Cheiloneurus fautrix, 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 : 422-425

Cheiloneurus fautrix sp.nov.

(Figs 1080-1084; Hab. E 157)

DIAGNOSIS. Female (length about 1.0- 1.5mm): body mostly orange with some dark brown to black areas with a weak to moderate metallic sheen on head and gaster; posterior half of mesoscutum slightly darker than anterior half; mouth margin brown or with only a brown spot below each torulus; temple and gena with a diagonal, brown streak; antenna (Fig. 1081) with scape mostly pale orange with ventral margin brown; pedicel pale orange with a dark brown longitudinal streak; funicle generally brown mixed orange; clava dark brown; posterior half of mesoscutum with dense silvery setae; coxae white; legs mostly white to pale orange with brown areas; fore wing (Fig. 1083)mostly infuscate with basal cell almost completely hyaline, a small hyaline area at apex of venation and an opposite hyaline area on posterior wing margin, apex with a subtriangular hyaline area; head (Fig. 1082) about 5X as wide as frontovertex, in facial view slightly broader than long, subcircular with genae converging and fairly uniformly curved; frontovertex with two or three setae medially above scrobes; eye separated from scrobe by a little less than diameter of anterior ocellus, area between eye and scrobe completely smooth, scrobal margin mostly rounded but moderately sharp below eye; interantennal prominence with about 10 inconspicuous setae and with a dorsal, median ridge; mandible with one tooth and a broad, slightly concave truncation; antenna (Fig. 1081) with scape about 2.5X as long as broad; funicle segments quadrate to transverse; head width about the same as flagellum length; linear sensilla on F3-F6; clava 3-segmented, slightly longer than F4-F6 combined; sensory area enlarged and forming an oblique truncation, extending about 0.2X along ventral margin; mesoscutum (Fig. 1080) anteriorly with coarse, longitudinally elongate lineolate-reticulate sculpture; scutellum with a distinct, apical tuft of setae; wings fully developed; fore wing (Fig. 1083) about 2.4X as long as broad; parastigma strongly downcurved; costal cell with one or two setae at apex and a complete line of setae ventrally; area below proximal part of parastigma with a line of about 10 pale setae that curves towards base of wing along cubital vein track, one or two setae outside this; apices of postmarginal and stigmal veins connected by a naked hyaline area that clearly extends further into disc as a curved line; apical bristle of postmarginal vein about 0.5X as long as marginal vein; mid tibial spur about as long as basitarsus; propodeum with up to about 5 setae adjacent to spiracle, side naked; syntergum about 0.8X as long as mid tibia; ovipositor about 3.6X gonostylus or hardly shorter than mid tibia; gonostylus slightly shorter than mid tibial spur; ovipositor not exserted. Male: unknown.

Female (holotype): length, including ovipositor, 1.48mm; excluding ovipositor, 1.37mm (CPD).

Head mostly pale orange; occiput with a dark brown, triangular mark above foramen; frontovertex with a weak blue and purple sheen; temple and upper gena with a weak pale blue and brassy sheen, lower gena and area between eye and scrobe with a weak purple sheen; scrobal area with a very weak pale blue, purple and brassy sheen; lower face with a median, curved, brown, submarginal line subparallel to mouth margin extending laterally to below torulus; temple with an oblique brown streak extending a little more than half-way from occipital margin behind eye towards torulus; frontovertex clothed with inconspicuous, pale brown setae; maxillary palpus white; antenna (Fig. 1081) with radicle pale orange, apex narrowly ringed brown; scape pale orange, narrowly margined brown ventrally; pedicel mostly pale orange with a dark brown streak internally along its length; F1-F2 brown slightly mixed pale orange, F3-F5 pale orange mixed brown, F6 brown, inconspicuously mixed pale orange, clava dark brown; pronotum mostly orange, neck marked brownish; mesoscutum orange, posterior half or so with a weak metallic purple sheen and slightly dusky laterally, posterior margin weakly purple-brown with a weak purple sheen, anterior half of mesoscutum clothed in relatively sparse dark brown setae, posterior half clothed in relatively dense, translucent, silvery setae mixed with one or two dark brown setae; tegula orange with apex orange-brown; axilla and scutellum orange, axilla clothed with brown setae, scutellum clothed mostly with brown setae, anterior setae paler, subapical tuft black; metanotum pale orange; mesopleuron pale orange, brown in posterior one-third, anteriorly with a weak brassy and purple sheen, posteriorly with a weak purple sheen; fore coxa white; fore femur concolourous with coxa basally, apex pale orange, tibia and tarsus pale orange; mid coxa white; mid leg otherwise coloured similarly to fore leg, except that mid tibia is dorsally margined dark brown for some of its length; hind coxa white, femur concolourous at base, but mostly pale orange, knee brown, tibia and tarsus pale orange; fore wing (Fig. 1083) mostly infuscate, hyaline towards base and at apex; venation yellow-brown; propodeum pale orange, laterally and on side with a weak metallic pale blue and purple sheen, 1 or 2 pale brown setae anterior to spiracle; gaster pale orange with 2 basal tergites dorsally dark brown with a moderate metallic green, blue, coppery and brassy sheen, remainder of gaster with a much weaker purple, green and brassy sheen, apex of syntergum and apex of outer plate of ovipositor brown; gonostylus very pale orange.

Head (Fig. 1082) about 5X as wide as frontovertex, in profile about 1.5X as high as deep, anteriorly quite straight below top of scrobes, interantennal prominence hardly protuberant level with torulus; occipital margin sharp, not carinate; ocelli forming an angle of about 50°; frontovertex quite shiny, with very shallow, fairly regular, polygonally reticulate sculpture of mesh slightly smaller than diameter of eye facet; area between eye and scrobe completely smooth; scrobes shallow, Λ-shaped and mostly roundly margined externally, but moderately sharp below eye; interantennal prominence with a dorsal, median ridge that connects to frontovertex and narrowly separates the scrobes; temple and posterior gena virtually smooth, with very shallow, irregular, elongate sculpture, anterior part of gena with slightly deeper, irregular, reticulate sculpture; antenna as in Fig. 1081; scape broadened and flattened, about 2.5X as long as broad; funicle with F1 and F2 subequal and subquadrate, a little smaller than F3, remaining segments quadrate to slightly transverse, distal segments broadest and largest; clava slightly broadened, a little longer than F4- F6 combined, sutures hardly oblique, sensory area enlarged, but extending ventrally only about 0.2X along clava, giving it a slightly obliquely truncate appearance; eye very slightly overreaching occipital margin, clothed in fairly conspicuous, but short setae each much shorter than diameter of facet; inner eye margins weakly converging anteriorly, but diverging a little way above scrobes; malar sulcus absent; clypeal margin concave medially with very inconspicuous, shallow, narrow bilateral lobes; mandible with 1 acute tooth and a broad, slightly concave truncation, appearing virtually tridentate; apical segment of maxillary palpus not enlarged, about as long as radicle. Relative measurements: HW 57 HH 53, FV 11.5, POL 4, OOL 0, OCL 4.5, AOL 6, EL 39, EW 30, MS 25, SL 26, SW 9.

Thorax (Fig. 1080) with irregular, polygonally reticulate sculpture on pronotum that is a little deeper than that on frontovertex; mesoscutum in posterior third with polygonally reticulate sculpture that is hardly deeper than that on frontovertex, anterior two-thirds with moderately fine, deeper, longitudinally elongate lineolate-reticulate sculpture; axilla and scutellum mostly with, polygonally reticulate sculpture that is conspicuously deeper and coarser than that on frontovertex, that on scutellum more longitudinally elongate; visible part of mesoscutum about 1.7X as broad as long; scutellum hardly broader than long with a distinct subapical tuft, setae mostly about 0.4X as long as scutellum; hind femur about 3.7X as long as broad; fore wing with venation and setation as in Figs 1083, 1084; costal cell with 1 or 2 dorsal setae at apex; apices of postmarginal and stigmal veins connected by a distinct, naked, hyaline streak (Fig. 1084); mid tibia with an indistinct, longitudinal, subbasal carina externally for about 0.25X its length; propodeum (Fig. 1080) with only 1 or 2 inconspicuous seta near spiracle, side completely smooth, medially about 0.14X as long as scutellum and with very shallow, irregular sculpture, virtually smooth. Relative measurements: FWL 55, FWW 22.5; HWL 44, HWW 12.

Gaster with hypopygium reaching slightly more than half-way to apex; syntergum about 0.8X as long as mid tibia, with apex narrowly rounded; ovipositor not exserted.

Paratype. Funicle with linear sensilla present only on F3-F6; gaster without “gland-like” structures on Gt1 or Gt5. Relative measurements: OL 29, GL 8 [MT 30].

Variation. Females vary in overall length from 0.97-1.48mm, the brown line above the mouth margin may be more or less absent, limited to a brown spot below each torulus, the ventral margin of the scape may be almost completely pale orange or more widely brown than in the holotype, F3 might be hardly larger than F2 and there may be up to 5 setae surrounding the propodeal spiracle.

Male. Unknown.

DISTRIBUTION. Costa Rica.

HOSTS. Unknown.

MATERIAL EXAMINED.

Type material. Holotype E: COSTA RICA, Puntarenas, Golfo Dulce , 24km W Piedras Blancas, 200m, ix-xi.1989 (P. Hanson) . Paratypes: COSTA RICA, 1E, Guanacaste, Maritza ( ACG), 700m, MT/YPT, 20.i- 24.ii.1996 (J.S. Noyes); 1E , Alajuela, PN Arenal, La Peninsula , 10°27’N 84°40’W, 600m, 25.ii.2003 (J.S. Noyes); 1E , Heredia, 10km W Puerto Viejo, La Selva Verde , 3.iii.1991 (A.E.H. Howden); 1E, Heredia, Est .

Biol. La Selva, 10°25’N 84°01’W, canopy fog Meliosoma vernicosa, FOT /44/01-40, 8.i.2000 (INBio-OET); 1E, Heredia, Estacion Biologica La Selva, 10°26’N 84°01’W, 22-24.ii.2012 (J.S. Noyes); 1E, Heredia, Estacion Biologica La Selva, 10°26’N 84°01’W, 26-27.ii.2015 (J.S. Noyes); 1E, Puntarenas, Pen. Osa , 8km S. R. Rincon, Coopermarti, xii.1990 (A. Retama); 2E, Puntarenas, 10km W Golfo Dulce, xii.1989 - iii.1990 (Hanson, Gauld); 1E, Puntarenas, RF Golfo Dulce, 5km W Piedras Blancas, 8°46’N 83°17’W, 100m, viii.1992 (P. Hanson); 5E, Puntarenas, RF Golfo Dulce, 24km W Piedras Blancas, 8°46’N 83°24’W, 200m, various dates xii.1990 - iii.1992 (P. Hanson); 1E, Puntarenas, Pen Osa , Puerto Jimenez, 8°32’N 83°19’W, xii.1990 (P. Hanson); 1E, Puntarenas, Pen Osa , Puerto Jimenez, 8°32’N 83°21’W, 10m, x-xi.1991 (P. Hanson); 1E, Puntarenas, Golfito, Est. Agujas, La Tigrilla, LS 523600 274500, 600m, #61191, xi-xii.2000 (J. Azofeifa); 1E, Puntarenas, PN Corcovado, Est. Sirena, 50m, x-xi.1990 (P. Hanson); 1E, Limón, Res. Biol. Hitoy Cerere, 9°40’N 83°02’W, 100m, 22-23.ii.2010 (J.S. Noyes). Holotype in MZUCR, paratypes in NHMUK, MZUCR and CNC.

COMMENTS. Cheiloneurus fautrix can be characterised by the lack of a distinct dark brown band and virtual lack of a metallic sheen on the posterior half of the mesoscutum. Other similar, largely orange, species ( diaces , letos , inimicus , etc.) have a dark brown band on the posterior half of the mesoscutum that is distinctly metallic).

See also comments under lexovus (p. 431)