more or less rounded; ovipositor (Fig. 1102) about 4.0X gonostylus or about 1.3X as long as mid tibia; gonostylus nearly 1.2X as long as mid tibial spur; exserted part of ovipositor about 0.3X as long as mid tibial spur. Male: unknown.

Female (holotype): length, including ovipositor, 1.35mm; excluding ovipositor, 1.30mm ( CPD) .

Head largely pale orange; occiput with a triangular brown spot above foramen; frontovertex dusky, ocellar area brown with a conspicuous dark blue and green sheen, especially strong between posterior ocelli, anterior parts of frontovertex with a weaker blue and green sheen, area immediately above scrobes brassy and above this narrowly purple; temple, gena and area below eye with a weak brassy, purple and green sheen; scrobal area with a very weak brassy and purple sheen; mouth margin brown and connecting with a diagonal brown line from occipital margin; frontovertex clothed with inconspicuous, pale brown setae, a line of more conspicuous, translucent setae below eye; antenna (Fig. 1104) with radicle pale orange, apex broadly brown; scape orange, ventral margin brown, more widely so on inner surface; pedicel orange with an internal dark brown streak along its length; flagellum dark brown; maxillary palpus white, apical segment pale orange, dorsal margin dark brown; pronotum mostly orange, neck brown; prosternum dusky orange, anterior to coxa brown; mesoscutum orange in anterior half, posterior half dark brown with a distinct, dark, metallic blue-green sheen, posterior margin purple-brown with a slight purple and brassy sheen, anterior part clothed in relatively sparse dark brown setae, posterior part with relatively dense silvery setae, mixed with a few dark brown setae; tegula orange, apex orange-brown; axilla and scutellum orange, clothed in translucent golden brown and dark brown setae, scutellar tuft black; metanotum brown; mesopleuron mostly orange with a weak brassy sheen, posterior half orange-brown with a slight purple and green sheen; fore coxa white; fore femur largely white, apically pale orange, tibia pale orange, dorsal margin pale brown, tarsus dark orange-brown; mid coxa mostly pale orange, dusky proximally; mid femur white at base, otherwise pale orange mixed brown towards apex, tibia largely pale orange with knee brown, an incomplete brown subbasal ring and dorsal margin brown along most of its length, spur and tarsus pale orange; hind coxa pale orange; hind femur pale orange with a small brown apical spot, tibia pale orange, largely dark orange-brown externally along about half its length, tarsus dusky pale orange; fore wing (Fig. 1101) mostly infuscate, hyaline towards base and at apex; submarginal vein largely pale orange, otherwise venation brown; propodeum orange-brown with a slight brassy lustre, side with a slight blue and green sheen, 6 or 7 translucent, setae outside spiracle; gaster dark brown, dorsally with a purple sheen and green, coppery and brassy reflections, Gt1 strong metallic green with a slight brassy sheen; sides and venter mainly with a metallic green sheen and coppery and brassy reflections; gonostylus very pale orange.

Head about 4.7X as wide as frontovertex, in profile about 1.5X as high as deep, anteriorly quite straight below top of scrobes, interantennal prominence hardly protuberant; occipital margin sharp, not carinate; ocelli forming an angle of about 50°; frontovertex quite shiny, with shallow, fairly regular, polygonally reticulate sculpture, slightly deeper in ocellar area, mesh size slightly smaller than diameter of eye facet; area immediately above scrobes with slightly transversely elongate sculpture, interantennal prominence with shallow sculpture, scrobes with distinct sculpture, temple and posterior gena with shallow, irregular, longitudinally elongate sculpture, anterior gena with slightly deeper, irregular, reticulate sculpture; area between eye and scrobe a little broader than diameter of anterior ocellus and virtually completely smooth; scrobes moderately deep, meeting dorsally, sharply margined only immediately below eye, very broadly ∩-shaped, interantennal prominence dorsally rounded and without a median ridge; antenna as in Fig. 1104; scape broadened and flattened, about 2.5X as long as broad; funicle with F1 quadrate, other segments transverse, larger and broader distad; linear sensilla present only on F3-F6; clava clearly broadened, about as long as F2-F6 combined, sutures oblique, sensory area enlarged, extending nearly half-way along clava, giving it a distinct, strongly obliquely truncate appearance; eye reaching occipital margin, appearing naked but clothed with extremely short setae that are much shorter than diameter of facet; inner eye margins converging weakly below anterior ocellus; malar sulcus absent; clypeal margin medially virtually straight; mandible with one acute tooth and a broad concave truncation, virtually tridentate; apical segment of maxillary palpus not enlarged, hardly longer than radicle. Relative measurements: HW 80, HH 76.5, FV 17, POL 7, OOL 0, OCL 6.5, AOL 10, EL 54, EW 44, MS 36, SL 40, SW 16.

Thorax (Fig. 1100) with irregular, polygonally reticulate sculpture on pronotum that is similar in depth to that in ocellar area; mesoscutum in anterior three-fifths with coarse longitudinally elongate, lineolate-reticulate sculpture that is slightly deeper than that on pronotum, posterior two fifths with more regular, slightly shallower, polygonally reticulate sculpture; axilla and scutellum with polygonally reticulate sculpture of similar depth to that on pronotum, sculpture on scutellum more elongate laterally; visible part of mesoscutum about 2X as broad as long; scutellum about as long as broad with a distinct subapical tuft, setae mostly nearly half as long as scutellum; hind femur about 4.4X as long as broad; fore wing with venation and setation as in Figs 1099, 1101; costal cell naked dorsally at apex; apices of postmarginal and stigmal veins connected by a distinct, naked, hyaline streak (Fig. 1099); mid tibia with an indistinct, external subbasal carina for about half its length; propodeum (Fig. 1100) medially about 0.15X as long as scutellum and with some very shallow, irregular, reticulate sculpture. Relative measurements: FWL 104.5, FWW 43.5; HWL 82.5, HWW 21.

Gaster without “gland-like” structures on Gt1 or Gt5; hypopygium (Fig. 1103) reaching about half-way to apex; syntergum about 0.8X as long as mid tibia, with apex very weakly angular, more or less rounded; ovipositor (Fig. 1102) slightly exserted, about one-third as long as mid tibial spur or 0.1X as long as mid tibia. Relative measurements: OL 41.5, GL 10.5 [MT 32].

Variation. Only holotype examined.

Male. Unknown.

DISTRIBUTION. Costa Rica.

HOSTS. Unknown.

MATERIAL EXAMINED.

Type material. Holotype E: COSTA RICA, Limón, RB Hitoy Cerere, Valle de la Estrella, Send. Toma de Agua , LN 184300 643500, 140m, #54234, 8.v.1999 (F. Umaña) . Holotype in NHMUK .

COMMENTS. The left antenna is missing from the holotype, but it is in otherwise good condition.

Cheiloneurus numitor is very similar to metheus , the two being most easily separated by the presence of a complete line of setae on the ventral surface of the costal cell of the fore wing in numitor . Other features that separate the species are in numitor the gaster is entirely dark brown, the head is about 2.7X as wide as the frontovertex, linear sensilla are present on F3, the scape about 2.5X as long as broad and the syntergum is about 0.8X as long as the mid tibia with the apex almost rounded forming a strongly obtuse angle. In metheus the gaster is orange dorsally with the extreme apex of the syntergum brown, the head is about 4.4X as wide as the frontovertex, linear sensilla are absent from F3, the scape is about 3X as long as broad and the syntergum is about as long as the mid tibia with the apex forming a distinctly acute angle.