Mendisa, 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 : 666-667

Genus MENDISA gen.nov.

Type species: Mendisa gaia sp.nov. Gender feminine.

Female. Length about 1.3mm.

Body robust, generally dark with a weak to moderate metallic sheen; funicle with pale and dark segments; dorsum of thorax with dark setae; legs generally dark with pale areas; wings hyaline with a small infuscate area below marginal vein; propodeum dark with a weak metallic sheen, side more strongly metallic, some silvery setae near spiracle; gaster dark with a metallic sheen.

Head in profile about 1.7X as high as deep, anteriorly fairly evenly curved from occipital margin to top of scrobes, more curved at top of scrobes and virtually straight to mouth margin, interantennal prominence hardly protuberant; occipital margin strongly carinate; frontovertex about two-fifths head width and with slightly irregular, polygonally reticulate sculpture and sparse, shallow piliferous punctures; ocelli forming a slightly obtuse angle; temple and gena with shallow, longitudinally elongate, polygonally reticulate sculpture; eye virtually reaching occipital margin, naked; scrobes shallow, ∩ -shaped; antenna attached below lower eye margin, slightly closer to mouth; scape strongly broadened and flattened, less than 2X as long as broad, about 0.6X as long as head width; funicle segments slightly longer than broad, gradually becoming slightly broader distally, linear sensilla only on distal segments; clava shorter than funicle, 3-segmented, sutures subparallel, sensory area slightly enlarged, hardly extending along ventral surface giving clava a very slightly obliquely truncate appearance; malar sulcus absent; mouth about 0.4X head width, clypeal margin very slightly convex medially; mandible tridentate, upper tooth vestigial and broadly truncate; palp formula 4-3.

Thorax with pronotum very short; mesoscutum without notaular lines; scutellum with similar sculpture to mesoscutum, but very slightly deeper, extreme apex and side completely smooth; mid tibial spur about as long as basitarsus; fore wing fully developed; about 2.4X as long as broad; costal cell with only 1 line of setae ventrally and a line of setae dorsally in apical half or so; submarginal vein with an apical hyaline break; marginal vein about 3X as long as broad, about as long as stigmal vein and about 2X as long as postmarginal vein; linea calva open; filum spinosum present, consisting of a line of about 4 stouter setae; posterior margin of mesopleuron not reaching level with posterior margin of propodeum, falling short by distance equivalent to about half diameter of propodeal spiracle; propodeum short, with some shallow, irregular sculpture, without a posterolateral tooth behind spiracle; about 10 setae near spiracle, not extending towards hind coxa.

Gaster with hypopygium not reaching apex; paratergites absent; syntergum shorter than mid tibia, apex rounded; ovipositor slightly exserted; ovipositor longer than mid tibia, second valvifer with a subapical seta, proximal part broadly C-shaped; hypopygium W-shaped, mid anterior process short, lateral arms quite long, posterior margin with a moderately deep invagination.

Male. Unknown.

DISTRIBUTION. Known only from Costa Rica, but likely to be more widespread in the Neotropics.

HOSTS. Unknown.

COMMENTS. Mendisa may be close to Dalek and similar genera (e.g. Hebynthus , Alkonia , Raquanus , etc.) that may form a monophyletic group, along with Caldencyrtus (see comments under Alkonia , p. 708). It can be separated from other genera in this group by having the scape less than 3X as long as broad, the funicle with dark and pale segments, all longer than broad, the clava shorter than the funicle with a very weakly oblique, truncate apex, the mouth more than one-third head width, the hypopygium W-shaped and the ovipositor longer than the mid tibia.