Elaxis auster, 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 : 711-712

Elaxis auster sp.nov.

(Figs 1969-1975)

Female (holotype): length, 1.22mm ( CPD) .

Head with occiput dull, metallic green mixed coppery purple; frontovertex dull metallic dark green mixed coppery purple; scrobal area dull coppery purple; area immediately below eye bright- er metallic green and violet; temple and gena similar but relatively dull and mixed brassy and coppery; frontovertex, gena and interantennal prominence with inconspicuous brown setae; antenna (Fig. 1969) with radicle dark brown; scape dark brown with extreme apex very pale yellow; pedicel dark brown; funicle white with F3-F4 brown, clava dark brown; maxillary palpus white; thorax generally dark brown to black, pronotum with a moderate coppery purple sheen; mesoscutum relatively bright metallic dark green and blue-green with some brassy and coppery areas; tegula dark brown with a weak coppery purple sheen; axilla dark purple-brown with a weak coppery and brassy sheen; scutellum generally with a relatively dull coppery purple and dark green sheen, side and apex more strongly shining copper and blue-green; mesoscutum clothed with inconspicuous, dark brown setae, scutellum with fairly inconspicuous, dark brown setae; metanotum dark purple-brown with a weak brassy sheen; mesopleuron dark brown, mainly with a weak purple, brassy and coppery sheen; mesosternum dark brown; all coxae dark brown; fore femur dark brown with extreme apices very pale orange, tibia dark brown with extreme base and apical 0.3X pale orange, tarsus orange-brown with apical tarsomere brown; mid femur with proximal 0.4X white, apex dark brown, tibia with extreme base dark brown, a narrow, subbasal white band followed by a broader dark brown band to 0.6X, apex white, spur and tarsus very pale yellow; hind femur with extreme base white, otherwise dark brown, tibia dark brown with apices white, tarsus dusky pale orange, apical tarsomere brown; wings hyaline, fore wing (Fig. 1974) with a small, weakly infuscate patch below marginal vein (Fig. 1975); propodeum dark brown, with a weak purple and brassy sheen, side with a metallic, dark green sheen, about 10 conspicuous, translucent, silvery setae outside spiracle, extending partially down side of propodeum; gaster dark brown, with a distinct coppery purple sheen, dorsal part of Gt1 with a distinct blue-green and brassy sheen, side of gaster with a mixed metallic green, brassy and coppery sheen; gonostylus dark brown.

Head (Fig. 1971) about 2.9X as wide as frontovertex with an elongate, oval, shallow shiny-bottomed depression adjacent to eye margin extending from level with posterior ocellus towards occipital margin; ocelli forming an angle of about 85°; with fairly regular, moderately deep polygonally reticulate sculpture of mesh size generally subequal to eye facet, sculpture between posterior ocellus and occipital margin similar; frontovertex with piliferous punctures shallow, about 4 in front of anterior ocellus, a line of sparse setae along inner eye margin continued along lower eye margin; interantennal prominence with two submedian lines of inconspicuous setae; temple with relatively shallow, longitudinally elongate, polygonally reticulate sculpture of relatively large mesh; gena with similar sculpture to temple but of smaller mesh; eye with pale setae that are slightly shorter than diameter of facet, separated from scrobal margin by about 1.5X diameter of ocellus, area between eye and scrobe with transversely elongate, imbricate-reticulate sculpture; scrobes meeting dorsally, very weakly margined dorsally and laterally; interantennal prominence shallow, dorsally rounded, separated from frontovertex, with fine, shallow, polygonally reticulate sculpture; antenna as in Fig. 1969; scape about 1.6X as long as broad; funicle with linear sensilla only on F5-F6; clava enlarged, about 2.2X as broad as F6, about as long as pedicel and funicle combined, sensory area extending about 0.7X along ventral surface. Relative measurements: HW 81, HH 77, FV 27.5, POL 14, OOL 2, OCL 5, AOL 11.5, EL 50, EW 39, MS 34, SL 45, SW 29.

Thorax (Fig. 1973) in dorsal view with pronotum hardly visible behind head, its posterior margin clearly concave; pronotum with polygonally reticulate sculpture that is generally similar to that on frontovertex but clearly shallower; mesoscutum with fairly regular, polygonally reticulate sculpture that is about as deep as that on frontovertex but with slightly larger mesh; axilla with transversely elongate, polygonally reticulate to imbricate-reticulate sculpture that is of similar depth to that on mesoscutum; scutellum conspicuously convex, generally with longitudinally elongate, polygonally reticulate sculpture that is of finer mesh than that on mesoscutum and conspicuously deeper, apical 0.15X and sides completely smooth and shiny; visible part of mesoscutum about 2.1X as broad as long; scutellum about as long as broad, apex not thin and flange-like; fore wing with venation and distribution of setae as in Figs 1974, 1975; costal cell with a single line of setae dorsally in apical 0.3X or so; propodeum medially about 0.11X as long as scutellum and more or less smooth, side with some shallow, polygonally reticulate sculpture; side of propodeum (Fig. 1973) rounded posteriorly above hind coxa and without a tooth. Relative measurements: FWL 88, FWW 37; HWL 65.5, HWW 18.

Gaster with hypopygium (Fig. 1970) reaching about 0.6X to apex; last tergite about 0.8X as long as mid tibia, with apex angular, but not acute; ovipositor (Fig. 1972) not exserted. Relative measurements: OL 77, GL 21 [MT 66.5, MTS 22].

Variation. Only holotype examined.

Male. Unknown.

DISTRIBUTION. Costa Rica.

HOSTS. Unknown.

MATERIAL EXAMINED.

Type material. Holotype E: COSTA RICA, San José, 26km N San Isidro , 9°30’N 83°43’W, 2100m, iv-v.1993 (P. Hanson) . Holotype in NHMUK .