Cheiloneurus orbona, 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 : 420-422

Cheiloneurus orbona sp.nov.

(Figs 1074-1079; Hab. E 156)

DIAGNOSIS. Female (length about 1.3-1.7mm): body mostly white to orange with a very weak to metallic sheen, temple and gena with an elongate dark brown stripe, mouth margin dark brown, base of gaster dark brown, darker areas with a stronger metallic sheen; antenna (Fig. 1075) with scape pale orange, ventral margin dark brown; pedicel pale orange with a dark brown streak; funicle brown, mixed orange; clava dark brown; posterior half of mesoscutum with moderately dense silvery setae; coxae white; legs otherwise white to pale orange with some brown on mid leg; fore wing mostly infuscate with basal cell mostly hyaline, a small hyaline area at apex of venation, another opposite and apex with a triangular hyaline area; head about 10-20X as wide as frontovertex, in facial view very slightly longer than broad, subcircular with genae converging slightly curved but more strongly curved inwards near mouth; frontovertex with about 4 inconspicuous setae medially between anterior ocellus and scrobes; eye separated from scrobe by about 1.4X diameter of anterior ocellus, area between eye and scrobe smooth; scrobes shallow, sharply margined in part; interantennal prominence with about 20 inconspicuous setae and dorsally rounded; mandible virtually tridentate; antenna (Fig. 1075) with scape about 3.5X as long as broad; funicle segments usually clearly longer than broad, F6 sometimes subquadrate; linear sensilla on F4-F6; clava 3-segmented, about as long as F3-F6 combined; sensory area enlarged, extending ventrally about 0.4X length of clava, apex obliquely truncate; head width slightly less than flagellum length; mesoscutum (Fig. 1079) in anterior half and laterally with longitudinally elongate, striate reticulate sculpture, posterior half with polygonally reticulate sculpture; scutellum with a distinct, apical tuft of setae; wings fully developed, fore wing (Fig. 1077) about 2.6X as long as broad; parastigma clearly downcurved; costal cell dorsally with a single apical seta, ventrally with a line of setae that is narrowly interrupted above parastigma; area below proximal part of parastigma with a line of four to six setae that connects with another, less distinct, line directed towards base of wing; apices of postmarginal and stigmal veins connected by a naked hyaline area that continues well into disc (Fig. 1074); apical bristle of postmarginal vein nearly 0.5X as long as marginal vein; mid tibial spur slightly longer than basitarsus; propodeum with about five inconspicuous setae adjacent to spiracle, side naked; syntergum about 0.8X as long as mid tibia with apex angular; ovipositor(Fig. 1076) about 3.8X gonostylus or about 1.2X as long as mid tibia; gonostylus about as long as mid tibial spur; exserted part of ovipositor about 0.5X as long as mid tibial spur. Male: unknown.

Female (holotype): length, including ovipositor, 1.50mm; excluding ovipositor, 1.39mm ( CPD) .

Head generally pale orange; occiput with a small, triangular, brown mark above foramen; temple with an oblique brown streak reaching about half-way to torulus; mouth margin narrowly brown; frontovertex very slightly dusky with weak coppery reflections near occipital margin, otherwise with weak blue and purple reflections, more strongly purple above top of scrobes; area between eye and scrobe brassy with a very weak purple sheen; temple with a brassy sheen, gena with a much weaker brassy, mixed purple sheen; scrobal area with a weak brassy sheen; frontovertex with inconspicuous, translucent, pale brown setae along inner eye margins, a similar line below eye; interantennal prominence with a line of similar setae on each side along most of its length; maxillary palpus white; antenna (Fig. 1075) with radicle and scape pale orange, ventral margin of scape narrowly dark brown; pedicel pale orange, with a dark brown streak internally along its length; F1-F5 brown, distally mixed with some orange dorsally, F6 and clava dark brown; pronotum orange with faint brassy, blue, copper and purple reflections; prosternum very pale orange, virtually white medially; mesoscutum orange, anterior half with weak coppery and brassy reflections and clothed in relatively sparse dark brown setae, posterior half and side with a weak brassy and slightly purple sheen and clothed in more dense, translucent, silvery setae that are conspicuously more dense laterally; tegula orange, apex slightly dusky orange; axilla pale orange with weak brassy reflections; scutellum orange with a few coppery and brassy reflections, clothed with golden brown and dark brown setae, subapical tuft black; metanotum pale orange; mesopleuron white with a weak brassy lustre; fore coxa white; proximal half of fore femur white, rest of leg pale orange; mid coxa white; mid femur mostly white, apex orange, with a narrow, incomplete, brown, subapical band; mid tibia pale orange, extreme base white with a narrow, pale brown, subbasal band; mid tibial spur and tarsus pale orange; hind coxa white; extreme apex of hind femur pale brown, otherwise remainder of leg pale orange; fore wing (Fig. 1077) mostly infuscate but hyaline towards base and at apex, submarginal vein very pale orange, rest of venation pale brown; propodeum orange with a weak brassy and purple sheen, side with a weak metallic blue sheen, 4 inconspicuous silvery setae anterior to spiracle; gaster mostly pale orange with blue, green brassy and purple reflections, Gt1 dark brown with a strong metallic blue and blue-green sheen, distinctly coppery medially, Gt2 dark brown with a metallic green sheen, Gt2-Gt4 similar to Gt2 but slightly less metallic and mixed orange, Gt1-Gt4 additionally mixed coppery on side; gonostylus very pale orange, virtually white.

Head about 21X as wide as frontovertex, in profile about 1.7X as high as deep, anteriorly more or less straight from top of scrobes to mouth margin with interantennal prominence slightly protuberant; occipital margin sharp, not carinate; ocelli forming an angle of about 35°; frontovertex quite shiny, with shallow polygonally reticulate sculpture of mesh size clearly smaller than diameter of facet; narrowest point between eye and scrobe about 1.4X diameter of anterior ocellus and smooth; temple virtually smooth, with extremely shallow, irregular, elongate, sculpture; gena with slightly deeper, polygonally reticulate sculpture; scrobes quite shallow, Λ-shaped, not quite meeting, sharply margined laterally; interantennal prominence dorsally acute, with a distinct, median ridge and with relatively shallow, polygonally reticulate sculpture; antenna as in Fig. 1075; scape broadened and flattened, about 3.5X as long as broad; F1-F5 clearly slightly longer than broad, F6 subquadrate, segments larger and broader distad; clava 3-segmented, about as long as F3-F6 combined, sutures oblique, sensory area enlarged, extending ventrally about 0.4X length of clava, apex obliquely truncate; eye slightly overreaching occipital margin, clothed in moderately conspicuous, setae, each a little shorter than diameter of facet; inner eye margins strongly converging anteriorly; malar sulcus absent; clypeal margin concave medially; mandible with two acute teeth and a truncation; apical segment of maxillary palpus not enlarged, about as long as radicle. Relative measurements: HW 64, HH 66, FV 3, POL 3, OOL 0, OCL 6, AOL 7.5, EL 48, EW 37, MS 31, SL 35, SW 10.

Thorax (Fig. 1079) with pronotum hardly exposed behind head, about 0.6X as long as mesoscutum, pronotum, mesoscutum with longitudinally elongate, striate-reticulate sculpture laterally and in anterior half that is slightly deeper and coarser than that in ocellar area, posterior half with polygonally reticulate sculpture; axilla and scutellum with polygonally reticulate sculpture that is slightly deeper and coarser than that in ocellar area, more elongate laterally on scutellum; visible part of mesoscutum about 2X as broad as long; scutellum about as broad as long, with a distinct subapical tuft, setae mostly about half as long as scutellum; mid tibia with a short, indistinct external carina; hind femur about 5.5X as long as broad; fore wing with venation and setation as in Figs 1074, 1077; costal cell naked dorsally at apex; apices of postmarginal and stigmal veins connected by a naked, hyaline streak (Fig. 1074); propodeum (Fig., 1079) medially about 0.16X as long as scutellum and with some extremely shallow, polygonally reticulate sculpture, virtually smooth. Relative measurements: FWL 68, FWW 26,5; HWL 57, HWW 13.

Gaster with hypopygium reaching about 0.4X to apex; syntergum about 0.8X as long as mid tibia, with apex angular; ovipositor slightly exserted, the exserted part about 0.5X length of mid tibial spur or about 0.2X mid tibia.

Paratype. Funicle with linear sensilla present only on F4-F6; gaster without “gland-like” structures on Gt1 or Gt5; hypopygium Fig, 1078; ovipositor (Fig. 1076). Relative measurements: OL 48, GL 12.5 [MT 40].

Variation. Females vary in overall length from 1.26-1.68mm, the mid femur may be virtually lacking the subapical brown ring, smaller specimens may have the head only about 9X as wide as the frontovertex and F6 may be slightly longer than broad.

Male. Unknown.

DISTRIBUTION. Costa Rica.

HOSTS. Unknown.

MATERIAL EXAMINED.

Type material. Holotype E: COSTA RICA, Guanacaste, Maritza ( ACG), 700m, MT/YPT, 20.i-24. ii.1996 (J.S. Noyes). Paratypes: COSTA RICA, 8E, Guanacaste, same data as holotype; 1E, Guanacaste, Maritza ( ACG), 600m, LN 326900 373000, #47554, xi.1996 (C. Zuñiga); 1E, Heredia, La Selva BS, 50m, MT/YPT, 22.i-3.ii.1991 (J.S. Noyes); 2E, Puntarenas, 13km NE Dominical, RB Rio Magnolia, 9°20’N 83°47’W, 800m, 22-24.ii.2015 (J.S. Noyes); 1E, Puntarenas, Bahia Drake, Tamandua Biol. Sta. , 8°40’N 83°39’W, 89m, 16-17.ii.2015 (J.S. Noyes); 1E, Puntarenas, Golfito, Est. Agujas, LS 526550 276750, 10m (error for 300m), #57901, 21.ii.2000 (J. Azofeifa); 4E, Puntarenas, PN Corcovado, Los Patos, 8°33’N 83°30’W, 200m, ii.2000 (J.S. Noyes, J. Azofeifa); 1E, Puntarenas, Los Charcos de Osa , 8°40’N 83°30’W, 50m, 15-16.ii.2010 (J.S. Noyes); 1E, Puntarenas, PN Piedras Blancas, Est. El Bonito, 8°43’N 83°13’W, 100m, 13-14.ii.2012 (J.S. Noyes); 1E, Limón, RB Hitoy Cerere, 9°40’N 83°02’W, 100m, ii.2004 (Noyes). Holotype in MZUCR, paratypes in NHMUK, MZUCR and USNM.

COMMENTS. See comments under finator (p. 417).