Cheiloneurus varus, 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 : 319-321

Cheiloneurus varus sp.nov.

( Figs 792-798)

DIAGNOSIS. Female (length about 1.5mm): body generally dark brown, anterior part of scutellum and mesopleuron orange-brown, darker areas with a weak to moderate metallic sheen; antenna ( Fig. 792) with scape mostly white with dorsal and ventral margins largely brown; pedicel and flagellum dark brown; mesoscutum with silvery setae in posterior half or so; fore and hind coxae white, mid coxa dark brown; legs mostly orange-brown to dark brown, fore and mid femora partially white; fore wing mostly infuscate with basal cell mostly hyaline, a small hyaline area at apex of venation; head ( Fig. 796) about 3.7X as wide as frontovertex, in facial view very slightly broader than long, subcircular, genae evenly curved and converging, more curved inwards near mouth; frontovertex with about 25 setae medially between anterior ocellus and scrobes; eye separated from scrobe by about 1.5X diameter of anterior ocellus, area between eye and scrobe smooth; scrobes deep, sharply margined, carinate below eye, interantennal prominence with about 20 inconspicuous setae, dorsally broadly rounded, without a median ridge; mandible with three acute teeth; antenna ( Fig. 792) with scape about 4.7X as long as broad; F1-F3 slightly longer than broad or quadrate; F4-F6 transverse; linear sensilla on F3-F6; clava 3-segmented, nearly as long as F4-F6 combined; sensory area enlarged, extending ventrally about 0.4X length of clava, apex obliquely truncate; head width greater than flagellum length; mesoscutum ( Fig. 797) mostly with longitudinally elongate sculpture, but medially sculpture of more rounded cells; scutellum with a distinct, apical tuft of setae; wings fully developed, fore wing ( Fig. 798) about 2.3X long as broad; parastigma hardly downcurved; costal cell dorsally naked but for five or six apical setae, ventrally with a complete line of setae; area below proximal part of parastigma with a group of about two to five setae; apices of postmarginal and stigmal veins connected by a naked hyaline area that continues a little way into disc ( Fig. 795); apical bristle of postmarginal vein about 0.6X as long as marginal vein; mid tibial spur very slightly longer than basitarsus; propodeum ( Fig. 797) with about seven inconspicuous setae adjacent to spiracle, side naked; syntergum about 0.8X as long as mid tibia with apex broadly truncate; ovipositor ( Fig. 794) about 4.7X gonostylus or about 0.8X as long as mid tibia; gonostylus about 0.6X as long mid tibial spur; ovipositor not exserted. Male: unknown.

Female (holotype): length, 1.50mm ( CPD) .

Head mainly dark brown, scrobes orange-brown; carinate part of occipital margin dark metallic blue; area between occipital margin and posterior ocelli purple, a dark blue line between posterior ocelli; anterior part of frontovertex with a watery, pale blue and dark blue metallic sheen mixed brassy with inner eye margins purple; area above scrobes with a duller sheen; area between eye and scrobe with a brassy, pale green and purple sheen, this area delimited laterally by a metallic purple and blue line; temple and upper gena with a distinct green and brassy sheen, posteriorly coppery, lower gena similar but duller and more coppery; scrobes with a weak brassy sheen; interantennal prominence dorsally with a weak, metallic green sheen, below this purplish; frontovertex clothed with conspicuous, pale brown setae, these continued as a line below eye; gena and interantennal prominence with relatively short, pale brown setae; antenna ( Fig. 792) with radicle mostly pale orange, apex narrowly dark brown; scape mostly white, ventral margin dark brown from base to about 0.6X along its length, inner surface more extensively dark brown, dorsal margin brown to dark brown in apical half; pedicel and flagellum dark brown; maxillary palpus with two proximal segments virtually white, penultimate segment orange, terminal segment dark brown; pronotum mostly dark brown, with weak, metallic green and purple reflections; propleuron dark brown; prosternum orange, dark brown anteriorly; mesoscutum dark brown, virtually matt, but medially and near posterior margin with a few purple and blue reflections, posterolaterally mixed with a hint of orange, anterior half to three-fifths clothed in dark brown setae, posterior part clothed with silvery setae of similar density; tegula brown with a weak purple and brassy sheen; axilla dark brown, mixed with a hint of orange, with a few weak, metallic blue reflections; scutellum orange-brown in anterior half with a few very weak metallic blue and purple reflections, posterior half dark brown with a hint of orange, clothed with black setae, subapical tuft black; metanotum dark brown; mesopleuron orange-brown, anteriorly with a weak green, brassy and coppery sheen, posteriorly with a coppery, purple, green and brassy sheen; fore coxa white; fore femur white proximally, apical two-thirds brown to dark brown, tibia dark brown, tarsus brown; mid coxa dark brown; mid femur white in proximal half and ventrally nearly to apex, dorsal margin dark brown in apical half or so, apex dark brown, tibia dark brown with apex pale orange, tibial spur pale orange, tarsus very pale yellow, virtually white; hind coxa white; hind femur dark brown with a subapical orange patch ventrally, tibia dark brown, tarsus white, pretarsus dark brown; fore wing ( Fig. 798) mostly infuscate, largely hyaline towards base, venation pale brown; propodeum dark brown, metallic coppery purple laterally, blue-green on side, a line of about 6 translucent, white setae outside spiracle; gaster dark brown, mostly with a brassy and purple with green reflections, Gt1-Gt2 slightly coppery and darker, Gt3-Gt5 laterally with distinct coppery and green reflections; gonostylus pale orange.

Head ( Fig. 796) in facial view about 3.7X as wide as frontovertex with gena rounded and converging, in profile about 1.6X as high as deep, frontovertex slightly angled level with posterior ocelli, then weakly and evenly curved to top of scrobes, slightly angled towards mouth margin and virtually straight from top of scrobes to mouth margin, interantennal prominence clearly protuberant; occipital margin sharp, carinate; ocelli forming an angle of about 75°; frontovertex ( Fig. 796) unusually setose with at least 7 pairs of long, conspicuous setae in front of anterior ocellus in addition to those along eye margins, area behind posterior ocelli virtually smooth but with very shallow, irregular, reticulate sculpture, without a short, narrow, groove adjacent to eye margin slightly behind posterior ocellus; frontovertex otherwise relatively shiny, virtually smooth; area above scrobes with fairly coarse transversely elongate, imbricate-reticulate sculpture; area between eye and scrobe completely smooth and shiny; temple and upper gena smooth and shiny, posterior part of temple with very shallow, longitudinally elongate sculpture, lower gena with shallow, longitudinally elongate, polygonally reticulate sculpture; scrobes smooth; upper part of interantennal prominence smooth, otherwise mostly with very shallow, fairly regular, polygonally reticulate to imbricate-reticulate sculpture; narrowest part between eye and scrobal margin about 1.5X as wide as diameter of anterior ocellus, smooth; scrobes deep, meeting dorsally, sharply margined, carinate below eye, very broadly ∩-shaped, interantennal prominence dorsally broadly rounded, without a median ridge; antenna as in Fig. 792; scape broadened and flattened, broadest slightly below middle, about 4.7X as long as broad; flagellum strongly clavate, F1-F2 slightly longer than broad, F3 subquadrate, F4-F6 transverse, segments clearly wider distally; linear sensilla present only on F3-F6; clava hardly broader than F6, nearly as long as F4-F6 combined, sensory area slightly enlarged, extending about 0.4X along ventral surface, giving it a slightly obliquely truncate appearance; eye not reaching occipital margin, separated by about diameter of facet, conspicuously setose with setae clearly longer than diameter of facet; inner eye margins converging slightly in front of anterior ocellus, narrowest point just above scrobes; malar sulcus absent; clypeal margin medially weakly convex; mandible with three acute teeth, upper tooth very short; apical segment of maxillary palpus not enlarged, hardly longer than radicle. Relative measurements: HW 99, HH 97.5, FV 27, POL 12.5, OOL 1.5, OCL 8, AOL 11.5, EL 59, EW 47.5, MS 48, SL 47, SW 10.

Thorax ( Fig. 797) with pronotum hardly exposed behind head and about 0.6X as long as mesoscutum; pronotum with shallow, fairly regular, fine imbricate-reticulate to polygonally reticulate sculpture; mesoscutum with very fine, polygonally reticulate sculpture that is slightly deeper than that on pronotum, sculpture mostly distinctly longitudinally elongate, but medially mostly regular, polygonally reticulate; axilla and scutellum with polygonally reticulate sculpture that is conspicuously deeper and coarser than that on mesoscutum and more elongate on sides of scutellum; visible part of mesoscutum about 2.3X as broad as long; scutellum about 1.1X as broad as long, with a distinct subapical tuft, setae mostly about 0.7X as long as scutellum; hind femur about 4.7X as long as broad; fore wing with venation and setation as in Figs 795, 798; costal cell with 5 or 6 setae dorsally at apex; apices of postmarginal and stigmal veins connected by a distinct, naked, hyaline streak; mid tibia with an external carina in proximal half or so; propodeum medially about 0.25X as long as scutellum and virtually smooth, but with some irregular polygonally reticulate sculpture along anterior margin laterally. Relative measurements: FWL 88, FWW 37.5; HWL 79, HWW.

Gaster without “gland-like” structures on Gt1 or Gt5; hypopygium ( Fig. 793) reaching about 0.5X to apex; syntergum about 0.75X as long as mid tibia, with apex broadly truncate; ovipositor ( Fig. 794) not exserted. Relative measurements: OL 30.5, GL 6.5 [MT 40.5].

Variation. Only holotype examined.

Male. Unknown.

DISTRIBUTION. Costa Rica.

HOSTS. Unknown.

MATERIAL EXAMINED.

Type material. Holotype E: COSTA RICA, Puntarenas, PN Corcovado, Est. Los Patos, Send. a Sirena, LS 514200 276500, 100m, #58151, viii.2001 (J.A. Azofeifa) . Holotype in NHMUK .

COMMENTS. Cheiloneurus varus can be distinguished from all other similar species ( nigrescens , amadeus , medusa , seius , grimus , oshtan , etc.) by the relatively hairy frontovertex. In varus there are at least about 24 setae medially (excluding those along eye margins) between the anterior ocellus and the top of the scrobes. In all other similar species, there are not more than 4 or 5 setae. In addition, there are also about 6 setae dorsally at the apex of the costal cell, whereas in other similar species there are generally 3 or fewer.

Of the extralimital species, Cheiloneurus loretanus De Santis (1972:60) may run here. It is likely that the species differ in the number and density of the setae on the frontovertex as outlined above, but this cannot be verified from the remains of the holotype (digital image examined; MLP). On the other hand, Cheiloneurus loretanus also differs from varus in having the tegula, axilla and scutellum orange and F5 and F6 virtually quadrate whereas in varus the tegula, axilla and scutellum are generally dark brown and F5 and F6 are clearly transverse (see also comments under oshtan ). The fore wing of loretanus is also relatively narrower (about 2.6X as long as broad, whereas in varus it is less than 2.4X as long as broad) and the pattern of light and dark areas in loretanus is much more pronounced than in varus (fore wing almost uniformly infuscate in its apical two-thirds).