Pseudhomalopoda tapura, 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 : 75-77

Pseudhomalopoda tapura sp.nov.

( Figs 139-145; Hab. E 23)

DIAGNOSIS. Female (length about 1.3mm): legs dark brown; paired hyaline spots at apex of venation separated by more than 2X length of marginal vein ( Fig. 141); no hyaline spot present in middle of wing below marginal vein; head ( Fig. 143) about 2.9X as wide as frontovertex; mandible with 2 teeth and a truncate upper tooth; an inconspicuous line of silvery setae across top of scrobes and adjacent to eye above scrobe; scape about 2.4X as long as broad; funicle segments ( Fig. 144) broadened, all transverse, linear sensilla present only on F3-F4; pedicel and flagellum combined hardly longer than head width; clava slightly longer than pedicel and funicle combined; postmarginal vein ( Fig. 142) almost absent, much shorter than stigmal vein; linea calva constricted, but not interrupted. Male: unknown.

Female (holotype): length, including ovipositor, 1.33mm; excluding ovipositor, 1.24mm (CPD).

Head dark brown to black with a distinct metallic lustre; occiput medially metallic dark blue mixed green, laterally violet behind eye, mixed dark blue and brassy below; frontovertex mostly metallic blue-green to dark blue, eye margins dark green; a narrow coppery violet band scrobes, below this narrowly metallic dark green, then brassy and then more broadly coppery; scrobes largely metallic green, mixed coppery purple laterally, top of interantennal prominence dark blue and coppery purple, lower face with a coppery purple sheen; temple with a broad, transverse coppery purple band level with lowest part of eye, above this mostly metallic dark blue; gena coppery purple mixed metallic green, duller posteriorly; mouth margin narrowly orange-brown; frontovertex with a few, fairly inconspicuous, scattered, brown setae; a line of inconspicuous, short, sparse, silvery setae across frontovertex above scrobes, this line continuing below eye to position of malar sulcus; gena with similar, but scattered setae; interantennal prominence dorsally with relatively long, translucent, brown setae, lower parts with short setae as gena; maxillary palpus dark brown; radicle pale orange, with a dark brown apical ring; thorax dark brown to black with a metallic lustre; pronotum mainly with dark green and dark blue sheen mixed with some violet laterally; mesoscutum with a mixed violet and dark blue sheen; tegula dark brown with a weak coppery purple sheen; axilla dark purple-brown with a slight brassy sheen; scutellum dorsally quite dull with a weak coppery sheen, side strongly shining dark blue and violet, apex violet; mesopleuron anteriorly with a moderate coppery purple and dark blue sheen, posteriorly similar, but more strongly coppery purple mixed with some violet; legs, including coxae, completely dark brown except for pale orange mid tibial spur and mid tarsus, apical tarsomere dark brown; fore wing with a pattern of hyaline and infuscate areas as in Fig. 141, hyaline areas more or less forming a radiating pattern; hind wing hyaline; propodeum dark purple-brown with a weak brassy sheen, side with a metallic dark green and coppery sheen; gaster dark purple-brown, dorsally with a coppery purple sheen, Gt1 with a coppery purple sheen, side and venter of gaster with coppery, blue, brassy and green reflections; gonostylus dark brown.

Head ( Fig. 143) about 2.9X as wide as frontovertex, in profile about 1.5X as high as deep, tangent to frontovertex forming an angle of about 45° with that of face; occipital margin inconspicuously emarginate medially, with a shallow vertical groove running from occipital margin to foramen, scale-like seta on occipital margin behind each posterior ocellus about 0.7X as long as minimum width of frontovertex; a fairly conspicuous, oval depression adjacent to eye near occipital margin; ocelli forming an angle of about 90°; frontovertex narrows a little anteriorly; ocellar area with relatively deep, fine, polygonally reticulate sculpture ( Fig. 143) of mesh size slightly less than diameter of eye facet, area between anterior ocellus and top of scrobes largely with similar sculpture, but perhaps a little shallower, area across narrowest part of frontovertex completely smooth and shiny; temple and gena with longitudinally elongate, fine polygonally reticulate sculpture of similar depth to that in ocellar area; antenna as in Fig. 144; scape broadened and flattened, only about 2.4X as long as broad; funicle segments slightly bilaterally flattened, F1- F3 clearly transverse, F4 quadrate, segments not broader distad, linear sensilla present only on F3- F4; clava very slightly longer than pedicel and funicle combined, slightly curved, sutures parallel, sensory area small, at apex only giving it a rounded appearance; eye not reaching occipital margin, separated by about 2-3X diameter of facet, naked; no shallow groove below eye; clypeal margin more or less evenly concave; mandible with two acute teeth and a truncate third, upper tooth. Relative measurements: HW 65, HH 51, FV 22.5, POL 14, OOL 2, OCL (line between posterior ocellus and scale-like seta on occipital margin) 10.5, AOL 8.5, EL 25.5, EW 32, MS 27, SL 28, SW 11.5.

Thorax ( Fig. 139) with transversely elongate, imbricate-reticulate to polygonally reticulate sculpture on pronotum that is about as deep as that in ocellar area; mesoscutum with very similar sculpture to that on pronotum, but of larger mesh and very slightly shallower; axilla with similar, but finer transversely elongate, polygonally reticulate to imbricate-reticulate sculpture; visible part of mesoscutum about 1.5X as broad as long; scutellum with inner pair of scale-like setae about 1.4X as long as scutellum, outer pair about 0.9X as long as scutellum; hind femur about 3.2X as long as broad; fore wing with venation and setation as in Figs 141, 142; costal cell with 5 setae dorsally at apex; linea calva entire or interrupted by a single seta; propodeum medially about 0.07X as long as scutellum. Relative measurements: FWL 68, FWW 25; HWL 53.5, HWW 13.

Gaster with hypopygium ( Fig. 145) reaching about 0.5X towards apex; last tergite about 0.8X as long as mid tibia, with apex narrowly truncate; ovipositor ( Fig. 140) slightly exserted, the exserted part about 0.5X length of mid tibial spur or about 0.15X mid tibia; second valvifer without subapical setae. Relative measurements: OL 96, GL 24 [MT 70].

Variation. Very little in material available

Male. Unknown.

DISTRIBUTION. Costa Rica.

HOSTS. Unknown.

MATERIAL EXAMINED.

Type material. Holotype E: COSTA RICA, Guanacaste, Maritza ( ACG), 700m, MT/YPT, 20.i-24. ii.1996 (J.S. Noyes) . Paratypes: COSTA RICA, 1E, Guanacaste, same data as holotype . Holotype and paratype in NHMUK .

COMMENTS. The pattern of dark and hyaline areas of the fore wing is reminiscent of the pattern found in some species of Caenohomalopoda Tachikawa or even Cerapterocerus Westwood where the hyaline areas from a strongly acute angle with the wing margin.