Cheiloneurus perses, 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 : 381-383

Cheiloneurus perses sp.nov.

( Figs 968-971; Hab. E 143)

DIAGNOSIS. Female (length about 1.7mm): body mostly orange, generally with a weak metallic sheen; mesoscutum dusky, propodeum laterally brown and gaster brown mixed pale orange-brown, darker areas with a stronger metallic sheen; antenna ( Fig. 969) with scape pale yellow; pedicel pale orange; flagellum proximally orange, darker distally, F4-F6 and clava dark brown; mesoscutum with evenly distributed, relatively dense, silvery setae; fore and hind coxae white, mid coxa pale orange to orange-brown; legs otherwise mostly white to pale orange with mid and hind tibiae orange-brown; head ( Fig. 968) about 2.9X as wide as frontovertex, in facial view hardly broader than long, genae short, converging, hardly curved, but more strongly curved inwards near mouth; frontovertex with about 60, inconspicuous setae medially between anterior ocellus and scrobes; eye separated from scrobe by about 2X diameter of anterior ocellus, area between eye and scrobe with distinct sculpture, scrobes shallow, with rounded margins; interantennal prominence with about 15 inconspicuous setae and dorsally rounded; mandible tridentate; antenna ( Fig. 969) with scape about 3.5X as long as broad; F1 slightly longer than broad, remaining segments transverse; linear sensilla on F3-F6; clava 3-segmented, slightly longer than F4-F6 combined, apex with an oblique truncation, sensory area extending about 0.4X along ventral surface of clava; head width about equal to flagellum length; mesoscutum ( Fig. 971) generally with fairly uniform polygonally reticulate sculpture, a little more elongate anterolaterally; scutellum with a distinct, apical tuft of setae; wings vestigial; fore wing hardly visible, barely as long as tegula; mid tibial spur slightly longer than basitarsus; propodeum ( Fig. 971) with about 25 setae adjacent to spiracle; syntergum about 1.9X as long as mid tibia; ovipositor ( Fig. 970) about 4.2X gonostylus or about 2.3X as long as mid tibia; gonostylus about 1.8X as long as mid tibial spur; exserted part of ovipositor about as long as mid tibial spur. Male: unknown.

Female (holotype): length, including ovipositor, 1.73mm; excluding ovipositor, 1.62mm (CPD).

Head orange, generally with a weak brassy and purple sheen; a broad, brown stripe from top of temple to base of mandible; frontovertex with numerous, scattered, fairly inconspicuous, translucent, pale brown setae, a line of more conspicuous setae below eye; interantennal prominence with numerous setae that are longer and more conspicuous than those on frontovertex; maxillary palpus pale orange; antenna ( Fig. 969) with radicle pale orange with a narrow brown apical ring; scape pale yellow; pedicel pale orange, dusky dorsally; F1-F2 orange, F2 internally brownish, F3 orange, internally brown, F4-F6 and clava dark brown; pronotum orange with very weak brassy and purple reflections, neck slightly dusky; prosternum pale orange; mesoscutum pale orange-brown, with a weak, metallic blue sheen and purple reflections, clothed with relatively dense, silvery setae, posterior margin purple-brown with a weak purple sheen; tegula orange with apex orange-brown; axilla orange, clothed with golden brown setae; scutellum orange, clothed with golden brown and brown setae, subapical tuft black with anterior setae of tuft translucent and pale golden brown; metanotum orange; mesopleuron orange with a weak brassy and purple sheen; mesosternum orange; fore coxa white; fore legs otherwise pale orange; mid coxa orange-brown ventrally otherwise pale orange; mid femur white at base, apically pale orange, tibia pale orange, dorsal margin orange-brown, tarsus pale orange; hind coxa white; femur very pale orange, tibia pale orange, dorsally orange-brown, tarsus very pale orange, virtually white; remnants of fore wing hyaline; propodeum orange medially with a weak coppery and blue sheen, brown laterally with a blue and green sheen, side with a green and purple sheen; about 15 scattered, translucent white setae in spiracular area that extend almost to posterior margin of propodeum; gaster brown with coppery, purple, brassy and green reflections; gonostylus very pale orange.

Head ( Fig. 968) about 2.9X as wide as frontovertex, in profile 1.7X as high as deep, anteriorly quite uniformly curved, interantennal prominence slightly protuberant; occipital margin sharp, not carinate; ocelli forming an angle of about 85°; frontovertex quite shiny, with fine, shallow, polygonally reticulate sculpture of mesh size slightly smaller than diameter of facet, scattered piliferous punctures distinct but separated by about 2-3X their own diameters; narrowest point between eye and scrobe very slightly more than 2X diameter of anterior ocellus; temple and gena with shallow, irregular, elongate, reticulate sculpture, that on temple of larger mesh than that on frontovertex; scrobes very shallow, ∩-shaped, meeting, not sharply margined; interantennal prominence dorsally rounded and with shallow, polygonally reticulate sculpture; antenna as in Fig. 969; scape slightly broadened and flattened, about 3.5X as long as broad, broadest in middle; F1 very slightly longer than broad, F2-F3 subquadrate, remaining segments transverse, distal segments broadest; clava hardly broadened, a little longer than F4-F6 combined, sutures slightly oblique, sensory area enlarged, extending ventrally about 0.4X along clava, apex obliquely truncate; eye not quite reaching occipital margin, separated by slightly more than diameter of facet, virtually naked but clothed in sparse, inconspicuous, fine, very short setae, each much shorter than diameter of facet; inner eye margins clearly diverging anteriorly; malar sulcus absent; clypeal margin virtually straight medially; mandible with three acute teeth; apical segment of maxillary palpus not enlarged, hardly longer than radicle. Relative measurements: HW 69, HH 68, FV 24, POL 14, OOL 1.5, OCL 6.5, AOL 11, EL 51.5, EW 33, MS 19, SL 35, SW 10.

Thorax ( Fig. 971) with pronotum conical and clearly exposed behind head, about 2.4X as long as mesoscutum, pronotum with coarse, polygonally reticulate to imbricate-reticulate sculpture that is clearly deeper than that on any part of the frontovertex; mesoscutum with fairly regular polygonally reticulate sculpture that is generally similar to that on pronotum, but perhaps a little shallower and slightly more elongate anterolaterally; axilla with similar sculpture to mesoscutum; scutellum with slightly deeper and coarser sculpture than mesoscutum; visible part of mesoscutum about 3X as broad as long; scutellum about 1.2X as long as broad, without a distinct, apical flange but with a distinct subapical tuft, setae mostly about 0.7X as long as scutellum; mid tibia without a distinct external carina; hind femur about 3.7X as long as broad; wings virtually absent, remnants of fore wing hardly reaching metanotum, apex obliquely truncate; propodeum ( Fig. 971) medially about 0.4X as long as scutellum and virtually smooth; setae on side conspicuous.

Gaster with hypopygium reaching about half-way to apex; syntergum about 1.2X as long as mid tibia, with apex broadly rounded; ovipositor slightly exserted, the exserted part about as long as mid tibial spur or one-third mid tibia.

Paratype. Funicle with linear sensilla present only on F3-F6; gaster without “gland-like” structures on Gt1 or Gt5; ovipositor Fig. 970. Relative measurements: OL 72, GL 17 [MT 32].

Variation. Very little in material available.

Male. Unknown.

DISTRIBUTION. Costa Rica.

HOSTS. Unknown.

MATERIAL EXAMINED.

Type material. Holotype E: COSTA RICA, Guanacaste, NW Volcan Orosi, Cerro el Hacha, 1988 . Paratypes: COSTA RICA, 1E, Guanacaste, Murcielago ( ACG), 75m, MT, 24.i-4.ii.1996 (J. Ugalde) . Holotype in MZUCR, paratype in NHMUK .

COMMENTS. Winged forms of this species are unknown. If short-winged or fully winged forms exist they should be recognisable by the almost completely pale yellow scape and pale proximal funicle segments and relatively slender, elongate gaster. Other character states such as the elongate pronotum and propodeum are probably associated with strong brachyptery and may not be exhibited in winged forms.

See also comments under luceres (p. 381).