Psyllaephagus korus, 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 : 601-602

Psyllaephagus korus sp.nov.

(Figs 1599-1602)

DIAGNOSIS. Female (length about 1.8mm): antenna with scape mostly dark brown; flagellum dark brown; tegula mostly black with base pale orange-brown; mid femur mostly dark brown; hind tibia pale orange; head (Fig. 1601) about 2.6X as wide as frontovertex and about 2.4X as wide as mouth opening; ocelli forming an angle of about 100°, posterior ocellus very slightly closer to eye than to occipital margin; frontovertex with piliferous punctures shallow, distinct and a little larger than eye facet, separated by at least about their own diameters; clypeal margin convex and protuberant; antenna (Fig. 1601) with scape nearly 4X as long as broad and slightly shorter than minimum width of frontovertex; pedicel very slightly longer than F1, all funicle segments a little longer than broad, but F6 subquadrate, linear sensilla present on F2-F6, segments of clava subequal in length, but becoming progressively shorter towards apex which is rounded; mandible with one tooth and a broad truncation; mesoscutum about as shiny as scutellum; scutellum with similar sculpture to mesoscutum but very slightly more longitudinally elongate; scutellum convex; fore wing (Fig. 1602) about 2.4X as long as broad; costal cell with one line of setae dorsally; marginal vein (Fig. 1600) about 1.2X as long as broad; linea calva partially closed; gaster without a distinct, strongly reticulate anteromedian area on Gt3; ovipositor nearly 2X as long as mid tibia and exserted, with exserted part about 0.5X as long as mid tibia; second valvifer with about 12 subapical setae. Male: unknown.

Female (holotype): length, including ovipositor, 1.83mm; excluding ovipositor, 1.77mm ( CPD) .

Head with frontovertex coppery, mixed metallic blue-green along inner eye margins and ocellar area; scrobal area violet; temple and gena violet, mixed metallic blue-green; mouth margin blue-green; setae on frontovertex, interantennal prominence and gena brown; antenna with radicle dark brown; antenna (Fig. 1599) with scape with proximal 0.7X dark brown with a slight blue and purple sheen, apex pale orange; pedicel dark brown with extreme apex and venter pale orange; flagellum dark brown; thorax generally dark brown to black; pronotum with a mixed copper, purple, blue-green and green sheen; mesoscutum shining, metallic dark blue and dark green, mixed violet anteriorly; tegula pale orange-brown at extreme base, otherwise black with a distinct, mixed coppery, purple and dark blue sheen; axilla with a weak violet and slightly brassy sheen; scutellum metallic dark blue and green mixed violet medially and with some coppery and brassy reflections; metanotum with a slight coppery purple lustre; mesopleuron with a slight metallic dark green lustre, mixed brassy with some coppery purple posteriorly; all coxae dark brown with a slight violet, dark blue and green sheen; all femora dark brown with apices pale orange; fore tibia pale orange with a small, subbasal brown spot externally, tarsus slightly dusky pale orange; mid tibia pale orange with a small, weak, dusky area subbasally, spur and tarsus pale orange; hind tibia pale orange, tarsus dusky pale orange, brownish dorsally; wings (Fig. 1602) hyaline; propodeum dark purple-brown, generally with a slight copper and dark green sheen, side with a metallic blue-green sheen and with a few translucent, pale brown setae outside spiracle; gaster dark brown, dorsally mainly with a coppery purple sheen, Gt1 with a strong metallic dark blue sheen, mixed violet medially, syntergum mixed metallic dark green, side largely metallic green, blue-green blue and copper, venter mainly with a coppery purple sheen with some purple, green, blue and brassy reflections; gonostylus dark brown.

Head (Fig. 1601) about 2.6X as wide as frontovertex and about 2.4X as wide as mouth opening, in profile about 1.9X as high as deep, evenly curved from occipital margin to top of scrobes and then fairly straight to mouth margin, with interantennal prominence not protuberant; occipital margin more or less acute, not carinate; ocelli forming an angle of about 100°; frontovertex with fairly regular, moderately deep, polygonally reticulate sculpture of mesh size subequal to eye facet, piliferous punctures shallow, distinct and a little larger than eye facet, separated by at least about their own diameters; frontovertex with 7 or 8 pairs of setae in front of anterior ocellus, a line of sparse setae along inner eye margin continued along lower eye margin to gena; temple and gena with longitudinally elongate, polygonally reticulate sculpture; eye reaching occipital margin, with conspicuous, pale setae, each much longer than diameter of facet; scrobes shallow, narrowly ∩-shaped, meeting, weakly margined dorsally and laterally, with similar polygonally reticulate sculpture to frontovertex; interantennal prominence weak, narrowly rounded dorsally, with similar polygonally reticulate sculpture to frontovertex; antenna as in Fig. 1599; scape slightly broadened and flattened, widest above middle, nearly 4X as long as broad; all funicle segments longer than broad, larger and broader distad with F6 subquadrate, linear sensilla present only on F2-F6; clava slightly shorter than F4-F6 combined, sensory area at apex only; malar sulcus absent; clypeal margin slightly, but clearly protuberant medially as a narrow flange; mandible with one tooth and a broad truncation. Relative measurements: HW 104, HH 88, FV 40, POL 20.5, OOL 4.5, OCL 5, AOL 11.5, EL 58, EW 44, MS 23, SL 38, SW 10.

Thorax in dorsal view with pronotum short, largely hidden by head, dorsally with slightly irregular, moderately deep, polygonally reticulate sculpture that is about as deep as sculpture on frontovertex; mesoscutum with polygonally reticulate sculpture that is similar to that on frontovertex; axilla with similar sculpture to mesoscutum but slightly shallower and a little more transversely elongate; scutellum with generally similar sculpture to that on mesoscutum but a little more longitudinally elongate, especially laterally; visible part of mesoscutum about 1.5X as broad as long; scutellum about as long as broad; fore wing with venation and distribution of setae as in Figs 1600, 1602, costal cell with only one line of submarginal setae dorsally; propodeum medially about 0.13X as long as scutellum, with some shallow, irregular, reticulate sculpture. Relative measurements: FWL 112, FWW 46; HWL 75, HWW 22.5.

Gaster with hypopygium reaching about 0.7X to apex; Gt3 without strongly reticulate anteromedian area; syntergum about 0.8X as long as mid tibia, with apex angular, slightly acute; ovipositor slightly exserted, the exserted part about 0.5X as long as mid tibial spur or 0.1X mid tibia; second valvifer with about 12 subapical setae. Relative measurements: OL 87.5, GL 20 [MT 45].

Variation. Only holotype examined.

Male. Unknown.

DISTRIBUTION. Costa Rica.

HOSTS. The holotype was reared from a leaf gall of Hemitrioza Crawford ( Hemiptera : Triozidae ) on Sideroxylon stenospermum (Standl.) T.D.Penn ( Ericales : Sapotaceae ).

MATERIAL EXAMINED.

Type material. Holotype E: COSTA RICA, Alajuela, Zarcero , 200m [error for approx. 1700m], ex psyllid gall on Sideroxylon stenospermum , iii.1997 (P. Hanson) . Holotype in NHMUK .

COMMENTS. Psyllaephagus korus is similar to gyces and tyche , all three species having a protuberant clypeal margin; 1 line of dorsal setae on costal cell and the linea clava partially closed. Apart from the characters given in the key, it can be separated from the two other species by lacking linear sensilla on F1, the mouth being more than 0.4X head width, the mandible has 1 tooth and a broad truncation, the mesoscutum is shining dark blue and green and similar to the dark blue scutellum and the gaster lacks a distinct, strongly reticulate anteromedian area on Gt3. In both gyces and tyche all funicle segments have linear sensilla, the mouth is narrower than 0.4X head width and the mandible has 2 teeth and a truncation. In gyces both the mesoscutum and scutellum are dull metallic green and in tyche the mesoscutum is bright metallic blue contrasting with the relatively dull coppery scutellum and Gt3 of the gaster has a strongly reticulate area anteromedially. See also comments under kallichoa (p. 592)