Protyndarichoides hephaestus, 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 : 546-548

Protyndarichoides hephaestus sp.nov.

(Figs 1386-1388; Hab. E 201)

DIAGNOSIS. Female (length about 0.8-1.1mm): funicle pale orange, clava brown; thorax brown to dark brown with a weak to moderate metallic sheen; fore and hind coxae white, mid coxa dark brown; gaster brown; gonostylus brown; antenna (Fig. 1386) with clava 2-segmented; head slightly broader than high; F1 smaller than F3; linear sensilla on F3-F6; mesoscutum (Fig. 1388) with longitudinally striate to striate-reticulate sculpture that is conspicuously deeper than sculpture on scutellum; scutellum with shallow reticulate sculpture in anterior half, posterior half completely smooth; propodeum (Fig. 1388) with 3 or 4 brown setae in a line outside spiracle. Male: unknown.

Female (holotype): length 1.05mm (CPD).

Head mainly dark brown; area between occipital margin and posterior ocelli with a coppery-purple sheen, area between posterior ocelli and top of scrobes generally with a weak green and coppery-purple sheen, area immediately above scrobes, scrobal area, temple and gena with a distinctly coppery-purple sheen; frontovertex, gena and interantennal prominence with moderately conspicuous, long brown setae; radicle pale orange with side dark brown; scape pale orange; pedicel and funicle pale orange, pedicel slightly dusky proximally; clava brown; maxillary palpus white; pronotum black, mainly with a coppery-purple sheen, but with some mixed coppery and blue; propleuron and prosternum dark brown; anterior part of mesoscutum dark brown with a weak brassy sheen, posterior two-thirds or so virtually completely matt black with a few brassy reflections along posterior margin; tegula dark brown with a slight brassy and coppery sheen; axilla black with a weak coppery-purple sheen; scutellum dark brown, anterior two-thirds with a weak mixed blue and coppery-purple sheen, posterior one-third and side with a stronger blue-green, brassy, and coppery sheen; dorsum of thorax clothed with dark brown setae; metanotum dark purple-brown with a weak brassy sheen; mesopleuron dark brown with a weak brassy and purple sheen; mesosternum dark brown; fore coxa white, fore leg otherwise very pale orange; mid coxa dark brown; mid femur white proximally, apically pale orange, mid tibia with extreme base white and a narrow, external, dark brown, subbasal streak in proximal half, otherwise mid leg pale orange; hind coxa white; hind femur proximally white, medially pale orange and apex brown, hind tibia with extreme base white and a narrow, subbasal brown band, otherwise hind leg pale orange; wings hyaline; propodeum dark brown with a weak brassy sheen, 3 or 4 inconspicuous brown setae in a line outside spiracle; gaster dark brown with brassy, purple and blue-green reflections; gonostylus brown.

Head about 2.2X as wide as frontovertex, in profile about 1.4X as high as deep, anteriorly weakly curved from occipital margin to top of scrobes, slightly angled at top of scrobes and more or less straight to mouth margin, interantennal prominence hardly protuberant; occipital margin not carinate; ocelli forming an angle of about 105°; frontovertex shiny, with shallow polygonally reticulate to imbricate-reticulate sculpture of mesh size generally subequal to eye facet; frontovertex with piliferous punctures shallow and indistinct, 3 pairs of setae in front of anterior ocellus, a line of sparse setae along inner eye margin continued along lower eye margin; temple and gena a little more shiny than frontovertex, with very shallow longitudinally elongate, strigose to striate-reticulate sculpture; eye slightly overreaching occipital margin, with conspicuous pale setae that are a little longer than diameter of facet, eye separated from scrobal margin by about diameter of ocellus, area between eye and scrobe with very shallow, transversely elongate, polygonally reticulate sculpture; scrobes meeting, virtually smooth, weakly margined dorsally and laterally; interantennal prominence weak, dorsally rounded, sculpture on interantennal prominence much shallower and finer than that on frontovertex; antenna as in Fig. 1386; scape hardly broadened, about 4.4X as long as broad; F1-F5 slightly longer than broad, F6 quadrate, F1 subequal to F2 and slightly smaller than F3-F6, segments broader distad; clava 2-segmented, hardly broadened, about 1.2X as wide as F6, slightly shorter than F3-F6 combined, sutures slightly oblique, sensory area enlarged, extending ventrally about 0.33X length of clava, apex strongly obliquely truncate; clypeal margin emarginate medially. Relative measurements: HW 53, HH 46, FV 24, POL 11.5, OOL 2.5, OCL 2.5, AOL 7, EL 31.5, EW 27, MS 19, SL 24, SW 5.5.

Thorax (Fig. 1388) with imbricate-reticulate to polygonally reticulate sculpture on pronotum that is slightly deeper than that on frontovertex; mesoscutum with anterior median one-third quite shiny, with relatively shallow, polygonally reticulate to imbricate sculpture, slightly longitudinally elongate posteriorly and laterally, posterior two-thirds and side of mesoscutum virtually matt with longitudinally elongate, polygonally reticulate to strigose sculpture that is clearly deeper than that on anterior part and on pronotum; axilla with polygonally reticulate sculpture that is about as deep as that on frontovertex; scutellum slightly convex, anterior median half with very shallow, polygonally reticulate sculpture that is about as deep as that on frontovertex, apex and side completely smooth and shiny; visible part of mesoscutum about 2.3X as broad as long; scutellum about as long as broad; fore wing with venation and distribution of setae as in Fig. 1387; propodeum (Fig. 1388) medially about 0.14X as long as scutellum and with some very shallow, irregular sculpture medially. Relative measurements: FWL 53.5, FWW 22.5; HWL 38, HWW 9.

Gaster with hypopygium reaching about 0.9X along gaster; syntergum about 0.7X as long as broad and about 0.7X as long as mid tibia, with apex broadly rounded, virtually truncate; ovipositor not exserted.

Paratype. Funicle with linear sensilla present only on F3-F6; hypopygium about as long as broad, anterior margin shallowly concave. Relative measurements: OL 23, GS 4 [MT 40.5].

Variation. Females vary in overall length from 0.77-1.05mm, the hind tibia may be largely dark brown with the hind tarsus brown, F1 and F2 may be quadrate, and the mesoscutum may have the shiny, anterior part hidden under the pronotum and thus may appear to be completely matt with elongate sculpture.

Male. Unknown.

DISTRIBUTION. Costa Rica.

HOSTS. Unknown.

MATERIAL EXAMINED.

Type material. Holotype E: COSTA RICA, Puntarenas, RF Golfo Dulce , 3km SW Rincon, 10m, i.1993 (P. Hanson) . Paratypes: COSTA RICA, 2E, Cartago, [ Turrialba ], CATIE, 700m, MT/YPT, 14-15.iii.1990 (J.S. Noyes); 1E , Puntarenas, Golfo Dulce, 24km W Piedras Blancas, vi-viii.1989 (Hanson, Gauld ); 1E, Puntarenas, Golfo Dulce , 3km SW Rincon, vi-viii.1989 (P. Hanson); 1E, Puntarenas, Pen. Osa , 5km W Puerto Jimenez, 8°33’N 83°21’W, 10m, vi.1992 (P. Hanson); 3E, Puntarenas, PN Corcovado, Los Patos, 8°33’N 83°30’W, 200m, ii.2000 and 1-9.iii.2000 (J.S. Noyes, J.A.Azofeifa) . Holotype in MZUCR, paratypes in NHMUK .

COMMENTS. Of the Costa Rica species, Protyndarichoides hephaestus is most similar to damocles but can be separated using the characters given in the key (see p. 537).