Dalek carme, 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 : 640-642

Dalek carme sp.nov.

(Figs 1748-1754; Hab. E 259)

DIAGNOSIS. Female (length about 1.3-1.8mm): scape (Fig. 1749) dark brown with apex orange; mesoscutum dull, metallic, dark green; all coxae dark brown; clypeal margin (Fig. 1752) with a very short, truncate, median lobe; OOL slightly less than OCL; antenna (Fig. 1749) with scape about 4.5X as long as broad; funicle with F1 smallest, remaining segments subequal, all about 1.5X as long as broad; linear sensilla on all segments; mesoscutum with shallower sculpture than on scutellum (Fig. 1753); sculpture on scutellum extending to side and apex; mid tibial spur longer than basitarsus; fore wing (Fig. 1750) about 2.4X as long as broad; propodeum with about 20 setae around spiracle; apex of syntergum broadly truncate; ovipositor (Fig. 1754) shorter than mid tibia, exserted part about 0.2X as long as mid tibial spur; gonostylus shorter than mid tibial spur. Male: unknown.

Female (holotype): length, including ovipositor, 1.77mm; excluding ovipositor, 1.73mm (CPD).

Head generally black with a coppery sheen; ocellar and scrobal areas dull, metallic dark green; temple metallic green near eye; frontovertex, gena and interantennal prominence with inconspicuous, brown setae; antenna (Fig. 1749) with radicle dark orange-brown; scape mostly dark brown, apical 0.3X pale orange; pedicel dark brown, pale orange ventrally and at extreme apex; flagellum brown, F2-F6 mixed pale orange ventrally; maxillary palpus white, terminal segments very pale orange; thorax generally dark brown to black; pronotum with a moderate coppery purple and dark green sheen; mesoscutum with a dull metallic dark green sheen mixed coppery purple, more strongly coppery purple posteriorly, posterior margin narrowly coppery purple; tegula dark brown with a coppery purple sheen; axilla dark purple-brown with a coppery purple sheen; scutellum relatively bright metallic blue-green and dark green, mixed with some coppery purple medially and towards base, extreme apex with a coppery and dark blue sheen; mesoscutum clothed with fairly conspicuous, translucent, pale brown setae, scutellum with slightly 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 apices pale orange, tibia and tarsus pale orange, apical tarsomere slightly dusky; mid femur off-white in proximal 0.2X, apical 0.2X pale orange, otherwise dark brown, tibia dusky pale orange with a broad, brown, subbasal ring extending to about 0.6X, spur and tarsus pale orange; hind femur dark brown, extreme apices pale orange, tibia mostly dark brown with extreme base and apex pale orange-brown, tarsus dusky pale orange, apical tarsomere brown; wings mostly hyaline, but fore wing (Fig. 1750) with a small, weak, infuscate area immediately below marginal and stigmal veins, and generally extremely weakly infuscate below submarginal vein and adjacent to anterior wing margin; propodeum dark brown, with a weak purple and brassy sheen, side with a dull metallic green, brassy and coppery sheen with about 20 conspicuous, translucent, silvery setae outside spiracle, extending towards posterior margin but not towards hind coxa; gaster dark brown, with a distinct coppery purple sheen, dorsal anterior part of Gt1 with a distinct, blue-green sheen, side of gaster with a mixed metallic green, brassy and coppery sheen; gonostylus dark brown.

Head (Fig. 1752) about 2.4X as wide as frontovertex, in profile about 1.7X as high as deep; occipital margin sharp, carinate; frontovertex with irregular, fairly deep, polygonal sculpture, in ocellar area of mesh size smaller than eye facet, subequal in front of anterior ocellus; ocelli forming an angle of about 100°; frontovertex with piliferous punctures shallow and indistinct, about 4 pairs of setae 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 and gena with shallow to moderately deep, longitudinally elongate, polygonally reticulate sculpture of relatively large mesh, area immediately below eye completely smooth; eye nearly reaching occipital margin, separated by less than 0.5X diameter of facet, clothed with fairly conspicuous setae, each about as long as diameter of facet, separated from scrobal margin by very slightly less than diameter of ocellus, area between eye and scrobe partly with shallow, transversely elongate, polygonally reticulate sculpture; scrobes shallow, more or less ∩-shaped, meeting dorsally, very weakly margined dorsally and laterally; interantennal prominence shallow, dorsally rounded; antenna as in Fig. 1749; scape slightly broadened and flattened, about 4.5X as long as broad, dorsal margin straight; funicle segments subequal in length, all clearly longer than broad, becoming slightly broader distad, linear sensilla on all segments; clava hardly enlarged, about 1.2X as wide as F6, a little shorter than F4-F6 combined, outer suture not oblique, sensory area not enlarged, at apex only giving it a rounded or slightly pointed appearance; malar sulcus present dorsally but very shallow and inconspicuous; clypeal margin with a very short, truncate median lobe; mandible with two acute teeth and a truncate, broad, upper tooth. Relative measurements: HW 84, HH 76.5, FV 35, POL 15.5, OOL 4.5, OCL 5, AOL 9.5, EL 49, EW 36, MS 26, SL 36, SW 8.

Thorax (Fig. 1753) 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; mesoscutum with slightly irregular, polygonally reticulate sculpture that is similar to that on pronotum, of conspicuously smaller mesh posteriorly; axilla with transversely elongate, polygonally reticulate to imbricate-reticulate sculpture that is of similar depth to that on posterior part of mesoscutum; scutellum dorsally convex, mostly with similar sculpture to that on posterior part of mesoscutum, but clearly coarser, much deeper, slightly longitudinally elongate and more or less arranged in whorls, especially laterally, sculpture continued on to side and almost to apex, but clearly shallower; visible part of mesoscutum about 1.6X as broad as long; scutellum nearly 1.1X as long as broad, apex not flange-like; fore wing with venation and distribution of setae as in Figs 1748, 1750; costal cell with a single line of setae dorsally in apical 0.5X or so; mid tibial spur clearly longer than basitarsus; propodeum (Fig. 1753) medially about 0.14X as long as scutellum, virtually smooth, side posteriorly sharp above hind coxa, but not carinate, with a small, triangular tooth a little above half way towards spiracle. Relative measurements: FWL 98, FWW 40.5; HWL 63, HWW 17.

Gaster with hypopygium reaching about 0.8X to apex; syntergum about 0.5X as long as mid tibia, with apex broadly truncate; ovipositor hardly exserted, the exserted part about 0.2X as long as mid tibial spur or less than 0.1X as long as mid tibia.

Paratype. Hypopygium Fig, 1751; ovipositor Fig. 1754. Relative measurements: OL 76, GL 21 [MT 95, MTS 32].

Variation. Females vary in overall length from 1.34-1.77mm, the ovipositor may be completely hidden, otherwise very little variation noted in material available.

Male. Unknown.

DISTRIBUTION. Costa Rica.

HOSTS. Unknown.

MATERIAL EXAMINED.

Type material. Holotype E: COSTA RICA, Puntarenas, Est. Altamira, Send. a Casa Coca, LS 331750 574400, 1700m, #61431, 15.i-14.ii.2001 ( D. Rubí ) . Paratypes: COSTA RICA, 1E, Puntarenas, Est.Altamira, Send. Los Gigantes, LS 331800 572100, 1460m, #62097, 13.ii-15.ii.2001 ( D. Rubí ); 1E, Puntarenas, San Vito, Est. Las Alturas, 1500m, i.1992 (P. Hanson) . Holotype in MZUCR, paratypes in NHMUK .

COMMENTS. Dalek carme is very similar to ananke , both species having a similar antenna, general colouration, scutellum with sculpture extending to the apex and propodeum without a carina above the hind coxa. In carme F2-F6 are mixed pale orange ventrally, the mesoscutum is dull, metallic dark green, the scape is about 4.5X as long as broad, linear sensilla are present on F1, the syntergum is only about half as long as the mid tibia with a truncate apex and the ovipositor is shorter than the mid tibia and hidden or hardly exserted. In ananke the funicle is unicolourous dark brown; the mesoscutum is bright metallic dark green or blue-green, the scape is about 3.3X as long as broad, linear sensilla are absent from F1, the syntergum is about 0.8X as long as the mid tibia with an acute apex and the ovipositor is longer than the mid tibia and clearly exserted with the exserted part at least about 0.5X as long as the mid tibial spur.