Cheiloneurus zephyrus, 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 : 354-356

Cheiloneurus zephyrus sp.nov.

( Figs 884-890; Hab. E 129)

DIAGNOSIS. Female (length about 1.2-1.4mm): body mostly orange with darker areas on head, mesoscutum, propodeum and gaster, darker areas with a weak to moderate metallic sheen; antenna ( Fig. 886) with scape mostly white margined dark brown; pedicel dark brown, flagellum orange-brown to dark brown; posterior part of mesoscutum with dense silvery setae; fore and hind coxae white, mid coxa dark brown; legs mainly white, pale orange or orange-brown with areas of dark brown; fore wing ( Fig. 890) mostly infuscate with basal cell mostly hyaline, a small hyaline area at apex of venation and opposite on posterior wing margin, a very small hyaline area at apex; head ( Fig. 885) about 4.6X as wide as frontovertex, in facial view about 1.1X as long as broad, subrectangular, genae weakly converging, more strongly curved near mouth margin; frontovertex naked medially; eye separated from scrobe by about 1.2X diameter of anterior ocellus, area between eye and scrobe completely smooth, scrobal margin carinate; interantennal prominence dorsally rounded with about 30 fairly conspicuous setae; mandible with two teeth and a broad truncation; antenna ( Fig. 886) with scape about 4X as long as broad; funicle with F1-F4 longer than broad, F5-F6 quadrate or transverse; head about as wide as length of flagellum or very slightly less; linear sensilla on F2-F6; clava 3-segmented, hardly longer than F4-F6 combined; sensory area large and forming an oblique truncation, extending nearly 0.4X along ventral margin; mesoscutum ( Fig. 884) medially with fairly coarse polygonally reticulate sculpture of relatively small mesh, slightly coarser and longitudinally striate-reticulate to striate anteriorly and laterally; scutellum with a distinct apical tuft of setae; wings fully developed; fore wing ( Fig. 890) about 2.5-2.6X as long as broad; parastigma strongly downcurved; costal cell dorsally with a single seta apex and ventrally with a single line of setae that is broadly interrupted above parastigma; area below proximal part of parastigma with a group of about 30 pale setae; apices of postmarginal and stigmal veins connected by a naked hyaline area that extends a little way into disc ( Fig. 889); apical bristle of postmarginal vein about as long as marginal vein; mid tibial spur about as long as basitarsus; propodeum with about 5 setae adjacent to spiracle, side naked; syntergum very slightly shorter than mid tibia; ovipositor ( Fig. 887) about 4.8X gonostylus or 1.3X as long as mid tibia; gonostylus about 0.8X as long as mid tibial spur; exserted part of ovipositor about 0.3X as long as mid tibial spur. Male: unknown.

Female (holotype): length, including ovipositor, 1.44mm; excluding ovipositor, 1.40mm (CPD).

Head mostly orange, occiput pale orange; frontovertex with a weak blue and purple sheen, more strongly coppery and purple behind ocelli; area between eye and scrobe metallic green and brassy with coppery reflections; temple and anterior part of gena dark brown with a metallic green and brassy sheen with some purple, coppery and blue reflections; remainder of gena with weak purple, blue and brassy reflections; upper part of interantennal prominence dark brown with a metallic green sheen; frontovertex clothed with inconspicuous, pale brown setae; antenna ( Fig. 886) with radicle pale orange, apex marked brown; scape mostly white, ventral margin narrowly brown in proximal two-thirds, distal half of dorsal margin internally brown, paler proximally; pedicel and F1-F5 orange-brown, proximal funicle segments darker, F6 and clava dark brown; maxillary palpus with proximal two segments off-white, apical segments brown; thorax mostly orange; pronotum orange, neck slightly dusky; mesoscutum orange with posterior one-third or so dark brown with an indigo and purple lustre, posterior margin purple, paler anterior part with evenly distributed, relatively sparse, golden brown setae, darker posterior part with slightly more dense, silvery setae; tegula apically dark brown, basally orange; axilla and scutellum orange, clothed in golden brown to dark brown setae, subapical tuft black; metanotum orange; mesopleuron pale orange-brown, slightly darker in posterior one-third; fore coxa white; fore femur and tibia pale orange, fore tarsus pale orange-brown; mid coxa dark brown, paler distally and dorsally; mid femur white, pale orange towards apex, tibia dark brown at extreme base, with a narrow, white subbasal ring, otherwise mostly pale orange, proximally marked brown dorsally, spur pale orange, tarsus pale orange; hind coxa white; hind femur pale orange, tibia narrowly white at base, remainder orange-brown, darker proximally, tarsus very pale orange, apically brown, pretarsus brown; fore wing ( Fig. 890) mostly infuscate, hyaline towards base; venation mostly pale brown; propodeum medially orange, laterally brown with a metallic green sheen and with only 1 or 2 translucent setae outside spiracle, side metallic green; gaster pale brown with brassy, purple and green reflections, syntergum pale orange-brown; gonostylus very pale orange.

Head ( Fig. 885) in facial view about 4.5X as wide as narrowest point of frontovertex, in profile about 1.7X as high as deep, anteriorly quite straight below top of scrobes, bulging very slightly below eye at scrobal margin and interantennal prominence level with torulus; occipital margin sharp and carinate; ocelli forming an angle of about 75°; frontovertex quite shiny, with shallow, fairly regular, polygonally reticulate sculpture of mesh size subequal to diameter of eye facet; area immediately above scrobes with slightly deeper, coarser and transversely elongate sculpture; lower interantennal prominence with similar sculpture to main part frontovertex, upper interantennal prominence and scrobes completely smooth; temple and posterior gena with more irregular and longitudinally elongate sculpture than on main part of frontovertex, anterior gena with coarse, irregular, reticulate sculpture; area between eye and scrobe completely smooth; scrobes deep, meeting dorsally, sharply margined above, carinate below eye, but roundly margined outside torulus, very broadly ∩-shaped; antenna as in Fig. 886; scape hardly broadened and flattened, about 4X as long as broad; funicle with F1-F4 slightly longer than broad, F5 subquadrate, F6 transverse, segments broadest distad; clava slightly broadened, hardly longer than F4-F6 combined, sutures oblique, sensory area enlarged, extending ventrally slightly more than one-third of clava, giving it an obliquely truncate appearance; eye reaching occipital margin, virtually naked, but clothed in sparse, short setae, each clearly shorter than diameter of facet; inner eye margins clearly diverging below anterior ocellus; malar sulcus absent; clypeal margin very slightly concave; mandible with 1 tooth and a broad, slightly concave, truncation; apical segment of maxillary palpus not enlarged, about as long as radicle. Relative measurements: HW 63, HH 67, FV 13.5, OD 5, POL 6.5, OOL 0, OCL 5, AOL 6.5, EL 46, EW 32, MS 28, SL 28, SW 7.

Thorax ( Fig. 884) with irregular, polygonally reticulate sculpture on pronotum that is slightly deeper than that on frontovertex; mesoscutum with fairly regular, polygonally reticulate sculpture that is slightly deeper and finer than that on pronotum, sculpture on sides slightly longitudinally elongate; axilla and scutellum with similar sculpture to disc of mesoscutum, but perhaps a little coarser; visible part of mesoscutum about 1.9X as broad as long; scutellum very slightly broader than long with a distinct subapical tuft, setae mostly about half as long as scutellum; hind femur about 4.1X as long as broad; fore wing with venation and setation as in Figs 889, 890; costal cell naked dorsally at apex; apices of postmarginal and stigmal veins connected by a distinct, naked, hyaline streak ( Fig. 889); propodeum ( Fig. 884) with only 1 or 2 setae outside spiracle, side almost completely smooth, with some very shallow, reticulate sculpture anteriorly, medially about 0.16X as long as scutellum and smooth. Relative measurements: FWL 55, FWW 21; HWL 49, HWW 13.5.

Gaster with hypopygium reaching about half-way to apex; syntergum a little shorter than mid tibia, with apex broadly rounded; ovipositor hardly exserted, the exserted part about 0.25X as long as mid tibial spur.

Paratype. Antenna with linear sensilla present only on F2-F6; gaster without “gland-like” structures on Gt1 or Gt5; hypopygium Fig. 888; ovipositor Fig. 887. Relative measurements: OL 40.5, GL 8.5 [MT 31.5].

Variation. Females vary in overall length from 1.22-1.44mm, the fore wing varies from 2.5- 2.6X as long as broad, otherwise little variation noted in material examined.

Male. Unknown.

DISTRIBUTION. Costa Rica.

HOSTS. Unknown.

MATERIAL EXAMINED.

Type material. Holotype E: COSTA RICA, Puntarenas, PN Corcovado, Cerro Rincón , La Tigrilla, LS 274500 523600, 600m, #70847, 24.vi-31.vii.2002 J.A. Azofeifa ). Paratypes: COSTA RICA, 1E, Puntarenas, Golfito , Est. Agujas, LS 520100 275200, 782m, #66478, 6.xi-20.xii.2000 (J. Azofeifa); 1E, Puntarenas ,

Est. Agujas, Cerro Rincón, LS 521000 275500, 745m, #62419, 28.iv-26.v.2001 (J. Azofeifa). Holotype in MZUCR paratypes in NHMUK.

COMMENTS. See comments for Cheiloneurus pherus (p. 358).