Ludesia amalthea, 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 : 183-185

Ludesia amalthea sp.nov.

(Figs 2,463-470; Hab. E 73, G 74)

DIAGNOSIS. Female (length about 1.2-1.7mm): Head and thorax largely orange or orange-brown; eye hairy with dense setae, each as long as diameter of facet; frontovertex with distinct, uniform, punctate-reticulate sculpture and virtually matt; mesoscutum with polygonally reticulate sculpture of mesh size about 2X that on frontovertex, posterior half with similar but slightly shallower, sculpture; all gastral tergites smooth and shiny. Male (length about 1.0- 1.4mm): frontovertex ( Fig. 468) with punctate-reticulate sculpture that is clearly deeper than sculpture on mesoscutum ( Fig. 470).

Female (holotype): length, including ovipositor, 1.71mm; excluding ovipositor, 1.69mm (CPD).

Head orange, slightly dusky along occipital margin and along inner eye margins dorsally; frontovertex virtually matt, but with very weak brassy and purple reflections; temple and gena with a weak brassy, green and purple sheen; scrobes and interantennal prominence with a weak brassy sheen; radicle orange, dark brown at apex; scape orange with ventral margin orange-brown to brown; pedicel slightly dusky orange; F1-F5 dark brown, F6 pale orange, mixed pale brown proximally; clava white; frontovertex with fairly conspicuous translucent, golden brown setae; gena and interantennal prominence with conspicuous dark brown setae; maxillary palpus white; pronotum orange with weak coppery and brassy reflections, posterior margin with a dark brown mark laterally immediately anterior to mesothoracic spiracle; propleuron and prosternum orange; mesoscutum orange with weak coppery reflections anteriorly and a weak brassy sheen posteriorly; tegula orange with apex orange-brown; axilla orange with weak brassy and coppery reflections and with a few dark brown setae; scutellum dark orange with dark brown setae; metanotum dusky orange; anterior three-fifths of mesopleuron brown with a weak brassy sheen, posterior two-fifths glossy white; mesosternum white; fore coxa white; fore femur white at base, fore leg otherwise orange; mid coxa white; proximal one-third of mid femur white, apex orange, tibia dark orange-brown, apices orange, spur and tarsus orange; hind coxa white; hind femur orange, extreme base of tibia orange-brown, remainder of tibia dark orange-brown, tarsus orange; fore wing ( Fig. 464) remnant hyaline with a broad, oblique, dark brown, subapical band, venation orange-brown to dark brown; propodeum white, orange to orange-brown with some weak brassy and purple reflections around spiracle, a few, bristle-like setae anterolateral to spiracle; gaster orange, Gt1 with a brassy sheen with some purple and green reflections, Gt2-Gt6 with a mainly brassy and purple sheen, syntergum with a brassy sheen, side and venter of gaster mainly brassy with some purple and green reflections; visible part of gonostylus very pale orange.

Head about 5.2X as wide as frontovertex, subtriangular in profile, about 1.2X as high as deep, only slightly curved from occipital margin to top of scrobes and then forming a virtual right angle towards mouth margin, with interantennal prominence hidden; occipital margin sharp, weakly carinate; ocelli forming an angle of about 65°; frontovertex with fine, punctate-reticulate sculpture of mesh size clearly much less than diameter of facet; eye very hairy, clothed with dense setae, each of which is as long as diameter of facet, eye separated from scrobe by about diameter of facet; area immediately below eye completely smooth, otherwise temple and gena with very shallow imbricate-reticulate sculpture; antenna as in Fig. 465; scape broadened and flattened, widest about middle, about 3X as long as broad; F1-F5 longer than broad, F1 about 3X as long as broad, F5 about 1.3X as long as broad, F6 quadrate, segments shorter and broader distad; clava not broadened, slightly shorter than F4-F6 combined, sensory slightly enlarged, extending ventrally about 0.3X length of clava, apex weakly obliquely truncate; eye not quite reaching occipital margin, separated by about diameter of facet, clothed in very conspicuous, relatively dense setae that are clearly longer than diameter of facet; frontovertex narrowest about half way between anterior ocellus and top of scrobes; malar sulcus present but indistinct; clypeal margin deeply emarginate medially. Relative measurements: HW 83, HH 69, FV 16, POL 13.5, OOL 0, OCL 10.5, AOL 14, EL 55, EW 46, MS 27, SL 42, SW 14.5.

Thorax ( Fig. 463) in dorsal view with pronotum about as long as mesoscutum, but mostly hidden by head; pronotum dorsally with moderately deep, raised, polygonally reticulate sculpture that is similar in depth to that on frontovertex, but of larger mesh and coarser, side with shallower sculpture; mesoscutum in anterior half or so with sculpture similar to that on pronotum, posterior half with slightly shallower, more regular, polygonally reticulate sculpture of slightly smaller mesh; axilla and scutellum mainly with similar sculpture to dorsal part of pronotum; visible part of mesoscutum about 1.9X as broad as long; scutellum about 1.1X as long as broad; mid tibia without an external carina; hind femur about 5X as long as broad; fore wing shortened, as in Fig. 464, hardly reaching posterior margin of Gt1, hind wing hardly reaching propodeal spiracle; propodeum medially about 0.30X as long as scutellum, with some fairly distinct, slightly coarse, polygonally reticulate sculpture. Relative measurements: FWL 65.5, FWW 17.5.

Gaster with hypopygium reaching about 0.8X along gaster; last tergite about 0.8X as long as mid tibia, with apex rounded; ovipositor virtually hidden.

Paratype. Funicle with linear sensilla present only on F3-F6; hypopygium 468; ovipositor Fig. 469. Relative measurements: OL 78.5, GL 16 [MT 90.5].

Variation. Females vary in overall length from 1.19-1.74mm, the frontovertex may be completely dusky orange, the scape may be almost completely orange-brown, F6 may be white or orange-brown, the scrobes and interantennal prominence may have a slight green or blue-green lustre, the pronotum may be posteriorly slightly dusky with a slight green sheen, the mesoscutum may have a slight purple lustre medially, the scutellum may be slightly dusky with weak to strong metallic blue or olive green reflections, the mesopleuron may be about 80% white, the mid tibia may be largely orange, the hind tibia may be white at base and the gaster may have Gt1-Gt6 dark orange-brown with a distinct coppery and brassy sheen.

Male: length 1.00- 1.41mm.

Virtually identical to the male of hemera but for relatively deep, punctate-reticulate sculpture on frontovertex ( Fig. 468) that is clearly much deeper than that on mesoscutum ( Fig. 470).Antenna as in Fig. 466; dorsum of thorax varying from orange-brown with only a slight metallic sheen to dark brown with a distinct metallic sheen, mesopleuron may be completely brown to largely white and hind femur may be orange to completely dark brown; Relative measurements: AL 31, MT 68.5.

DISTRIBUTION. Belize, Guatemala, Costa Rica.

HOSTS. Unknown.

MATERIAL EXAMINED.

Type material. Holotype E: COSTA RICA, Guanacaste, Cacao (ACG), 1100 m, MT/YPT, 26.i-24. ii.1996 (J.S. Noyes) . Paratypes: GUATEMALA, 1E, Izabal, 2km N Las Escobas , 300m, xi.1986 (M. Sharkey) . BELIZE, 4E, 1G, Las Cuevas, NHM Res. Sta., vi.1995, vii.1995 and ix.1995 (T. King, A. Howe) . COSTA RICA, 2E, 1G, Guanacaste, Santa Rosa NP, H 10, x.1986 and 20.xii.1986 - 10.i.1987 (D. Janzen, I.D.

Gauld); 1E, Guanacaste, Santa Rosa NP, H 4C, 8.x-8.xi.1986 (D. Janzen, I.D. Gauld); 1E, Guanacaste, 12 km SE La Cruz, Cerro El Hacha, LN 329200 368000, 300-400m, 1988 ( GNP Biodiv. Survey); 4E, same data as holotype; 1E, Guanacaste, Est. Cacao (ACG), 1000 -1150m, LN 323150 375500, xi-xii.1996 (A. Masis); 2E, 2G, Guanacaste, Maritza ( ACG), 700m, MT/YPT, 20.i-24.ii.1996 (J.S. Noyes); 1E, Guanacaste, Est. Maritza ( ACG), 10°58’N 85°29’W, 700m, 21.ii.2005 (J.S. Noyes); 1E, Guanacaste, Cañas, Rio Chiquito, LN 292000 417000, 410m, #74625, 25.vii.2003 (J. Azofeifa); 1G, Guanacaste, BN Diriá, Ret. Alr. Torre Control de Incendio, LN 238550 358650, 600-700m, #66659, xii.2001 - i.2002 (I. Jiménez); 1E, 1G, Alajuela, Reserva Rincon Forestal, Est. Caribe, 10°53’N 85°18’W, 400m, 19-20.ii.2003 (J.S. Noyes); 2E, 1G, San José, San Antonio de Escazu, 1700m, ix.1996 (C. Flores, P. Hanson); 1E, Puntarenas, Res. Priv. Karen Mogensen, LN 205300 419750, 315m, #75606, 6.x.2003 (M. Solis). Holotype in MZUCR, paratypes in MZUCR, LFCI and NHMUK.

COMMENTS. Ludesia amalthea is the most similar Costa Rican species to semifacta (De Santis) as both species have largely orange colouration. It differs from semifacta in having fine, uniform punctate-reticulate sculpture on the frontovertex whereas in semifacta the ocellar area and occipital margin have polygonally reticulate sculpture and the anterior part of the frontovertex is completely smooth.