Plagiomerus calabes, 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 : 49-50

Plagiomerus calabes sp.nov.

( Figs 56-61; Hab. E 9)

DIAGNOSIS. Female (length about 1.1-1.4mm): antenna ( Fig. 56) with clava unicolourous dark brown; fore coxa white to pale yellow; mid tibia with a dark brown subbasal band; funicle ( Fig. 56) with F1 relatively small, and without linear sensilla, F2 clearly larger with linear sensilla, F3-F4 subequal, slightly larger than F2, also with linear sensilla; clava hardly longer than funicle, clearly shorter than pedicel and funicle combined; scutellum ( Fig. 59) medially with fine, coarse, longitudinally elongate, polygonally reticulate to lineolate-reticulate sculpture, with 2 bristle-like apical setae that are separated by a little more than the diameter of their own sockets; fore wing ( Fig. 57) with marginal vein ( Fig. 58) longer than stigmal vein; exserted part of ovipositor about 0.5-1X as long as mid tibial spur. Male: unknown.

Female (holotype): length, including ovipositor, 1.25mm; excluding ovipositor, 1.16mm (CPD).

Head dark brown to black with a distinct metallic lustre; coppery along occipital margin, relatively bright, mixed coppery, metallic green and blue between occipital margin and posterior ocelli, relatively dull, metallic dark blue in front of posterior ocelli, dull metallic purple above scrobes; a narrow, metallic blue and green line across frontovertex immediately above scrobes; coppery and metallic between eye and scrobe; area immediately below eye relatively shiny coppery, brassy and metallic green; temple and gena with a relatively dull coppery and brassy sheen, mixed metallic dark blue on temple; scrobes generally with a mixed, relatively dull, dark coppery purple and metallic green sheen, interantennal prominence with a dull coppery purple and dark blue sheen, mouth margin with a dull coppery purple sheen; frontovertex with a few, conspicuous, scattered, dark brown setae; a few setae along inner eye margin, these continuing below eye on to gena; gena and interantennal prominence with scattered, inconspicuous, translucent, brown setae; maxillary palpus white; radicle dark brown; scape pale orange with extreme base dark brown; pedicel brown, apex pale orange; F1 and F2 brown, F3 and F4 pale orange, slightly darker dorsally; clava brown; thorax dark brown to black with a metallic lustre; pronotum mainly with a coppery and brassy sheen, with some dark blue reflections; mesoscutum mainly coppery, but mixed with a dark blue sheen, especially laterally; axilla with a relatively weak coppery purple and brassy sheen; scutellum dorsally with a relatively dull coppery sheen, side bright, dark blue, mixed with some olive green; mesopleuron with a dull, dark blue and purple sheen; fore coxa very pale orange, virtually white; fore femur and tibia pale orange, tarsus dusky pale orange, apical tarsomere brown; mid coxa dark brown; mid femur proximally white, apex pale orange and a broad, dark brown subapical band, tibia white with a narrow subbasal brown ring to 0.4X, spur and tarsus pale yellow; hind coxa dark brown; hind femur dark brown, extreme base white, tibia white at extreme base, a fairly broad subbasal brown ring to about 0.6X, apical 0.3X very pale orange, tarsus white, slightly dusky towards apex; propodeum dark brown with a weak brassy and purple sheen, side with a metallic green sheen; gaster dark purple-brown, dorsally with a coppery purple sheen mixed slightly brassy and green, Gt1 with a distinct blue-green sheen, side and venter with coppery, blue, brassy and green reflections; gonostylus dark brown.

Head about 3.9X as wide as frontovertex, in profile about 1.6X as high as deep; occipital margin weakly carinate; frontovertex narrowest a little behind posterior ocelli; ocelli forming an angle of about 75°; ocellar area with relatively deep, polygonally reticulate sculpture of mesh size mainly subequal to eye facet, sculpture shallower and more imbricate-reticulate behind posterior ocelli and on anterior parts of frontovertex; temple and gena with relatively shallow, longitudinally elongate imbricate-reticulate sculpture; scrobes with relatively shallow, irregular sculpture, almost smooth; interantennal prominence and mouth margin with shallow, polygonally reticulate sculpture; antenna ( Fig. 56) with scape about 3.7X as long as broad; F1 relatively small and transverse, F2 clearly and slightly longer than broad, F3 and F4 relatively large, subequal and clearly longer than broad, linear sensilla present only on F2-F4; clava slightly longer than funicle, sutures parallel; eye slightly overreaching occipital margin, clothed with dense, very conspicuous setae, each a little longer than diameter of facet. Relative measurements: HW 61, HH 52, FV 15.5, POL 7.5, OOL 1, OCL 8.5, AOL 6.5, EL 34, EW 33, MS 22.5, SL 26, SW 7.

Thorax ( Fig. 59) with imbricate-reticulate to polygonally reticulate sculpture on pronotum that is about as deep as that in ocellar area, but generally of larger mesh; mesoscutum with imbricate-reticulate sculpture that is slightly shallower than that on pronotum and with conspicuously larger mesh size, especially anteriorly; axilla with relatively shallow, fine, transversely elongate, polygonally reticulate sculpture; scutellum with fine, non-uniform, longitudinally elongate, polygonally reticulate sculpture of similar depth to that in ocellar area and conspicuously deeper than that on mesoscutum, side and apex completely smooth and shiny; visible part of mesoscutum about 1.7X as broad as long; scutellum about 1.3X as broad as long, apex with only a single pair of long, slender, bristle-like setae; hind femur about 3.8X as long as broad; fore wing with venation and setation as in Figs 57, 58; costal cell with 2 or 3 dorsal setae at apex; propodeum medially about 0.06X as long as scutellum. Relative measurements: FWL 63.5, FWW 24.5; HWL 44, HWW 10.

Gaster with hypopygium ( Fig. 61) reaching about 0.6X to apex; last tergite about 0.7X as long as mid tibia, with apex rounded; ovipositor ( Fig. 60) slightly exserted, the exserted part about 0.6X length of mid tibial spur or about 0.2X mid tibia.

Paratype. Relative measurements: OL 45.5, GL 12 [MT 35, MTS 11.5].

Variation. Females vary in overall length from 1.13-1.41mm, the head varies from about 3.5- 3.9X as wide as the frontovertex and the exserted part of the ovipositor may be very nearly as long as the mid tibial spur or 0.3X as long as the mid tibia.

Male. Unknown.

DISTRIBUTION. Costa Rica.

HOSTS. Unknown.

MATERIAL EXAMINED.

Type material. Holotype E: COSTA RICA, Guanacaste, BN Diriá, Ret. Alr. Torre Control de Incedio , LN 238559 358650, 600-700m, #65102, 18.ix-18.x.2001 (I. Jiménez) . Paratypes. COSTA RICA, 2E, Guanacaste, same data as holotype; 1E, same data as holotype but #64578, viii-ix.2001; 2E, Guanacaste, BN Diriá, Cerro Retallano , LN 238550 358650, 600-700m, 18.x-15.xi.2001 (I. Jiménez); 1E , Puntarenas, ACOSA, Cerro de Oro , LS 280000 518500, 200m, 6.v.1995 (M. Chinchilla) . Holotype in MZUCR, paratypes in MZUCR and NHMUK .