Cheiloneurus feritas, 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 : 347-349

Cheiloneurus feritas sp.nov.

( Figs 866-870; Hab. E 127)

DIAGNOSIS. Female (length about 1.9mm): head and thorax mostly orange to pale orange-brown, mesoscutum, propodeum and gaster dark brown, darker areas with a weak to moderate metallic sheen; antenna ( Fig. 866) with scape mostly white, margins largely brown; pedicel mostly dark brown; flagellum dark brown; mesoscutum with dense silvery setae in posterior three-quarters; coxae white, mid coxa brown dorsally; legs mostly white to pale orange with dark brown areas on tibiae and femora; fore wing ( Fig. 867) mostly infuscate, basal cell mostly hyaline, a small hyaline area at apex of venation, a pale area opposite and apex paler; head ( Fig. 869) about 4.5X as wide as frontovertex, in facial view very clearly broader than long, subcircular to subrectangular, genae evenly and weakly curved, converging, more curved inwards near mouth; frontovertex with four setae medially between anterior ocellus and scrobes; eye separated from scrobe by about diameter of anterior ocellus, area between eye and scrobe smooth and shiny; scrobes deep, sharply margined, weakly so medially, carinate below eye, interantennal prominence with about 40 inconspicuous setae, dorsally rounded, without a median ridge; mandible tridentate; antenna ( Fig. 866) with scape about 3.0X as long as broad; funicle with F1-F3 slightly longer than broad, F4-F6 quadrate or transverse; clava 3-segmented, slightly longer than F4-F6 combined; sensory area enlarged, extending ventrally about 0.3X length of clava, apex obliquely truncate; head width nearly as much as flagellum length; mesoscutum ( Fig. 868) with fairly regular, fine, coarse polygonally reticulate sculpture; scutellum with a distinct, apical tuft of setae; wings fully developed, fore wing ( Fig. 867) about 2.9-3.1X as long as broad; parastigma slightly downcurved; costal cell dorsally with one or two setae at apex, ventrally with an almost complete line of setae which is partially interrupted above parastigma; area below proximal part of parastigma with a group of about 15 stronger setae and another distad of this of about 25 finer setae; apices of postmarginal and stigmal veins connected by a naked hyaline area that continues someway into disc ( Fig. 867); apical bristle of postmarginal vein about 0.6X as long as marginal vein; mid tibial spur about as long as basitarsus; propodeum with about ten inconspicuous setae adjacent to spiracle, side naked; syntergum about as long as mid tibia with apex angular; ovipositor ( Fig. 870) about 3.6X gonostylus or about 2.0X as long as mid tibia; gonostylus about 1.7X as long mid tibial spur; exserted part of ovipositor about 1.1X as long as mid tibial spur. Male: unknown.

Female (holotype): length, including ovipositor, 1.93mm; excluding ovipositor, 1.70mm (CPD).

Head generally orange-brown; occiput, scrobes, lower part of interantennal prominence and posterior part of gena pale orange; mouth margin brown below torulus, this connected to a weaker brown arc across lower part of interantennal prominence; occiput with a dark brown triangular mark above foramen; area between occipital margin and anterior ocellus with a violet sheen, laterally metallic green; frontovertex in front of anterior ocellus with a weak brassy sheen; area between eye and scrobe shining metallic green, blue-green and purple; temple and upper gena with a metallic green sheen, mixed coppery posteriorly and ventrally; lower gena with a weaker purple, coppery and brassy sheen; upper interantennal prominence with a purple and green sheen, lower part of interantennal prominence with a weak brassy and purple sheen; area below torulus with a distinct green, brassy and coppery sheen, this continued as a less distinct arc across lower part of interantennal prominence; frontovertex clothed with inconspicuous, pale brown setae, these continued as a line below eye and scattered on gena; interantennal prominence with moderately dense, translucent pale brown setae; antenna ( Fig. 866) with radicle pale orange proximally, but mostly dark brown; scape largely white but with ventral margin broadly dark brown to about 0.75X along its length, base completely dark brown, dorsal margin orange with apex dark brown; pedicel mainly dark brown, but paler orange-brown dorsally; flagellum dark brown; maxillary palpus white, terminal segment very pale orange; pronotum medially orange-brown with weak coppery and brassy reflections, laterally orange, side brown with a green and purple sheen; propleuron dark brown with a green and purple sheen, anteriorly pale orange; prosternum dark brown, pale orange posteriorly; mesoscutum dark brown with very weak brassy reflections, mainly clothed in conspicuous, dense silvery setae, anterior one-quarter with slightly less dense, dark brown setae; tegula slightly dusky pale orange with apex dark orange-brown with a weak purple sheen; axilla orange with weak purple reflections and with a few black and golden brown setae; scutellum orange with weak purple reflections and golden brown setae, subapical tuft black; metanotum dark brown; mesopleuron orange-brown, with a moderate coppery, blue, green brassy and purple sheen; mesosternum dark brown; fore coxa white; fore femur mostly white, apex and margins dark brown, tibia white at extreme base, broadly dark brown medially, apex slightly dusky pale orange, tarsus slightly dusky pale orange; mid coxa brown dorsally, white ventrally; mid femur white with an incomplete subapical dark brown ring on inner surface and dorsal margin, tibia dark brown at extreme base, white subbasally otherwise very pale orange with an incomplete, subbasal dark brown ring continued as a dark brown streak externally for most of tibia length, spur and tarsus very pale orange; hind coxa white, hind femur white proximally, middle one-third and apex brown with an external, subapical orange area, tibia white at base, otherwise dark brown, tarsus very pale orange, almost white; fore wing ( Fig. 867) mostly infuscate, largely hyaline towards base, submarginal vein pale orange otherwise venation brown; propodeum dark brown, medially with a coppery and brassy sheen, laterally with coppery purple and metallic green patches, side relatively dull blue-green, blue and purple, about 8 silvery setae in a line outside spiracle; gaster mainly dark brown with a slight brassy and purple sheen, syntergum slightly paler and orange-brown, Gt1 and Gt2 dorsally mixed relatively strongly coppery, green, purple and blue, sides of Gt3-Gt5 with a relatively strong green and blue-green sheen with coppery and purple reflections, sternites with coppery, blue, green, purple and brassy reflections; gonostylus very pale yellow, virtually white,

apex slightly dusky.

Head (Fig, 869) in facial view about 4.5X as wide as frontovertex with gena rounded and converging, in profile about 1.4X as high as deep, frontovertex slightly angled level with posterior ocelli, then weakly and evenly curved to top of scrobes, strongly angled at top of scrobes towards mouth margin, with interantennal prominence slightly protuberant; occipital margin sharp, weakly carinate; a short, shallow, groove present on eye margin behind ocellus; ocelli forming an angle of about 65°; frontovertex with shallow, polygonally reticulate sculpture of mesh size generally subequal to diameter of eye facet; area immediately above scrobes with relatively deep, coarse, transversely elongate, polygonally reticulate to imbricate-reticulate sculpture, area outside this between eye and scrobe completely smooth and shiny; temple and upper gena very shiny with shallow, longitudinally elongate imbricate-reticulate to strigose sculpture, lower gena with similar sculpture to that on temple but less shiny; scrobes smooth; interantennal prominence virtually smooth but with fine, shallow, polygonally reticulate sculpture; narrowest part between eye and scrobal margin about as wide as diameter of anterior ocellus, scrobes deep, meeting dorsally, sharply margined, weakly so dorsally, but carinate below eye, very broadly ∩-shaped, interantennal prominence dorsally broadly rounded, without a median ridge; antenna as in Fig. 866; scape broadened and flattened, broadest about middle or slightly above, about 3X as long as broad; funicle with F1-F3 very slightly longer than broad, F4 quadrate, F5-F6 transverse, segments clearly larger and wider distally; clava hardly broadened, a little longer than F4-F6 combined, sensory area slightly enlarged, extending about 0.25X along ventral surface, giving it a weakly oblique, truncate appearance; eye not quite reaching occipital margin, separated by about 1.5X diameter of facet, with extremely short, inconspicuous setae, each much shorter than diameter of facet; inner eye margins weakly diverging in front of anterior ocellus, narrowest part of frontovertex a little in front of anterior ocellus; malar sulcus absent; clypeal margin medially weakly emarginate; mandible with 3 acute teeth, upper tooth slightly shorter; apical segment of maxillary palpus not enlarged, hardly longer than radicle. Relative measurements: HW 93, HH 86, FV 20.5, POL 10.5, OOL 0.5, OCL 15, AOL 12, EL 66, EW 50.5, MS 35, SL 45, SW 15.

Thorax ( Fig. 868) with pronotum hardly exposed behind head and about 0.5X as long as mesoscutum; pronotum with shallow, imbricate-reticulate to polygonally reticulate sculpture that is of similar depth to that in ocellar area; mesoscutum with fairly regular, fine, coarse, polygonally reticulate sculpture that is clearly a little deeper than that on pronotum; axilla and scutellum with polygonally reticulate sculpture that is slightly coarser than that on mesoscutum but of similar depth; visible part of mesoscutum about 1.6X as broad as long; scutellum about as broad as long, with a distinct subapical tuft, setae mostly about 0.8X as long as scutellum; hind femur about 4X as long as broad; fore wing with venation and setation as in Fig. 867; costal cell naked dorsally at apex; apices of postmarginal and stigmal veins connected by a distinct, naked, hyaline streak; mid tibia without an external carina; propodeum ( Fig. 868) medially about 0.23X as long as scutellum and smooth. Relative measurements: FWL 90, FWW 28; HWL 81, HWW 18.5.

Gaster with hypopygium reaching about 0.4X to apex; syntergum about as long as mid tibia, with apex angular; ovipositor exserted, the exserted part about 1.1X as long as mid tibial spur or 0.35X as long as mid tibia.

Paratype. Funicle with linear sensilla present only on F3-F6; gaster without “gland-like” structures on Gt1 or Gt5; ovipositor Fig. 870. Relative measurements: OL 81, GL 22.5 [MT 41].

Variation. Females vary in overall length from 1.87-1.93mm, the dark areas below toruli may be connected by a dark brown arc with a distinct metallic green sheen and the fore wing varies from about 2.9-3.1X as long as broad.

Male. Unknown.

DISTRIBUTION. Costa Rica.

HOSTS. Unknown.

MATERIAL EXAMINED.

Type material. Holotype E: COSTA RICA, Guanacaste, Maritza ( ACG), LN 327000 373600, 700m, ii.1996 (Noyes) . Paratypes: COSTA RICA, 1E, Guanacaste, Valle Miravalles , Est. Cabro Muco, LN 299769 411243, 1100m, #74012, 4.vii.2003 (J.D. Gutierrez, et al.) . Holotype in MZUCR, paratype in NHMUK .

COMMENTS. Cheiloneurus feritas and argos are essentially of similar appearance to leda and the three species may be close because all have a relatively long, apically broad syntergum and similarly exserted ovipositor. However, both argos and feritas differ from leda in having the head relatively deeper, in profile about 1.4X as high as deep whereas in leda it is about 1.5X as high as deep. They also differ from leda in having the flagellum uniform dark brown, the scape not more than 3X as long as broad and the fore wing not more than 3.1X as long as broad, whereas in leda the funicle is mostly white or pale yellow, the scape is at least about 3.5X as long as broad and the fore wing is about 3.6X as long as broad.

See also comments under argos (p. 346) and horocles (p. 366).