Cheiloneurus lamus, 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 : 247-249

Cheiloneurus lamus sp.nov.

( Figs 612-619; Hab. E 94)

DIAGNOSIS. Female (length about 1.8-2.3mm): body generally dark brown to black with a weak to moderate metallic sheen; antenna ( Figs 628, 619) with scape pale orange margined brown, proximally brown; pedicel mostly pale orange, proximally dark brown dorsally; funicle pale orange, proximally slightly dusky; clava dark brown; mesoscutum with uniform, silvery setae; coxae white to pale yellow; hind tibia partially dark brown, legs otherwise white to pale orange with a few brown areas; fore wing ( Figs 612, 613) almost completely hyaline but weakly infuscate immediately below marginal and stigmal veins and usually with a weak, infuscate median streak nearly to apex; head ( Fig. 617) about 3.9-4.5X as wide as frontovertex, in facial view about as broad as long, subcircular, genae converging, moderately and evenly curved; frontovertex naked medially below anterior ocellus; area between eye and scrobe about 1.5-2.0X as wide as diameter of anterior ocellus, with shallow sculpture, scrobal margin rounded; interantennal prominence dorsally rounded without a median ridge and with only a few long setae; mandible with two long, sharp lower teeth and a short, sharp, upper tooth; santenna ( Figs 618, 619) with scape about 4.8-5.1X as long as broad; funicle with F1 longer than broad, other segments slightly longer than broad, subquadrate, becoming larger distad; head about 0.9X as wide as length of flagellum; linear sensilla on F2-F6; clava 3-segmented, about as long as F3-F6 combined, sensory area large and forming an oblique truncation, extending about 0.45X along ventral margin; mesoscutum with polygonally reticulate sculpture; scutellum with a distinct, but short apical tuft of setae; wings fully developed; fore wing ( Figs 612, 613) about 2.5-2.6X as long as broad; parastigma very weakly curved downwards; costal cell dorsally with 2 to 5 setae at apex and a single, complete line of setae ventrally; area below proximal part of parastigma with a group of about 15-20 setae connecting to a line of five setae along cubital vein track; apices of postmarginal and stigmal veins ( Fig. 614) not connected by a naked hyaline area; apical bristle of postmarginal vein about 0.5X as long as marginal vein; mid tibial spur very slightly longer than basitarsus; propodeum with about 30-40 setae around each spiracle, side naked; syntergum nearly 1.2X as long as mid tibia; ovipositor ( Fig. 615) about 2.8-3.7X gonostylus or 1.6-1.7X mid tibia; gonostylus about 1.6-1.7X as long as mid tibial spur; exserted part of ovipositor about 0.6X as long as mid tibial spur to about as long. Male: unknown.

Female (holotype): length, including ovipositor, 2.23mm; excluding ovipositor, 2.08mm (CPD).

Head black with weak, blue and purple reflections on frontovertex; ocellar area more strongly purple; scrobal area mostly with a stronger blue-green sheen, mixed with purple, interantennal prominence with a coppery purple line between toruli; mouth margin purplish; gena and temple with a brighter, slightly brassy metallic green sheen, strongest immediately below eye, some coppery reflections on lower gena; frontovertex with inconspicuous dark brown setae; antenna ( Figs 619) with radicle dark brown; scape largely pale orange, proximally brown, dorsal and ventral margins brown; pedicel mostly pale orange, basal half dark brown dorsally; funicle pale orange, F1-F3 very slightly dusky; clava dark brown; thorax mostly dark brown to black; pronotum mainly green with purple and brassy reflections, posterior margin coppery; mesoscutum clothed with uniform, translucent silvery setae and with a metallic green to blue-green sheen with coppery and brassy reflections, posterior margin coppery purple; tegula dark brown; axilla dull, dark purple-brown with coppery reflections; scutellum noticeably less shiny than mesoscutum, but with a distinct blue-green sheen and distinct coppery reflections medially, clothed with dark brown setae, extreme sides and apex shining green mixed coppery; metanotum with slight purple sheen; mesopleuron in posterior half with a coppery-purple and brassy sheen, anterior half mixed blue, green, coppery and brassy, these narrowly separated by a coppery, dark blue and violet sheen; fore coxa white; fore femur white to pale yellow, with a small, apical, brown spot externally; fore tibia pale orange with a small, subbasal, brown spot externally; mid coxa white; mid femur white to pale yellow with a subapical brown spot internally, tibia pale orange with a narrow, subbasal brown ring; hind coxa white; hind femur white in proximal half or so, otherwise pale orange, extreme apex brown, tibia mostly pale orange with a broad, diffuse brown ring proximally; tarsi pale orange, pretarsi slightly dusky; fore wing ( Fig. 613) almost completely hyaline but weakly infuscate immediately below marginal and stigmal veins, a very weakly infuscate median streak distad of pale brown venation; propodeum dark purple-brown; sides metallic green with a few conspicuous silvery setae in spiracular area; gaster dark purple-brown, Gt1 narrowly metallic blue-green proximally; remainder of dorsum of gaster slightly coppery, mixed purple and brassy, sides of gaster towards apex and outer plates of ovipositor mixed metallic blue, green, coppery and brassy; gonostylus dark brown, extreme apex orange-brown.

Head ( Fig. 617) about 4.5X as wide as frontovertex, not subtriangular in profile, occipital margin carinate, occiput without a median groove above foramen; ocelli forming an angle of about 50°; frontovertex slightly shiny, with conspicuous reticulate sculpture of mesh size generally very slightly smaller than diameter of eye facet; scrobal area and mouth margin with shallower sculpture; gena and temple with more elongate sculpture of larger mesh; scrobes shallow, meeting dorsally, dorsal and lateral margins weakly rounded; antenna as in Fig. 619; scape hardly broadened and flattened, about 4.8X as long as broad; F1 nearly twice as long as broad, other funicle segments subquadrate and at least slightly longer than broad, segments broadest distad; clava hardly broadened, hardly longer than F4-F6 combined; only outer suture noticeably oblique, sensory area enlarged, extending nearly one-third along clava ventrally and giving it an obliquely truncate appearance; eye reaching occipital margin, clothed with inconspicuous setae, each of which is about as long as diameter of facet; inner eye margins not converging anteriorly; malar sulcus absent; mandible with two long, acute, lower teeth and a short upper tooth. Relative measurements: HW 72, HH 72, FV 16, OD 5.5, POL 8.5, OOL 0.5, OCL 6, AOL 11, EL 45, EW 37, MS 30, SL 43, SW 9.

Thorax with shallow, irregular, polygonally reticulate sculpture on pronotum, generally of mesh size subequal to diameter of facet; sculpture on mesoscutum generally of similar depth to that on pronotum, but more regular and of smaller mesh; sculpture on axilla similar to that on mesoscutum, but slightly deeper; scutellum with conspicuously deeper, polygonally reticulate sculpture; apex and sides narrowly completely smooth; visible part of mesoscutum about 1.8X as broad as long; scutellum about as broad as long, with a short subapical tuft, setae about one-third as long as scutellum; hind femur about 4.3X as long as broad; fore wing with venation and setation as in Figs 613, 614; costal cell with only 2 or 3 setae dorsally at apex; no naked streak present between apices of postmarginal and stigmal veins ( Fig. 614); propodeum with moderately dense setae in spiracular area, side naked, medially less than 0.1X as long as scutellum and with some shallow polygonally reticulate sculpture. Relative measurements: FWL 94.5, FWW 37; HWL 73, HWW 20.

Gaster with hypopygium reaching about half-way to apex; syntergum about 1.4X as long as mid tibia, with apex acute; ovipositor slightly exserted, the exserted part about as long as mid tibial spur. Relative measurements: GL 72, [MTS 31].

Paratype. Funicle with linear sensilla present only on F2-F6; gaster without “gland-like” structures on Gt1 or Gt5; hypopygium Fig. 616; ovipositor Fig. 615. Relative measurements: OL 72, GL 19.5 [MT 46].

Variation. Females vary in overall length 1.18-2.32mm, the coxae vary from white to very pale yellow, the apical half of the fore wing usually has a weak median, subapical infuscate streak, the area between eye and scrobe varies from about 1.5-2.0X as wide as the diameter of the anterior ocellus, the scape varies from about 4.8-5.1X as long as broad, the fore wing varies from about 2.5-2.6X as long as broad, the area below the proximal part of parastigma normally has a group of about 15-20 setae connecting to a line of five setae along cubital vein track, the propodeum has about 30-40 setae around each spiracle, the ovipositor varies from about 2.8-3.7X as long as the gonostylus and the exserted part of ovipositor varies from about 0.6X as long as the mid tibial spur to about as long.

Male. Unknown.

DISTRIBUTION. Costa Rica.

HOSTS. Unknown.

MATERIAL EXAMINED.

Type material. Holotype E: COSTA RICA, Puntarenas, Est. Altamira, Cerro Frantzius, LS 334150 5744450, 2134mm, #60660, 21.x-22.xi.2001 ( D. Rubí ) . Paratypes: COSTA RICA, 1E, San José, Zurqui de Moravia, 1600m, viii.1995 (P. Hanson); 1E, San José, San Gerardo de Dota , El Manantial , 9°34’N 83°48’W, 2250m, 18-20.ii.2010 (J.S. Noyes); 1E, Puntarenas, Monteverde, 1550m, 16.viii.1986 (L. Masner); 1E, Puntarenas, Monte Verde [= Monteverde] Reserva, 1550m, 16.viii.1986 (L. Masner); 1E, Puntarenas, Est. Altamira, Send. a Casa Coca, LS 331750 574400, 1700m, ii.2002 (C. Hansson, D. Rubí, J. Azofeifa ); 1E, Puntarenas, Las Alturas BS, 2000m, 8°57’N 82°50’W, i-iii.1995 (P. Hanson) . Holotype in MZUCR, paratypes in NHMUK .

COMMENTS. Superficially Cheiloneurus lamus is close to mantua , both species being of generally similar habitus and colouration. Apart from the extent of the infuscation of the fore wing (see key), lamus has all funicle segments subquadrate so that the clava is hardly longer than F3-F6 combined, linear sensilla present on F3-F6, setae of the scutellar tuft about one-third as long as the scutellum and the ovipositor less than 3X as long as the gonostylus. In mantua all the funicle segments are strongly transverse so that the clava is at least as long as the funicle, linear sensilla are present only on F5-F6, the setae of the scutellar tuft are only about one-quarter as long as the scutellum and the ovipositor is more than 3X as long as the gonostylus.

See also comments under herndonia (p. 240), exeres (p. 243) and miklo (p. 247).