Coccidencyrtus jacintha, 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 : 107-109

Coccidencyrtus jacintha sp.nov.

( Figs 239-243; Hab. E 40)

DIAGNOSIS. Female (overall length about 0.7mm): scape dark brown; pedicel mostly brown; flagellum pale brown; coxae white; fore femur and tibia white to yellow; mid femur mostly dark brown; mid tibia pale yellow; hind femur white with apex dark brown; hind tibia mostly dark brown; gaster dark brown, Gt1 medially pale orange, basal sternites white; frontovertex ( Fig. 240) about half head width; antenna ( Fig. 241) with scape about 2.5X as long as broad, funicle with F1 narrower than pedicel, F1-F2 subequal, small, subquadrate, F3-F6 gradually increasing in size, F6 largest and longer than broad; linear sensilla only on F3-F6; clava about as long as F3-F6 combined and about 4.5X as long as broad; palp formula 3-2; scutellum with 3 pairs of setae and longitudinally elongate polygonally reticulate to striate-reticulate sculpture, deeper than imbricate sculpture of mesoscutum; mid basitarsus with 2 ventral pegs; mid tibial spur slightly longer than basitarsus; fore wing with stigmal vein ( Fig. 239) a little longer than postmarginal vein and about as long as marginal vein; hypopygium reaching about 0.7X towards apex of gaster; ovipositor ( Fig. 242) about 4X as long as gonostylus and hidden. Male: unknown.

Female (holotype): length 0.74mm ( CPD) .

Head dark brown to black with a weak to moderate metallic lustre; occiput with a weak coppery sheen; frontovertex generally metallic dark green, area between posterior ocelli and occipital margin coppery; area above scrobes coppery; scrobal area, temple and gena with a coppery sheen; frontovertex, gena and interantennal prominence with a few scattered, very inconspicuous, brown setae; palpi white; radicle mostly pale orange, dorsally and ventrally margined dark brown; scape dark brown, extreme apex pale orange-brown; pedicel brown, venter and extreme apex pale orange; flagellum pale brown; thorax dark brown to black with a metallic lustre; pronotum with a weak coppery sheen; mesoscutum slightly brighter coppery purple; tegula dark purple-brown with a weak coppery sheen; axilla with a weak coppery purple sheen; scutellum with a weak coppery purple sheen, extreme side and apex more shiny; mesopleuron with a moderate coppery purple sheen; fore coxa white; fore femur white in proximal 0.5X, distally pale yellow, tibia pale yellow, tarsus pale yellow; mid coxa white; mid femur white in proximal 0.3X, otherwise dark brown, tibia white to pale yellow, spur and tarsus very pale yellow; hind coxa white; hind femur white in proximal 0.25X, apex dark brown, tibia with extreme base white, extreme apex orange otherwise dark brown, tarsus proximally pale brown, apex pale orange; wings mainly hyaline, but fore wing weakly infuscate immediately below marginal vein ( Fig. 239); propodeum dark brown with a weak purple sheen; gaster dorsally dark brown with coppery purple and dark green reflections, Gt1 medially pale orange, side and venter mostly dark brown, but basal sternites white; gonostylus pale orange.

Head ( Fig. 240) about 1.9X as wide as frontovertex, in profile about 1.6X as high as deep, tangent to frontovertex forming an angle of about 85° with that of face; occipital margin more or less sharp, not carinate; no distinct oval depression adjacent to eye near occipital margin; ocelli forming an angle of about 100°; frontovertex not widening in front of anterior ocellus with distinct polygonally reticulate sculpture of mesh size mostly much larger than eye facet, but generally subequal in size in ocellar area and above scrobes, not shallower above top of scrobes; temple and gena with slightly shallower, longitudinally elongate, fine polygonally reticulate sculpture; top of scrobes with distinct, regular, polygonally reticulate sculpture, scrobes with shallow sculpture; interantennal prominence and mouth margin with polygonally reticulate sculpture; scrobes fairly deep, margins rounded, broadly ∩-shaped; interantennal prominence dorsally rounded; antenna as in Fig. 241; scape broadened and flattened, about 2.7X as long as broad; funicle with F1-F2, subequal, relatively small, subquadrate, F3 slightly larger, F4 intermediate between F2 and F3, F5 larger than F3 and slightly longer than broad, F6 largest and clearly longer than broad, linear sensilla present only on F3-F6; clava about 3.5X as long as broad, about 1.2X as wide as F6, not curved downwards, about as long as F3-F6 combined, sutures parallel, sensory area relatively small, at apex only giving it a very narrow, weak, truncate appearance; eye slightly overreaching occipital margin, clothed with dense, conspicuous setae, each slightly longer than diameter of facet; malar sulcus absent; clypeal margin concave, but more or less straight medially; mandible with two acute teeth and a short, rounded, upper tooth; palp formula 3-2. Relative measurements: HW 67, HH 50, FV 35, POL 16.5, OOL 5, OCL 2, AOL 9, EL 35.5, EW 26, MS 19, SL 24, SW 9.

Thorax with pronotum hardly exposed behind head, its posterior margin broadly concave, not angular medially; pronotum with slightly shallower polygonally reticulate sculpture than that in ocellar area; sculpture on mesoscutum similar to that in ocellar area but more regular and of more rounded cells; axilla with similar sculpture to mesoscutum, but finer and much shallower; scutellum dorsally with very fine, polygonally reticulate sculpture that is a much deeper than sculpture on mesoscutum, slightly longitudinally elongate, more strongly so laterally, extreme side and apex completely smooth and shiny; visible part of mesoscutum about 2.0X as broad as long; scutellum about 1.1X as broad as long; hind femur about 4.0X as long as broad; mid basitarsus with 2 ventral pegs; mid tibial spur slightly longer than basitarsus; fore wing with venation and setation as in Figs 239, 243; propodeum medially about 0.06X as long as scutellum. Relative measurements: FWL 74.5, FWW 34.5; HWL 47.5, HWW 11.

Gaster with hypopygium reaching about 0.7X to apex; last tergite about 0.7X as long as mid tibia, with apex broadly rounded; ovipositor hidden. Relative measurements: OL 34, GL 8.5 [MT 44].

Variation. Only holotype examined.

Male. Unknown.

DISTRIBUTION. Costa Rica.

HOSTS. Unknown.

MATERIAL EXAMINED.

Type material. Holotype E: COSTA RICA, San José, San Gerardo de Dota, El Manantial , 9°34’N 83°48’W, 2250m, 18-20.ii.2010 (J.S. Noyes) . Holotype in NHMUK .

COMMENTS. Coccidencyrtus jacintha is very close to fescus , and apart from the colour of the mid tibia (see key) the two species differ in the relative width of the scape, distribution of linear sensilla on the funicle and the relative length of the clava. In jacintha the scape is about 2.5X as long as broad, linear sensilla are present on F3 and the clava is only about as long F3-F6 combined, whereas in fescus the scape is about 3.5X as long as broad, linear sensilla are absent from F3 and the clava is about as long as the funicle.