Cheiloneurus herndonia, 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 : 239-240

Cheiloneurus herndonia sp.nov.

( Figs 597-600)

DIAGNOSIS. Female (length about 2.8mm): body generally dark brown to black with a weak to strong metallic sheen; axillae and scutellum orange (see Fig. 597); antenna ( Fig. 598) with scape pale orange; pedicel mostly pale orange, dorsally dark brown proximally; funicle pale orange, proximally slightly dusky; clava dark brown; mesoscutum with pale, almost silvery setae in posterior two-thirds; coxae white; hind tibiae pale orange with a pale brown subbasal ring, legs otherwise yellowish with a few indistinct brown areas; fore wing ( Fig. 600) hyaline proximally but distally generally weakly infuscate, slightly more strongly so below marginal and stigmal veins and along margin of linea calva; head about 4.2X as wide as frontovertex, in facial view about as broad as long, subcircular, genae converging, weakly and evenly curved; frontovertex with 4 or 5 setae medially below anterior ocellus; area between eye and scrobe about as wide as diameter of anterior ocellus, with shallow sculpture, scrobal margin rounded; interantennal prominence dorsally rounded with only a few long setae; mandible with two long, sharp lower teeth and a shorter, rounded, upper tooth; antenna ( Fig. 598) with scape about 4.7X as long as broad; funicle with F1 slightly longer than broad, remaining segments transverse; head width slightly less than length of flagellum; linear sensilla on F4-F6; clava 3-segmented, about as long as F2-F6 combined, sensory area large and forming an oblique truncation, extending about 0.7X along ventral margin; mesoscutum ( Fig. 597) with polygonally reticulate sculpture; scutellum with a sparse but distinct, apical tuft of setae; wings fully developed; fore wing ( Fig. 600) about 2.7X as long as broad; parastigma not curved downwards; costal cell dorsally with 8 or 9 setae forming a line in distal 0.4X and ventrally with almost two complete lines of setae; area below proximal part of parastigma with a group of about 35 setae; apices of postmarginal and stigmal veins not connected by a naked hyaline area ( Fig. 599); apical bristle of postmarginal vein about 0.25X as long as marginal vein; mid tibial spur about as long as basitarsus; propodeum ( Fig. 597) with about 35 setae around each spiracle, side naked; syntergum about 1.6X as long as mid tibia; ovipositor about 2.3X gonostylus or 2.4X mid tibia; gonostylus about 3.9X as long as mid tibial spur; exserted part of ovipositor slightly longer than mid tibial spur. Male: unknown.

Female (holotype): length, including ovipositor, 2.79mm; excluding ovipositor, 2.56mm ( CPD) .

Head black with a very weak blue and purple sheen on frontovertex, slightly coppery between posterior ocelli and occipital margin; occiput with a blue, green and purple sheen; scrobal area purple mixed blue-green, a Λ-shaped purple line between toruli; mouth margin coppery purple, medially clearly mixed orange-brown; gena and temple blue-green mixed brassy and a little coppery, especially near upper eye margin; malar sulcus indicated by a weak coppery line; frontovertex with inconspicuous dark brown setae; antenna ( Fig. 598) with radicle pale orange, mixed brown distally; scape pale orange; pedicel mostly pale orange, basal half or so dark brown dorsally; funicle pale orange, F1-F3 very slightly dusky; clava dark brown; thorax ( Fig. 597) mostly dark brown to black, axillae dark orange-brown, scutellum orange; pronotum mainly dull purple-brown, posteriorly coppery; mesoscutum with a bright metallic blue-green sheen with some strong brassy and weak coppery reflections, especially towards anterior and posterior margins, posterior margin coppery purple, setae dark brown in anterior one-third, posterior two thirds with uniform, translucent, pale brown, almost silvery setae; tegula dark brown; scutellum clothed in dark brown setae; metanotum with a slight purple sheen; mesopleuron in posterior half with a coppery-purple and brassy sheen, anterior half mixed blue, dark green, coppery and brassy, these narrowly separated by a coppery, dark blue and violet sheen; fore coxa white; fore femur white, pale orange distally with an elongate brown, subapical spot externally, fore tibia pale orange with a small brown, subbasal spot; mid coxa white; mid femur white, distally pale orange, tibia pale orange with a brown, subbasal spot; hind coxa white; hind femur white, pale orange in distal half, tibia mostly pale orange with a faint, pale brown, subbasal ring; fore tarsus pale orange-brown, mid and hind tarsi pale orange, pretarsi slightly dusky; fore wing ( Fig. 600) hyaline proximally, apical two-thirds very weakly infuscate, but slightly more strongly infuscate immediately below marginal and stigmal veins and along anterior part of linea calva; venation brown; propodeum dark purple-brown; sides metallic green with a few conspicuous silvery setae in spiracular area; gaster dark purple-brown, Gt1 proximally metallic blue-green, dorsum slightly coppery, mixed purple and brassy, sides and outer plate of ovipositor mixed metallic green, blue, coppery and brassy; gonostylus dark orange-brown, extreme apex pale orange.

Head about 4.2X as wide as frontovertex, not subtriangular in profile; occipital margin acute, occiput without a median groove above foramen; ocelli forming an angle of about 60°; frontovertex slightly shiny, with conspicuous reticulate sculpture of mesh size generally very slightly smaller than diameter of eye facet; scrobal area and mouth margin with shallower sculpture; area immediately below eye almost completely smooth; gena and temple with more elongate sculpture of larger mesh; scrobes shallow, meeting dorsally, dorsal and lateral margins weakly rounded; antenna as in Fig. 598; scape hardly broadened and flattened, about 4.7X as long as broad; F1 a little longer than broad, F2-F6 transverse, funicle with linear sensilla present only on F4-F6; clava clearly broadened, slightly longer than F2-F6 combined; both sutures clearly oblique, sensory area enlarged, extending about two-thirds along clava ventrally and giving it a distinct, obliquely truncate appearance; eye virtually reaching occipital margin, clothed with fairly conspicuous setae, each very slightly longer than diameter of facet; inner eye margins slightly converging anteriorly; malar sulcus weakly indicated; mandible with two, relatively long, acute, lower teeth, and a short, upper tooth. Relative measurements: HW 82, HH 82, FV 19.5, OD 7.5, POL 9.5, OOL 0.5, OCL 8, AOL 9.5, EL 51.5, EW 44, MS 35, SL 49, SW 10.5.

Thorax ( Fig. 597) with shallow, irregular, polygonally reticulate sculpture on pronotum, generally of mesh size subequal to diameter of facet; sculpture on mesoscutum mostly of similar depth to that on pronotum, but more regular and of smaller mesh; sculpture on axilla similar to that on mesoscutum, but slightly deeper; scutellum with conspicuously deeper, polygonally reticulate sculpture, more elongate on sides; extreme apex and sides completely smooth and shiny; visible part of mesoscutum about 1.6X as broad as long; scutellum about as long as broad, with a relatively sparse, but distinct subapical tuft, setae about one-quarter as long as scutellum; hind femur about 4.9X as long as broad; fore wing with venation and setation as in Figs 599, 600; costal cell with 6 setae dorsally at apex; no naked streak present between apices of postmarginal and stigmal veins ( Fig. 599); propodeum ( Fig. 597) with moderately dense setae in spiracular area, side naked, medially about 0.1X as long as scutellum and with some shallow polygonally reticulate sculpture. Relative measurements: FWL 119, FWW 44; HWL 85, HWW 21.

Gaster without “gland-like” structures on Gt1 or Gt5; hypopygium reaching about one-third towards apex; syntergum about 1.6X as long as tibia, with apex produced and very acute; ovipositor exserted, the exserted part very slightly longer than mid tibial spur. Relative measurements: OL 134.5, GL 59.5 [MT 56].

Variation. Known only from holotype.

Male. Unknown.

DISTRIBUTION. Costa Rica.

HOSTS. Unknown.

MATERIAL EXAMINED.

Type material. Holotype E: COSTA RICA, San José, Zurqui de Moravia , 1600m, ix.1995 (P. Hanson) . Holotype in NHMUK .

COMMENTS. Cheiloneurus herndonia is generally quite similar to exeres , fidenas , lamus and miklo , all species being generally with a moderate metallic sheen, a weak, subapical tuft of setae on the scutellum and weakly infuscate fore wings. Apart from the characters in the key it can be separated from the other named species by the slightly more numerous setae in the basal cell, from fidenas , miklo and lamus by lacking the weakly infuscate median streak in the apical half of the fore wing (present in the other three species) and from fidenas and lamus by having the ovipositor more than 2X as long as the mid tibia. In the other two species the ovipositor is less than 2X as long as the mid tibia. It can be further separated from fidenas by having the scape at least about 5X as long as broad, whereas in fidenas the scape is about 4X as long as broad.