Alkonia tiquanus, 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 : 709-710

Alkonia tiquanus sp.nov.

(Figs 1962-1968; Hab. E 292)

Female (holotype): length, including ovipositor, 1.18mm; excluding ovipositor, 1.15mm ( CPD) .

Head mainly black; vertex generally with a dull, metallic dark green sheen with coppery reflections, some dark blue reflections in ocellar area; scrobal area, temple and gena with a coppery purple sheen; frontovertex, interantennal prominence and gena with fairly conspicuous dark brown setae; antenna (Fig. 1968) with radicle dark orange-brown; scape pale orange; pedicel mostly pale orange, slightly dusky dorsally; funicle pale orange; clava pale orange-brown; maxillary palpus off-white; thorax generally dark brown to black; pronotum with a coppery purple sheen; mesoscutum mostly with a weak metallic dark blue sheen mixed coppery and brassy along sides and posterior margin; tegula dark brown with a slight coppery purple sheen; axilla with a coppery purple sheen; scutellum dorsally with a coppery purple sheen proximally and medially, apically and laterally with a metallic blue-green sheen, extreme sides and apex with a distinct coppery sheen mixed metallic green; dorsum of thorax clothed with dark brown setae; metanotum with a weak purple and brassy sheen; mesopleuron dark brown with a weak coppery purple lustre; mesosternum dark brown; all coxae white, legs otherwise pale orange with femora proximally white and tarsi pale orange-brown; fore wing (Fig. 1966) virtually completely hyaline, but with a small, infuscate area below marginal and stigmal veins (Fig. 1965), hind wing hyaline, venation brown; propodeum dark purple-brown with a weak brassy sheen, side coppery, only 3 or 4 setae outside spiracle; gaster dark brown, with a fairly strong purple and coppery sheen dorsally, mixed with some brassy and metallic blue reflections, T1 with a moderate metallic green and blue-green sheen mixed coppery, more strongly coppery on side; side of gaster with distinct metallic green, brassy, purple and coppery reflections, venter slightly duller with mixed green, purple and blue, outer plates of ovipositor relatively dull coppery, purple and blue; gonostylus dark brown.

Head (Fig. 1964) about 3.9X as wide as frontovertex; ocelli forming an angle of about 65°; frontovertex with irregular, moderately deep, polygonally reticulate sculpture of mesh size generally slightly smaller than eye facet; frontovertex with moderately deep, distinct, piliferous punctures, 10 setae in front of anterior ocellus, a line of sparse setae along inner eye margin continued along lower eye margin; temple and gena slightly more shiny than frontovertex, with shallow, longitudinally elongate, polygonally reticulate sculpture; eye reaching occipital margin, with conspicuous pale setae that are clearly longer than diameter of facet, eye separated from scrobal margin by slightly less than diameter of ocellus, area between eye and scrobe with moderately deep, transversely elongate, polygonally reticulate sculpture; scrobes shallow, ∩-shaped, meeting dorsally, with shallow, polygonally reticulate sculpture, weakly margined dorsally and laterally; interantennal prominence weak, dorsally rounded, sculpture on interantennal prominence much shallower and finer than that on frontovertex; antenna as in Fig. 1968; scape hardly broadened and flattened about 4.1X as long as broad; all funicle segments strongly transverse, gradually becoming broader distally, linear sensilla present only on F6; clava broadened, about 1.4X as wide as F6, about as long as pedicel and funicle combined, sutures strongly oblique, sensory area enlarged, extending ventrally about 0.6X length of clava, apex strongly obliquely truncate. Relative measurements: HW 62, HH 60, FV 16, POL 8.5, OOL 0.5, OCL 3.5, AOL 7, EL 44, EW 36, MS 22, SL 26.5, SW 6.5.

Thorax (Fig. 1962) in dorsal view with pronotum short, mostly hidden by head; pronotum dorsally with imbricate-reticulate to polygonally reticulate sculpture that is about as deep as sculpture on frontovertex; mesoscutum generally with shallower sculpture than on frontovertex and mostly of larger mesh; axilla with fine, polygonally reticulate sculpture that is about as deep as that on mesoscutum; scutellum convex mostly with polygonally reticulate sculpture arranged in whorls and conspicuously deeper than that on mesoscutum, extreme sides and apex completely smooth; dorsum of thorax clothed in dark brown setae; visible part of mesoscutum about 1.8X as broad as long; scutellum about 1.1X as long as broad; fore wing with venation and distribution of setae as in Figs 1965, 1966; propodeum (Fig. 1962) medially about 0.1X as long as scutellum and virtually smooth medially. Relative measurements: FWL 58.5, FWW 25; HWL 62, HWW 11.

Gaster with hypopygium (Fig. 1967) reaching about 0.5X to apex; syntergum about as long as mid tibia; ovipositor (Fig. 1963) virtually hidden, the exserted part about 0.25X as long as mid tibial spur or less than 0.1X mid tibia; second valvifer with a single subapical seta. Relative measurements: OL 77, GL 25.5 [MT 60.5].

Variation. Only holotype examined.

Male. Unknown.

DISTRIBUTION. Costa Rica.

HOSTS. Unknown.

MATERIAL EXAMINED.

Type material. Holotype E: COSTA RICA, Puntarenas, PN Corcovado, Est. Agujas, LS 523600 274500, 600m, #61199, 20.xii.2000 - 20.1.2001 (J. Azofeifa) . Holotype in NHMUK .