Cheiloneurus mckenziei, 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 : 339-342

Cheiloneurus mckenziei sp.nov.

( Figs 840-853; Hab. E 122-125)

DIAGNOSIS. Female (length about 1.3-2.5mm): body varies from largely orange with dark brown areas on the head, mesoscutum, propodeum and gaster to almost completely dark brown with only parts of face orange, paler areas with a weak metallic sheen, darker areas with a weak to moderate sheen; antenna ( Figs 840, 841, 844) with scape mostly white with dorsal and ventral margins largely brown; pedicel and flagellum dark brown, sometimes funicle segments mixed orange; mesoscutum generally with moderately dense silvery setae; fore and hind coxae white, mid coxa dark brown; legs otherwise white to pale orange, with extensive dark brown areas; fore wing ( Figs 850, 853) mostly infuscate with basal cell mostly hyaline, a small hyaline area at apex of venation and a much larger, subtriangular area at apex; head ( Figs 846-849) about 4.4-7.4X as wide as frontovertex, in facial view slightly longer than broad, subcircular, genae converging, virtually straight but strongly curved inwards near mouth; frontovertex with up to three or four inconspicuous setae medially between anterior ocellus and scrobes; eye separated from scrobe by about diameter of anterior ocellus, area between eye and scrobe completely smooth and shiny; scrobes deep, sharply margined; interantennal prominence with about 20-45 moderately conspicuous setae and dorsally rounded; mandible virtually tridentate; antenna ( Figs 840, 841, 844) with scape about 3.3-4.2X as long as broad; F1-F4 longer than broad, F5-F6 transverse, F5 sometimes longer than broad; linear sensilla on F2-F6, sometimes absent from F2; clava 3-segmented, slightly longer than F4-F6 combined; sensory area enlarged, extending ventrally about 0.4-0.5X length of clava, apex obliquely truncate; head width clearly longer than funicle but shorter than flagellum; mesoscutum ( Fig. 852) with fine polygonally reticulate sculpture; scutellum with a distinct, apical tuft of setae; wings fully developed, fore wing ( Figs 850, 853) about 2.4-2.8X as long as broad; parastigma downcurved; costal cell dorsally naked save for one or two apical setae, ventrally with a complete line of setae which may be interrupted above parastigma; area below proximal part of parastigma with a group of about 15-25 setae; apices of postmarginal and stigmal veins connected by a naked hyaline area that continues a little way into disc ( Fig. 850, 853); apical bristle of postmarginal vein about 0.6-0.8X as long as marginal vein; mid tibial spur slightly longer than basitarsus; propodeum with up to about ten silvery setae adjacent to spiracle, side naked; syntergum about 0.8-0.9X as long as mid tibia with apex angular; ovipositor ( Fig. 842) about 3.8X gonostylus or about 1.5X as long as mid tibia; gonostylus about as long as mid tibial spur or slightly longer; exserted part of ovipositor about 0.3-0.8X as long as mid tibial spur to nearly as long. Male: unknown.

Female (holotype): length, including ovipositor, 1.51mm; excluding ovipositor, 1.43mm ( CPD) .

Head generally dark brown; occiput pale orange with a large dark brown area above foramen; temple and gena with a distinct metallic dark green sheen; scrobal area laterally orange medially dark brown with a metallic green sheen; mouth margin dark brown with a metallic dark green sheen; shiny bottomed grooves between posterior ocellus and occipital margin orange-brown; ocellar area dusky with metallic blue reflections along occipital margin, a purple sheen behind posterior ocelli, area between posterior ocelli with a blue and purple sheen, this becoming gradually weaker and more purplish anteriorly, area in front of anterior ocellus mostly with weak brassy reflections, narrowly purple immediately above scrobes; area between eye and scrobe with a deep, purple sheen towards mid-line, this becoming gradually weaker and more brassy towards gena; interantennal prominence dorsally brown with a distinct purple and blue sheen, ventrally with a broad orange band between toruli with a weak brassy sheen; frontovertex with inconspicuous pale brown setae along inner eye margins, these continued as a single line of slightly more conspicuous translucent, pale brown, setae below eye; gena and interantennal prominence with numerous, scattered, pale brown setae; maxillary palpus white, terminal segment pale brown; antenna ( Fig. 841) with radicle pale orange proximally, dark brown distally; scape largely very pale orange to white with proximal 0.7X of ventral margin dark brown, inner surface more widely margined ventrally and also with dorsal margin orange proximally and distal 0.6X dark brown; pedicel and flagellum dark brown, dorsal setae of F1-F4 translucent and white contrasting with ventral, dark brown setae; pronotum orange with weak purple and brassy reflections, posterior margin translucent, neck dark brown; prosternum orange, brown in front of coxa; mesoscutum black with weak brassy, purple and some bluish reflections, posterior margin dark purple-brown with slight brassy reflections, the whole with moderately dense, conspicuous, translucent, silvery setae; tegula orange, apex orange-brown; axilla dark brown, mixed orange with weak coppery and brassy reflections, with dark brown setae; scutellum dark brown with metallic dark green and coppery reflections, anteriorly with translucent pale brown setae, posteriorly with black setae, subapical tuft black; metanotum dark brown; mesopleuron brown, generally with a weak brassy lustre, additionally with weak purple, blue and gold reflections anteriorly and a purple and coppery lustre posteriorly; fore coxa white; proximal half of fore femur more or less white, margined dark brown, more widely so in middle, apex orange, fore tibia brown, apex and tarsus orange-brown; mid coxa dark brown; mid femur white with a dorsal, subapical, brown, V-shaped mark, tibia with a subbasal, white band, otherwise dark brown proximally with apical two-thirds orange to pale orange, spur and tarsus orange; hind coxa white; hind femur dark brown with an orange area ventrally towards apex, tibia and tarsus dark brown; fore wing ( Fig. 850) mostly infuscate but hyaline towards base and at apex, submarginal vein pale orange, otherwise venation brown; propodeum dark brown with a green sheen medially, purple laterally, blue-green and purple around spiracle, blue-green and coppery on side, a tight group of about 12-15 conspicuous silvery setae anterolateral to spiracle and a line of 4 or 5 longer setae posterior to this; gaster dark brown, Gt1 with a strong metallic purple and blue sheen, remaining tergites mostly with a weaker coppery purple and slight brassy sheen, sides of TII-TV mainly metallic blue-green and brassy, remainder of gaster with a brassy, coppery and purple sheen; gonostylus pale orange.

Head ( Fig. 848) about 5.4X as wide as frontovertex, in profile 1.8X as high as deep, anteriorly evenly rounded from occipital margin to top of scrobes then slightly angled towards mouth margin with interantennal prominence clearly protuberant; occipital margin sharp, carinate; ocelli forming an angle of about 55°; frontovertex slightly shiny, with conspicuous, fine, polygonally reticulate sculpture of mesh size 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 equal to diameter of anterior ocellus and completely smooth and mirrorlike; temple with relatively shallow, irregular, elongate, sculpture; gena with slightly deeper more regular, polygonally reticulate sculpture; scrobes deep, very broadly ∩-shaped, meeting, dorsally very smooth, sharply margined dorsally and laterally, carinate laterally; interantennal prominence without median ridge, dorsally completely smooth and broadly rounded, lower parts with relatively shallow, polygonally reticulate sculpture; antenna as in Fig. 841; scape broadened and flattened, about 3.7X as long as broad; F1-F4 slightly longer than broad, F5-F6 transverse, segments larger and broader distad; clava clearly broadened, slightly longer than F4-F6 combined, sutures oblique, sensory area enlarged, extending ventrally about 0.5X length of clava, apex strongly obliquely truncate; eye reaching occipital margin, virtually naked, clothed in sparse, inconspicuous, setae, each clearly shorter than diameter of facet; inner eye margins subparallel, diverging slightly in front of anterior ocellus; vertex with a distinct, narrow, shiny bottomed groove contiguous with inner eye margin between posterior ocellus and occipital margin; malar sulcus absent; clypeal margin virtually straight medially; mandible with one acute tooth and a broad, slightly concave truncation, virtually tridentate; apical segment of maxillary palpus not enlarged, only slightly longer than radicle. Relative measurements: HW 98, HH 96, FV 18, POL 7, OOL 0, OCL 12, AOL 14, EL 70, EW 54, MS 39, SL 47, SW 11.

Thorax ( Fig. 852) with pronotum short, hardly exposed behind head, about 0.6X as long as mesoscutum; pronotum, mesoscutum, axilla and scutellum with polygonally reticulate sculpture that is generally similar to that on frontovertex, sculpture on axillae and scutellum perhaps a little coarser; visible part of mesoscutum about 1.8X as broad as long; scutellum about 1.1X as broad as long, with a distinct subapical tuft, setae about 0.8X as long as scutellum; mid tibia with a weak external carina for about half its length; hind femur about 4.5X as long as broad; fore wing with venation and setation as in Figs 845, 850; costal cell with 1 or 2 setae dorsally at apex; apices of postmarginal and stigmal veins connected by a naked, hyaline streak ( Fig. 845); propodeum ( Fig. 852) medially about 0.16X as long as scutellum and virtually smooth. Relative measurements: FWL 91, FWW 35.5; HWL 78, HWW 17.5.

Gaster with hypopygium reaching about 0.4X to apex; syntergum about 0.9X as long as mid tibia, with apex angular; ovipositor slightly exserted, the exserted part about 0.6X length of mid tibial spur or about 0.2X mid tibia.

Paratype. Funicle with linear sensilla present only on F2-F6; gaster without “gland-like” structures on Gt1 or Gt5; hypopygium Fig. 851; ovipositor Fig. 842. Relative measurements: OL 72.5, GL 19 [MT 49.5].

Variation. A very variable species with larger specimens from higher altitudes often being darker and having relatively broader fore wings (see Fig. 853) than the holotype. Females vary in overall length from 1.29-2.5mm, the metallic colours on the head may be weaker or stronger than in the holotype, the mouth margin may be dusky pale orange, sometimes the funicle segments may be mixed with orange with F4-F6 or F4-F5 completely orange (see Figs 840, 844), the scutellum and axilla vary from orange to almost completely metallic green, the dorsal setae on the funicle may be concolourous with the ventral setae, the legs may be slightly darker than in the holotype with the fore femur mostly dark brown, the hind tibia and tarsus may be orange-brown, the head varies from about 4.4-7.4X as wide as the frontovertex with the ocellar angle varying from 40°- 55°, the setae on the interantennal prominence vary between 20-45, the scape is 3.3-4.2X as long as broad, the funicle may have F5 transverse( Fig. 841) or longer than broad ( Fig. 844), linear sensilla may be absent from F2, the fore wing varies from 2.4-2.8X ( Fig. 850, 853) as long as broad and the gonostylus varies from as long as the mid tibial spur to 1.2X as long.

Male. Unknown.

DISTRIBUTION. Costa Rica.

HOSTS. Unknown.

MATERIAL EXAMINED.

Type material. Holotype E: COSTA RICA, San José, Ciudad Colón, ii.1990 (L. Fournier). Paratypes: COSTA RICA, 1E, Guanacaste, Guanacaste NP,Est.Cacao, 1200m, 13.ii.1995 (L.Masner); 2E, Guanacaste, Est. Cacao (ACG) , 10°55’N 83°30’W, 1100m, 19-20.ii.2005 (J.S. Noyes); 1E, Guanacaste, Maritza ( ACG), 700m, MT/YPT, 20.i-24.ii.1996 (J.S. Noyes); 1E, Guanacaste, Tierras Morenas, Tilaran, Rio San Lorenzo, LN 287800 427600, 1050m, #3368, xi.1994 (G. Rodriguez); 1E, Guanacaste, BN Diriá, Cerro Retallano, LN 238550 358650, 600-700m, #66658, 15.xi-16.xii.2001 (I. Jiménez); 1E, Alajuela, PN Arenal, Sendero Mena, LN 450170 271800, 600m, 17.iv-19.v.2001 (G. Carballo); 1E, Alajuela, RB San Ramon, 800m, viii-ix.1997 (P. Hanson); 1E, Heredia, OTS-La Selva, 10°26’N 84°01’W, i-iii.1993 (P. Hanson); 1E, Heredia, OTS-La Selva, 10°26’N 84°01’W, iii-iv.1993 ( ALAS); 1E, Heredia, OTS-La Selva, 10°26’N 84°01’W, 75m, xii.1993 ( ALAS); 1E, Heredia, Santo Domingo, 1100m, cafetal, 9.ix.1994 (M. Cerda, P. Hanson); 1E, Heredia, Danto Domingo, INBio cafetal, 6-7.iii.1996 (L. Masner); 1E, Heredia, Santo Domingo, INBio, 1100m, YPT (compost), 6-7.iii.1996 (L. Masner); 2E, Heredia, Santo Domingo, INBio Parque, 1200m (error for 1100m), ii.2001 (J.S. Noyes); 3E, Heredia, Santo Domingo, INBio Parque, LN 217300 526200, 1100m, TM, 22.v-27.vi.2001 and vii.2001 (R. Zuñiga); 1E, Heredia, Santo Domingo, INBio Parque, LN 217300 526200, 1100m, #65446, vii.2001 (R. Zuñiga); 18E, Heredia, Santo Domingo, INBio Parque, LN 217300 526200, 1100m, iii.2002 (J.S. Noyes, J. Azofeifa); 1E, Heredia, Santo Domingo, INBio Parque, LN 217300 526200, 1100m, 1-12.iv.2002 (J.S. Noyes, D. Rubí ); 6E, Heredia, Santo Domingo, INBio Parque, 9°59’N 84°06’W, 1100m, 16.ii.2008, 3.ii.2010, 12.ii.2011,16. ii.2013 and 14.ii.2015 (J.S. Noyes); 1E, San José, San Pedro, 1200m, 19.ii.2001 (J.S. Noyes); 1E, San José, Zurqui de Moravia, 1600m, viii.1995 (P. Hanson); 1E, San José, Zurqui de Moravia, 1600m, x.1995 (P. Hanson); 1E, San José, San Antonio de Escazu, 1300m, ix.1998 (W. Eberhardt);1E, San José, Ciudad Colón, xii.1989 - i.1990 (L. Fournier); 1E, San José, Holland House, ex mango, 25.iv.1973 (D.J. Calvert, I. Solis); 1E, Cartago, Dulce Nombre, Vivero Linda Vista, 1300m, viii-ix.1994 (P. Hanson); 1E, Puntarenas, Res. Priv. Karen Mogensen, 9°52’N 85°03’W, 305m, 14-15.ii.2005 (J.S. Noyes); 1E, Puntarenas, Monteverde, St. Luis Valley, 1400m, 17.viii.1986 (L. Masner); 1E, Puntarenas, Est. Altamira, Send a Casa Coca, LS 331750 574400, 1700m, 12.i-12.ii.2001 ( D. Rubí ); 1E, Puntarenas, Est. Altamira, Cerro Frantzius, LS 334150 574450, 2134m, #62125, 12.iii-12.iv.2001 ( D. Rubí ). 1E, Puntarenas, San Vito, Las Cruces, Wilson Bot. Gdns, 1500m, 18-22.iii.1990 (J.S. Noyes); 1E, Puntarenas, San Vito, Las Cruces, Wilson Bot. Gdns, 8°46’N 82°57’W, 1300m, 30.ii.2015 (J.S. Noyes); 1E, Puntarenas, 6km W. Piedras Blancas, 8°46’N 83°17’W, 100m, vi-vii.1993 (P. Hanson); 1E, Puntarenas, PN

Corcovado, Los Patos , 200m, 8°33’N 83°30’W, ii.2000 (J.S. Noyes, J. Azofeifa); 1E, Limón, PN Cahuita, 9°43’N 82°49’W, 10m, 24.ii.2010 (J.S. Noyes). Holotype in MZUCR, paratypes in NHMUK, MZUCR and USNM.

COMMENTS. In general habitus, Cheiloneurus mckenziei can be very similar to lineascapus Gahan, especially specimens of mckenziei that have an orange scutellum. However, in mckenziei the flagellar segments are not flattened and are clearly oval in cross-section whereas in lineascapus the flagellar segments are slightly, but conspicuously broadened and flattened. In addition, in mckenziei the mouth margin is dark brown, the fore coxa is white and there is a group of about 20 pale setae below the parastigma, whereas in lineascapus the mouth margin is orange, the fore coxa is orange-brown and there are only 4 or 5 dark setae below the parastigma.

See also comments under lydia (p. 361).

The species is named in honour of my late good friend Alan McKenzie who is much missed.