Dalek cyclos, 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 : 656-658

Dalek cyclos sp.nov.

(Figs 1800-1808; Hab. E 269, G 270)

DIAGNOSIS. Female (length about 1.5-2.0mm): scape (Fig. 1808) dark brown; mesoscutum relatively bright metallic blue-green or dark green; all coxae dark brown; clypeal margin (Fig. 1803) with a very short, truncate, median lobe; OOL slightly greater than OCL; antenna (Fig. 1808) with scape about 3.6X as long as broad; funicle segments with F1-F5 slightly longer than broad, F6 quadrate, linear sensilla on all segments; mesoscutum with sculpture shallower than on scutellum (Fig, 1804); side and apex of scutellum completely smooth and shiny; mid tibial spur shorter than basitarsus; fore wing (Fig. 1805) about 2.5X as long as broad; propodeum with about 15 setae around spiracle; apex of syntergum rounded; ovipositor longer than mid tibia, exserted part nearly as long as mid tibial spur; gonostylus longer than mid tibial spur. Male (length about 1.3-1.6mm): generally very similar to female but for slightly wider frontovertex, higher placement of antenna and structure of antenna (Fig. 1807) and genitalia (Fig. 1800).

Female (holotype): length, including ovipositor, 1.63mm; excluding ovipositor, 1.53mm (CPD).

Head generally black with a distinct coppery sheen; ocellar area metallic dark green and brassy; frontovertex, gena and interantennal prominence with inconspicuous, brown setae; antenna (Fig. 1808) dark brown; maxillary palpus white to very pale yellow; thorax generally dark brown to black, pronotum with a moderate coppery purple sheen mixed brassy with some violet and coppery reflections; mesoscutum relatively bright metallic blue-green, mixed dark green, posterior 0.4X or so slightly coppery; tegula dark brown with a weak coppery purple sheen; axilla dark purple-brown with a slight coppery sheen; scutellum similarly coloured to mesoscutum with scattered coppery reflections and coppery medially towards apex, apical 0.3X and side strongly shining brassy, blue-green and green; mesoscutum clothed with fairly conspicuous, translucent, pale brown setae, scutellum with less conspicuous dark brown setae; metanotum dark purple-brown; mesopleuron very dark brown, with a brassy sheen mixed with some coppery purple; mesosternum dark brown; all coxae dark brown; fore femur dark brown with extreme base and apex dusky pale orange, tibia mostly dark brown medially with apices pale orange, tarsus orange-brown, apical tarsomere brown; mid femur with proximal 0.4X pale yellow, extreme apex pale orange otherwise dark brown, tibia pale orange-brown at base, otherwise dark brown with extreme apex dark orange-brown, spur yellow, tarsus pale orange-brown, apical tarsomere brown; hind femur dark brown, extreme base pale orange, tibia dark brown with extreme base pale orange, tarsus dark brown; wings mostly hyaline, but fore wing (Figs 1805, 1806) weakly infuscate below marginal and stigmal veins; propodeum dark brown, with a weak purple and brassy sheen, side mainly with a metallic dark green sheen with about 15 conspicuous, translucent, silvery setae outside spiracle, extending part of the way down side of propodeum and towards posterior margin; gaster dark brown, with a distinct coppery purple sheen, dorsal part of Gt1 with a distinct dark blue and green sheen mixed violet, side of gaster with a mixed metallic green, brassy and coppery sheen; gonostylus dark brown.

Head (Fig. 1803) about 2.1X as wide as frontovertex, in profile about 1.6X as high as deep; occipital margin sharp, strongly carinate; ocelli forming an angle of about 100°; frontovertex with irregular, shallow, polygonal sculpture, in ocellar area of mesh size smaller than eye facet, generally subequal or conspicuously larger in front of anterior ocellus; frontovertex with piliferous punctures shallow and indistinct, 2 in front of anterior ocellus, a line of sparse setae along inner eye margin continued along lower eye margin on to gena; interantennal prominence with a few inconspicuous setae; temple completely smooth adjacent to eye, otherwise with extremely shallow, longitudinally elongate, polygonally reticulate sculpture of relatively large mesh; gena mostly quite smooth but posteriorly with similar sculpture to temple but of smaller mesh; eye virtually reaching occipital margin, separated by less than 0.5X diameter of facet, clothed with very inconspicuous setae, each much shorter than diameter of facet, separated from scrobal margin by very slightly less than diameter of ocellus, area between eye and scrobe partly with transversely elongate, polygonally reticulate sculpture, completely smooth towards gena; scrobes shallow, more or less ∩-shaped, meeting dorsally, very weakly margined dorsally and laterally; interantennal prominence shallow, dorsally acute, nearly meeting frontovertex; antenna as in Fig. 1808; scape clearly broadened and flattened, about 3.6X as long as broad, dorsal margin straight; funicle with F1-F5 slightly longer than broad, becoming broader and larger distad, F6 quadrate, linear sensilla on all funicle segments; clava hardly enlarged, about 1.1X as wide as F6 and about as long as F4-F6 combined, outer suture very slightly oblique, sensory area slightly enlarged, but hardly extending along ventral surface giving apex a weakly truncate or rounded appearance; malar sulcus absent; clypeal margin with a very short, broad, virtually truncate median lobe; mandible with two acute teeth and a broadly truncate upper tooth. Relative measurements: HW 78.5, HH 70, FV 37.5, POL 16, OOL 5.5, OCL 4.5, AOL 8.5, EL 43, EW 32.5, MS 27.5, SL 39.5, SW 11.

Thorax (Fig. 1804) in dorsal view with pronotum clearly visible behind head, its posterior margin concave, with polygonally reticulate sculpture that is generally similar to that on anterior part of frontovertex but conspicuously deeper; mesoscutum with slightly irregular, polygonally reticulate sculpture that is similar to that on pronotum but of smaller mesh and posteriorly a little deeper and coarser; axilla with transversely elongate, polygonally reticulate to imbricate-reticulate sculpture that is very slightly shallower than that on posterior part of mesoscutum; scutellum dorsally convex, in proximal 0.7X or so with similar sculpture to that on posterior part of mesoscutum, but clearly coarser, of smaller mesh and deeper, apical 0.3X completely smooth and shiny, this smooth area extending slightly more anteriorly in middle; visible part of mesoscutum about 1.5X as broad as long; scutellum about 1.1X as long as broad, apex not flange-like; fore wing with venation and distribution of setae as in Figs 1805, 1806; costal cell with a single line of setae dorsally in apical 0.5X or so; mid tibial spur shorter than basitarsus; propodeum (Fig. 1804) medially about 0.19X as long as scutellum, with 6 longitudinal carinae medially and some shallow, irregular sculpture; side clearly carinate posteriorly above hind coxa, this ending in a short, broad, truncate tooth a little way behind spiracle. Relative measurements: FWL 107, FWW 43; HWL 70, HWW 18.5.

Gaster with hypopygium reaching about 0.9X to apex; syntergum about 0.7X as long as mid tibia, with apex rounded; ovipositor clearly exserted, the exserted part very nearly as long as mid tibial spur or 0.2X as long as mid tibia.

Paratype. Hypopygium Fig 1801; ovipositor Fig. 1802. Relative measurements: OL 54.5, GL 14.5 [MT 35.5, MTS 9].

Variation. Females vary in overall length from 1.48-2.01mm, OOL may be subequal to OCL, the funicle segments may be relatively slender with F2 about 2X as long as broad and F6 slightly longer than broad and the ovipositor may be hardly exserted.

Male: length 1.29-1.55mm.

Generally very similar to female but for slightly wider frontovertex, higher placement of antenna and structure of antenna and genitalia. Frontovertex about 0.5X head width; antenna as in Fig. 1807; antennal torulus about 2X its own length from mouth margin, its lower margin slightly below level of lower eye margin; phallobase (Fig. 1800) with digiti each about 1.5X as long as broad, with a single apical tooth and a shorter, outer seta; apex of aedeagus acute. Relative measurements: HW 71, FV 39, MT 67, AL 35.

DISTRIBUTION. Costa Rica.

HOSTS. Unknown.

MATERIAL EXAMINED.

Type material. Holotype E: COSTA RICA, San José, Cerro de la Muerte , 20km S Empalme, 2800m, vi. vii.1989 (P. Hanson) . Paratypes: COSTA RICA, 2E, Heredia, 6km ENE Vara Blanca , 10°11’N 84°07’W, 2000m, 20/M/NOTN, iv.2002 (INBio-OET-ALAS); 1E, Heredia, Est. Las Esperanza, 2500m, 24.iii.2002 (M. Gates); 5E, 3G , San José, Cerro de la Muerte, 20km S Empalme , 2800m, various dates iii.1989 - iv.1990 (P. Hanson); 3E , San José, 19km S Empalme, Mirador Quetzal , 9°29’N 83°52’W, 2600m, i.2000, ii.2000 and v.2000 (P. Hanson); 1E , San José, Hwy 2, km 93, 83°44’W, 9°36’N, 3200m, 3-13.iv.1985 (H. Goulet, L. Masner); 2E , San José, Hwy 2, km 95, 83°45’W, 9°36’N, 3200m, 3-13.iv.1985 (H. Goulet, L. Masner); 2E , San José, RF Rio Macho, Est. Ojo de Agua , LS 396500 482060, 3000m, 13-26.i.1997 (B. Gamboa, M. Segura); 1E , Cartago, 20km S El Empalme , iii-vi.1990 (P. Hanson) . Holotype in MZUCR, paratypes in MZUCR, USNM and NHMUK .