Tico, 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 : 160

Genus TICO gen.nov.

Type species: Tico sinabelus sp.nov. Gender masculine.

Female. Overall length about 0.8-0.9mm.

Head and thorax dark brown, almost black, with a weak metallic sheen; gaster dark brown.

Head in profile moderately triangular, angled above top of scrobes, about 2.5X as wide as frontovertex; a shiny-bottomed depression present on eye margin behind each posterior ocellus; eye clothed with inconspicuous setae, each about half as long as diameter of facet; malar sulcus absent; antenna attached a little below lower eye margin, torulus separated from mouth margin by about half its own length; funicle 6-segmented, segments transverse to slightly longer than broad; clava 3-segmented, apex rounded; mandible with 3 acute teeth, inner surface with a distinct, socketed bristle near lower margin; palp formula 4-3;

Thorax with posterior margin of pronotum roundly concave, not broadly V-shaped or angular medially; mesoscutum without notaular lines, with relatively shallow, slightly shiny sculpture that contrasts with the deeper, more or less matt sculpture of scutellum; axilla clearly raised above level of scutellum which is dorsally weakly convex, with 6 or 7 setae and clearly broader than long with a broadly rounded apical margin; mid tibial spur longer than basitarsus; fore wing about 2.4X as long as broad; linea calva entire and open; filum spinosum present, represented by 2 or 3 modified setae; submarginal vein with parastigma very weakly broadened; marginal vein about 1.5-2X as long as broad, postmarginal vein distinct; stigmal vein subsessile, very slightly longer than marginal or postmarginal veins, uncus developed with 3 campaniform sensilla in a line.

Gaster with anterior margin of TII with an almost continuous, narrow fringe-like structure in its middle one-third that may be part of a glandular complex (visible only on slide-mounted material); paratergites absent; apex of syntergum broadly rounded; hypopygium not reaching apex of gaster, strongly transverse, at least 3X as broad as long with anterior margin concave and posterior margin subparallel, convex and weakly invaginate medially; ovipositor much shorter than mid tibia with and about 4-5X as long as gonostylus which is freely articulated.

Male. Unknown.

DISTRIBUTION. Costa Rica.

HOSTS. Unknown.

COMMENTS. The placement of Tico within the current tribal classification of the Encyrtinae is difficult, but the tridentate mandible, slightly expanded mesopleuron and shallow, shiny-bottomed depression adjacent to the eye margin behind the posterior ocellus suggests that Tico may belong to the Cheiloneurini . In habitus, the two species described below are somewhat reminiscent of some species of Ooencyrtus Ashmead or perhaps Coccidencyrtus due to their squat appearance, short marginal vein, subsessile stigmal vein and relatively small size. They differ from Ooencyrtus in having a strong, bristle-like seta near the inner, ventral margin of the mandible, head triangular in profile and scutellum that is much broader than long with a broadly rounded apex. The absence of a socketed peg-like structure on the inner surface of the mandible and presence of a conspicuous bristle excludes Tico from the Habrolepidini to which Coccidencyrtus belongs.