Prochiloneurus helleria, 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 : 473-475

Prochiloneurus helleria sp.nov.

(Figs 1191-1195; Hab. E 169)

DIAGNOSIS. Female (length about 1.7-2.5mm): head orange, temple and gena with a very weak to strong brown streak; antenna (Fig. 1192) with F1-F5 brown mixed pale orange dorsally, F6 and clava dark brown; thorax mostly orange, posterior half of mesoscutum dark brown with a weak blue, purple and violet sheen and clothed with relatively dense silvery setae; mesopleuron orange-brown anteriorly, orange posteriorly; fore wing (Fig. 1193) with a group of 4 or 5 setae below proximal half of parastigma but without a group of pale setae below distal half; hyaline apex of fore wing about as wide as 1.5X length of marginal vein; fore wing with a weak subapical band of very slightly paler setae; propodeum uniform orange-brown to dark brown with a weak metallic sheen, with about 10 silvery setae surrounding spiracle; gaster dark brown with a metallic sheen; head (Fig. 1191) about as 1.0-1.1X as high as broad and about 5.8-7.5X as wide as frontovertex; antennal scrobes sharply margined, carinate laterally; scape about 6.9-7.3X as long as broad, subcylindrical; paler parts of mesoscutum generally with obliquely elongate, striate-reticulate sculpture, posterior, darker part with more regular, rounded, polygonally reticulate sculpture; apical scutellar tuft about 0.4X as long as scutellum; fore wing (Fig. 1193) about 2.8X as long as broad; line of setae on ventral surface of costal cell continuous above parastigma; exserted part of ovipositor about 0.6X as long as gaster. Male: unknown.

Female (holotype): length, including ovipositor, 2.06mm; excluding ovipositor, 1.68mm (CPD).

Head generally orange; occiput slightly dusky; mouth margin brown below torulus; temple and gena with a very weak, diffuse brown streak from occipital margin to scrobal margin near torulus; occipital margin with a weak purple sheen, a weak brassy sheen behind posterior ocelli, area between ocelli with a weak purple sheen, frontovertex otherwise with a weak brassy sheen, slightly purple immediately above scrobes; area between eye and scrobe, temple and gena with a weak green, brassy and purple sheen with some coppery areas, gena more weakly metallic; interantennal prominence mostly with a weak brassy sheen, but dorsally with a more distinct purple sheen; frontovertex with inconspicuous, translucent, pale brown setae along inner eye margins, these continued below eye; gena and interantennal prominence with numerous, scattered setae, those on interantennal prominence more dense; maxillary palpus pale orange; antenna (Fig. 1192) with radicle proximally orange, apex dark brown; scape largely orange, apical one-quarter white, extreme apex dark brown, ventral margin narrowly brown for most of its length, dorsal margin slightly dusky; pedicel brown, apex pale orange dorsally; flagellum with F1-F5 mostly brown, each segment partially pale orange dorsally; F6 and clava dark brown; pronotum orange with weak purple, coppery and brassy reflections, posterior margin translucent; propleuron and prosternum orange; anterior half of mesoscutum coloured as pronotum and with relatively sparse dark brown setae, posterior half dark brown with a weak blue, purple and violet sheen and clothed with relatively dense silvery setae, posterior margin of mesoscutum orange-brown with a weak brassy and purple sheen; tegula orange, apex orange-brown; axilla orange with very weak brassy and purple reflections, with golden brown setae; scutellum orange with weak purple and brassy reflections, anteriorly with translucent pale brown setae, posteriorly with black setae, sub apical tuft black; metanotum orange-brown; mesopleuron orange-brown in anterior two-thirds with a weak purple, brassy and green sheen, posterior one-third pale orange with a weak brassy sheen; mesosternum pale, dusky orange; fore coxa white; fore femur white proximally, orange towards apex and bordered dark brown, tibia orange-brown, apex pale orange, tarsus orange; mid coxa largely pale orange, but brown externally and ventrally near mid-line; mid femur mostly white, but orange at apex and with dorsal margin slightly dusky, tibia orange with a brown streak externally for about two-thirds its length, spur and tarsus orange; hind coxa white; hind femur dark brown, orange-brown towards apex, tibia dark brown, tarsus orange, basitarsus slightly dusky; fore wing (Fig. 1193) mostly infuscate but hyaline towards base and at apex, submarginal vein pale orange, rest of venation brown; propodeum uniform orange-brown with a slight brassy sheen, laterally with a metallic purple sheen, bordered metallic blue and green internally, about 10 translucent silvery setae around spiracle; gaster dark brown, mainly with coppery and brassy reflections, Gt1 with a distinct purple sheen, basal tergites laterally metallic blue and green; gonostylus pale orange.

Head (Fig. 1191) about 6.8X as wide as frontovertex, in profile about 1.9X as high as deep, anteriorly fairly evenly curved, but weakly rounded from occipital margin to just above top of scrobes, and from top of scrobes virtually straight to mouth margin, interantennal prominence weakly protuberant between toruli; occipital margin sharp, carinate; vertex with a conspicuous groove from posterior ocellus along eye margin nearly to occipital margin; ocelli forming an angle of about 45°; frontovertex quite shiny, with shallow, fairly regular, fine, polygonally reticulate sculpture of mesh size generally a little smaller than diameter of facet, area immediately above scrobes with coarser, more irregular, transversely elongate sculpture; narrowest point between eye and scrobe about 0.17X length of scape and with shallow, polygonal sculpture; temple with shallow, irregular, transversely elongate, sculpture, gena with similar, but slightly deeper, more longitudinally elongate sculpture; scrobes deep, very broadly ∩-shaped, meeting, dorsally very smooth, sharply margined dorsally and laterally, margin carinate laterally; interantennal prominence without median ridge, broadly rounded and with weak, regular, polygonally reticulate sculpture throughout; antenna as in Fig. 1192; scape subcylindrical, about 6.9X as long as broad; F1-F2 clearly a little longer than broad, F3-F6 subquadrate, segments larger and broader distad; clava clearly broadened, nearly as long as funicle, sutures oblique, sensory area enlarged, extending ventrally about 0.8X length of clava, apex strongly obliquely truncate; eye slightly overreaching occipital margin, clothed in inconspicuous setae that are a little shorter than diameter of facet; inner eye margins clearly diverging below anterior ocellus; malar sulcus absent; clypeal margin slightly concave medially; mandible with three teeth; apical segment of maxillary palpus not enlarged, hardly longer than radicle. Relative measurements: HW 95.5, HH 96, FV 14, POL 5.5, OOL 0, OCL 10.5, AOL 10.5, EL 71, EW 53, MS 39, SL 55, SW 8.

Thorax with polygonally reticulate sculpture on pronotum and mesoscutum that is similar to that in ocellar area, but of conspicuously smaller mesh, a little deeper on pronotum and anterior part of mesoscutum; anterior half of mesoscutum with obliquely elongate, striate-reticulate sculpture, posterior half with more regular, rounded, polygonally reticulate sculpture; axilla and scutellum with sculpture slightly deeper and coarser and of slightly larger mesh; visible part of mesoscutum about 2.3X as broad as long; scutellum about 1.1X as broad as long, with a distinct subapical tuft, setae about 0.4X as long as scutellum; mid tibia with a strong external carina for about 0.7X its length; hind femur about 4.1X as long as broad; fore wing with venation and setation as in Figs 1193, 1195; costal cell naked dorsally at apex; apices of postmarginal and stigmal veins connected by a naked, hyaline streak; propodeum medially about 0.17X as long as scutellum and smooth. Relative measurements: FWL 92, FWW 32.5; HWL 67, HWW 19.5.

Gaster with syntergum about 0.6X as long as mid tibia; exserted part of ovipositor about 0.6X length of gaster or mid tibia.

Paratype. Funicle with linear sensilla present only on F5-F6; gastral tergites Fig. 1194. Relative measurements: OL 121, GL 48.5 [MT 72].

Variation. Females vary in overall length from 1.68-2.52mm, the brown stripe on the temple and gena may be distinct, the hind femur may be mostly orange, the hind tarsus may be completely brown, the propodeum varies from orange-brown to dark brown, the head varies from about as high as broad to about 1.07X as high and about 5.8-7.5X as wide as the frontovertex, larger specimens generally having a longer head and relatively narrower frontovertex, and the scape varies from about 6.9-7.3X as long as broad.

Male. Unknown.

DISTRIBUTION. Costa Rica.

HOSTS. Unknown.

MATERIAL EXAMINED.

Type material. Holotype E: COSTA RICA, Guanacaste, Sta Rosa NP, Bosq. Hum. 9-0, 20.xii.1986 - 10.i.1987 (Janzen, Gauld) . Paratypes: COSTA RICA, 1E, Guanacaste, Cacao (ACG), 1100 m, MT/YPT, 26.i-24.ii.1996 (J.S. Noyes); 1E, Guanacaste, Sta Elena , Las Nubes, LS 371750 507800, 1210m, 1-15.i.1996 (E. Alfaro); 2E , Heredia, OTS La Selva , 3km S Puerto Viejo, 100m, ii-iii.1993 and iv-v.1993 (P. Hanson); 1E , Puntarenas, Est. Agujas, C. Quebraditos, LN 521400 274300, 782m, #61700, 20.ii-15.iii.2001 (J. Azofeifa) . Holotype in MZUCR, paratypes in MZUCR and NHMUK .

COMMENTS. See comments under aethus (p. 479)