Cheiloneurus dipsas, 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 : 295-297

Cheiloneurus dipsas sp.nov.

( Figs 731-734; Hab. E 111)

DIAGNOSIS. Female (length about 1.4-2.4mm): body generally dark brown with a weak to moderately metallic sheen, pronotum and scutellum with orange areas; antenna ( Fig. 731) with scape white margined dark brown; pedicel and flagellum dark brown; posterior two-thirds or so of mesoscutum clothed with silvery setae; coxae dark brown; legs mostly dark brown, but with some orange or orange-brown areas; fore wing ( Fig. 734) mostly infuscate with a V-shaped hyaline area proximal to linea calva, a small hyaline area at apex of venation and opposite on posterior wing margin, apex slightly paler; head about 3-4.2X as wide as frontovertex, in facial view slightly longer than broad, suboval, genae converging and evenly curved towards mouth margin; frontovertex naked medially below anterior ocellus but with 1 or 2 setae above scrobal area; eye separated from scrobe by about 0.7X diameter of ocellus, area between eye and scrobe completely smooth, scrobal margin carinate; interantennal prominence dorsally rounded with about 50 short inconspicuous setae; mandible with two short teeth and a truncation; antenna ( Fig. 731) with scape about 3.4X as long as broad; funicle with F1-F4 longer than broad, F5-F6 subquadrate or transverse; head width slightly less than length of flagellum; linear sensilla on F3-F6; clava 3-segmented, nearly as long as F4-F6 combined; sensory area large and forming an oblique truncation, extending nearly 0.4X along ventral margin; mesoscutum with polygonally reticulate sculpture, a little coarser anteriorly and on sides where it is also conspicuously longitudinally elongate; scutellum with a distinct apical tuft of setae; wings fully developed; fore wing ( Fig. 734) about 2.6-2.8X as long as broad; parastigma very distinctly curved downwards; costal cell dorsally with one or two setae at apex and ventrally with a single line of setae that is broadly interrupted above parastigma; area below proximal part of parastigma with only one or two setae; apices of postmarginal and stigmal veins connected by a naked hyaline area that extends inconspicuously a little way into disc ( Fig. 733); apical bristle of postmarginal vein about 0.6X as long as marginal vein; mid tibial spur about as long as basitarsus; propodeum with about 8 setae around each spiracle, side naked; syntergum about 0.8X as long as mid tibia; ovipositor ( Fig. 732) about 4.0X gonostylus or 1.8X as long as mid tibia; gonostylus about 1.3X as long as mid tibial spur; exserted part of ovipositor about 0.5X as long as mid tibial spur. Male: unknown.

Female (holotype): length, including ovipositor, 2.00mm; excluding ovipositor, 1.89mm ( CPD) .

Head dark brown, mixed orange around toruli; frontovertex relatively dull, but with a slight purple and brassy sheen; interantennal prominence generally with a purple sheen, metallic green dorsally; antennal toruli connected ventrally by a very slender, metallic blue line, below this mouth margin coppery, laterally metallic green and brassy; temple metallic blue-green with some purple reflections; gena metallic green with some brassy and coppery reflections; area between eye and scrobe with a distinct, deep purple sheen; frontovertex with inconspicuous dark brown setae; antenna ( Fig. 731) with radicle pale orange-brown, distally dark brown; scape white, with proximal two thirds of ventral margin dark brown, upper margin internally with distal half dark brown, proximally paler brown or orange-brown; pedicel and flagellum dark brown, virtually black; apical segment of maxillary palpus dark brown and conspicuous; thorax mostly dark brown; pronotum orange-brown, pale orange laterally, neck dark brown; mesoscutum virtually black with slight purple and blue reflections, clothed in posterior two-thirds, or so, with silvery setae, these forming relatively dense concave lines laterally delimiting the posterior part of the mesoscutum, anterior and antero-lateral parts of mesoscutum clothed with golden brown setae; tegula dark brown, basally dark orange-brown; axilla dark brown, mixed orange-brown with some purple reflections; scutellum dusky orange in anterior half, remainder dark brown, extreme sides and apex orange, mixed dark brown, darker areas with a distinct purple and blue sheen, scutellum largely clothed in golden brown to black setae, subapical tuft conspicuous and black; metanotum dark brown with a slight purple sheen; mesopleuron brown, anteriorly with a slight brassy, green and purple sheen, posterior half with a distinct purple and brassy sheen; all coxae dark brown with a slight purple, brassy and green sheen; fore femur, tibia and tarsus dark brown, femur a little paler along dorsal margin; mid femur dark brown in proximal half, gradually becoming pale orange in distal half, dorsal margin dark brown, mid tibia narrowly dark brown basally with a narrow, white subbasal ring, remainder dark brown, gradually becoming orange-brown distally, spur dark brown, tarsus pale orange-brown; hind femur and tibia dark brown, femur with an external, subapical orange area, tarsus dark orange-brown; fore wing ( Fig. 734) infuscate with a hyaline pattern, especially proximally; venation brown, submarginal vein mostly pale orange-brown; propodeum dark purple-brown with a slight brassy lustre, side near spiracle with a slight blue-green sheen, outside this shining metallic green; side of propodeum with only 4 or 5 inconspicuous silvery setae near spiracle; gaster dark purple-brown, mixed coppery, purple and brassy, sides and outer plate of ovipositor additionally with some metallic blue and green; gonostylus dark brown, extreme apex orange.

Head about 3.5X as wide as frontovertex, in profile anteriorly virtually straight below top of scrobes, about 2X as high as deep; occipital margin carinate, occiput without a median groove above foramen; ocelli forming an angle of about 85°; frontovertex slightly shiny, with fairly coarse, irregular, polygonally reticulate sculpture of mesh size generally a little less than diameter of eye facet, more transversely elongate above scrobes; scrobal area and mouth margin and gena with similar, coarse sculpture, interantennal prominence generally with shallower sculpture, dorsally quite smooth and shiny; temple with distinct, but shallow, longitudinally elongate sculpture; scrobes deep, meeting dorsally, dorsal margin clearly defined, but rounded and not carinate, lateral margins sharp and carinate, lateral carina reaching about level with top of torulus; antenna as in Fig. 731; scape hardly broadened and flattened, about 3.4X as long as broad; funicle with F1-F4 longer than broad, F5 subquadrate, F6 transverse, segments broadest distad; clava clearly broadened, very nearly as long as F4-F6 combined, sutures oblique, sensory area enlarged, extending ventrally about one-third along clava, giving it a distinct, obliquely truncate appearance; eye not reaching occipital margin, separated by about 1.5X than diameter of facet, appearing naked, clothed with extremely short, inconspicuous setae; inner eye margins slightly converging anteriorly; malar sulcus absent; mandible with 1 acute tooth and a broad truncation; apical segment of maxillary palpus relatively large and conspicuous, about 2X as long as radicle. Relative measurements: HW 90.5, HH 98.5, FV 26, OD 6, POL 17, OOL 2.5, OCL 9.5, AOL 13.5, EL 59, EW 44, MS 38, SL 39, SW 11.5.

Thorax with shallow, irregular, polygonally reticulate sculpture on pronotum, generally of mesh size less than diameter facet; sculpture on most of mesoscutum similar to that on frontovertex, but more regular and finer, sculpture shallower posteriorly; axillae with similar sculpture to anterior part of mesoscutum, that on scutellum similar but a little deeper, extreme apex and sides completely smooth and shiny; visible part of mesoscutum about 2X as broad as long; scutellum very slightly broader than long, with a very distinct subapical tuft, setae mostly about 0.8-0.9X as long as scutellum; hind femur about 3.9X as long as broad; fore wing with venation and setation as in Figs 733, 734; costal cell with 1 or 2 setae dorsally at apex; apices of postmarginal and stigmal veins connected by a distinct, naked, hyaline streak ( Fig. 734); propodeum with only a few setae anterior and lateral to spiracle, area posterior to spiracle and side naked, side of propodeum almost completely smooth and shiny, but anteriorly some shallow, distinct polygonally reticulate sculpture, medially about one quarter as long as scutellum and virtually completely smooth. Relative measurements: FWL 83, FWW 30; HWL 71, HWW 19.

Gaster with hypopygium reaching about one-third towards apex; syntergum a little more than three-quarters as long as mid tibia, with apex acute; ovipositor slightly exserted, the exserted part a little less than half as long as mid tibial spur or about 0.15X as long as mid tibia.

Paratype. Antenna with linear sensilla present only on F3-F6; gaster without “gland-like” structures on Gt1 or Gt5; ovipositor Fig. 732. Relative measurements: OL 68.5, GL 17 [MT 39].

Variation. Females vary in overall length from 1.41-2.39mm, the mesopleuron may be pale orange-brown, the legs may be slightly more extensively marked with orange than in the holotype, the head may be only about 3X as wide as the frontovertex and the fore wing varies from about 2.6-2.8X as long as broad.

Male. Unknown.

DISTRIBUTION. Costa Rica.

HOSTS. Some paratypes were reared from Saissetia coffeae (Walker) ( Hemiptera : Coccidae ) on coffee.

MATERIAL EXAMINED.

Type material. Holotype E: COSTA RICA, Heredia, Santo Domingo, INBio Parque, LN 217400 526250, #62082, 1100m, i-iii.2001 (R. Zuñiga). Paratypes: COSTA RICA, 1E, Heredia, Estacion Biológi- ca La Selva, 10°26’N 84°01’W, 75m, 1-2.iii.2007 (J.S. Noyes); 2E, Heredia, Santo Domingo, ex Saissetia coffeae , viii.1993 (J. Perrer); 6E, Heredia, Santo Domingo, ex Saissetia hemisphaerica , 22.viii.1993 (P. Hanson); 1E, Heredia, Santo Domingo, 1100m, cafetal, 9.ix.1994 (M. Cerda, P. Hanson); 1E, Heredia, Santo Domingo, INBio Parque, LN 217400 526250, 1100m, #62271. v.2001 (R. Zuñiga); 1E, Heredia, Santo Domingo, INBio Parque, LN 526250 217400, 1100m, iii.2002 (J.A. Azofeifa, J.S. Noyes); 1E, Heredia, San José, ex Saissetia hemisphaerica , 22.viii.1993 (M. Hivo). Holotype in MZUCR, paratypes in NHMUK, MZUCR.

COMMENTS. Cheiloneurus dipsas is superficially similar to amadeus , both species having a fairly similar arrangement of setae on the mesoscutum. In dipsas the top of the scrobes, area above and the mesoscutum are much less coarsely sculptured than in amadeus . In dispas the funicle segments are relatively longer with only F6 being slightly transverse whereas in amadeus F4 is slightly transverse and F5-F6 strongly transverse. Otherwise, the ovipositor of dipsas is about 1.8X as long as the mid tibia and 4X as long as the gonostylus, whereas in amadeus the ovipositor is about 1.1X as long as the mid tibia and nearly 6X as long as the gonostylus.