Cerapterocerus phragmitis Gordh & Trjapitzin, 1981

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 : 151-152

Cerapterocerus phragmitis Gordh & Trjapitzin

( Figs 372-383; Hab. E 60, G 61)

Cerapterocerus phragmitis Gordh & Trjapitzin, 1981:9-13 . Holotype E, USA (Florida), USNM, not examined.

DIAGNOSIS. Female (length about 1.4-1.8mm): head generally metallic green, blue-green and brassy with coppery and metallic blue areas, mouth margin sometimes orange; thorax with pronotum medially with a metallic green and blue-green sheen, mixed coppery, laterally and on sides mostly coppery; mesoscutum with middle one-third or so metallic green, laterally coppery mixed with some metallic blue and purple; tegula dark brown; axilla with a weak purple sheen; scutellum medially bright metallic green with a pair of sublateral, longitudinal, coppery stripes, side metallic green and blue-green; fore and mid coxa white, hind coxa brown; legs otherwise mostly white or very pale orange, mid femur with a subapical brown band, mid tibia with a subbasal brown band, hind femur mostly dark brown, hind tibia with a broad, subbasal brown band; fore wing with hyaline and infuscate pattern as in Figs 373, 375; hind wing hyaline; gaster dark brown with a metallic sheen; gonostylus dark brown with extreme apex pale orange; frontovertex (Fig, 377) with fine, conspicuous, transversely elongate, imbricate-reticulate sculpture; transfacial carina dorsally with a transverse line of translucent silvery setae between and below eyes; eye not reaching occipital margin, separated by about 1.5X diameter of facet, clothed with inconspicuous translucent setae that are each a little shorter than diameter of facet; antenna as in Fig. 372; scape subtrapezoidal, about 1.7X as long as broad; pedicel and funicle about as wide as scape; clava about as long as funicle, apex strongly obliquely truncate, sensory area extending ventrally about 0.6X length of clava; head about 3.1X as wide as frontovertex; frontovertex about 2.3X as long as broad; ocelli forming an angle of about 75°; mesoscutum ( Fig. 380) with sculpture similar to that on frontovertex, but slightly finer and more transversely striate; scutellum with very shallow polygonally reticulate sculpture similar to that on axilla but of larger mesh; axilla and scutellum more shiny than mesoscutum; wings shortened or fully developed; fully developed fore wing about 3.1-3.6X as long as broad, with venation and setation as in Figs 373, 374, shortened fore wing (Fig, 375) not reaching apex of gaster, up to 5X as long as broad; gaster about as long as head and thorax combined, hypopygium ( Fig. 378) reaching about 0.4X towards apex; ovipositor ( Fig. 376) about 2.5X as long as mid tibia and about 3.5X as long as gonostylus, slightly exserted, the exserted part very nearly as long as mid tibial spur or 0.25X length mid tibia. Male (length about 1.5mm): generally similarly coloured to female but with a much less striking patter of colours; head metallic green mixed coppery; scape largely pale orange with dorsal margin slightly dusky, pedicel orange-brown, flagellum brown; frontovertex, in front of anterior ocellus, with very slightly transversely elongate, polygonally reticulate sculpture; antenna as in Fig. 382 with scape about 2.3X as long as broad, funicle segments subcylindrical, each about 2X as long as broad and clothed in long setae, the longest of which is about 2X as long as diameter of segments; fore wing venation and setation as in Fig. 383; phallobase ( Fig. 381) with a single apical tooth on each digitus.

DISTRIBUTION. USA (Florida), Costa Rica (new record).

HOSTS. The type material was collected on Phragmites communis Trin. ( Poales : Poaceae ) infested with Aclerda holci Teague ( Hemiptera : Aclerdidae ) ( Gordh & Trjapitzin , 1981). It is likely the species is a hyperparasitoid of encyrtid primary parasitoids attacking aclerdids on reeds or tall grasses ( Poales : Poaceae )

MATERIAL EXAMINED.

COSTA RICA, 1E, Guanacaste, Santa Rosa NP, Hacienda 1-0, 2-23.iii.1986 (Janzen, Gauld); 1E, Guanacaste, Santa Rosa NP, Hacienda 1-0, 20.xii.1986 -10.i.12987 (Janzen, Gauld); 1E, Guanacaste, Santa Rosa NP, Sn. Emilio 8-C, 31.i-21.ii.1987 (Janzen, Gauld); 1E, Guanacaste, NW Volcan Orosi, Cerro el Hacha, 1988; 1E, Guanacaste, Cacao (ACG) 1100 m, 26.i-24.ii.1996 (J.S. Noyes); 4E, Guanacaste, Murcielago ( ACG), 24.i-4.ii.1996 (J. Ugalde); 1G, Guanacaste, Macizo Miravalles, Est. Cabro Muco, LN 299769 411243, 1100m, #73635, iii.2003 (J. Azofeifa); 1E, Heredia, INBio Parque, LN 217300 526200, 1100m, #62271, v.2001 (R. Zuñiga). Material in MZUCR and NHMUK.

COMMENTS. The Costa Rica specimens of phragmitis agree well with the original description of the species by Gordh & Trjapitzin (1981), but there are some differences that probably fall within the likely range of normal intraspecific variation. In Costa Rica females the mouth margin is orange, including adjacent parts of interantennal prominence and gena and the fore wing is 3.3- 3.6X as long as broad, whilst Gordh & Trjapitzin describe the “malar space” as metallic green and the fully developed, macropterous fore wing (their Fig. 4) is 3.14X as long as broad.