Cheiloneurus jeroba, 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 : 408-410

Cheiloneurus jeroba sp.nov.

(Figs 1044-1047)

DIAGNOSIS. Female (length about 1.5mm): body mostly orange with posterior three-fifths of mesoscutum and gaster dark brown, mouth margin dark brown, temple and gena with a diagonal brown streak, paler areas with a weak metallic sheen, darker areas with a weak to moderate metallic sheen; antenna (Fig. 1045) with scape mostly pale orange, ventral margin brown; pedicel pale orange with a dark brown streak; funicle mostly pale orange-brown mixed dark brown; clava dark brown; mesoscutum with silvery setae in posterior three-fifths; fore and hind coxae white, mid coxa pale orange; legs otherwise white to pale orange, with a few brown areas; fore wing (Fig. 1044) mostly infuscate with basal cell mostly hyaline, a small hyaline area at apex of venation, a larger, vaguely hyaline area opposite and apex hyaline; head about 6.0X as wide as frontovertex, in facial view about as broad as long, subcircular, genae converging, evenly curved but slightly more strongly curved inwards near mouth; frontovertex with two setae medially between anterior ocellus and scrobes; eye separated from scrobe by slightly less than diameter of anterior ocellus, area between eye and scrobe completely smooth; scrobes moderately deep, sharply margined below eye; interantennal prominence dorsally rounded with about 40 fairly conspicuous setae; mandible with two acute teeth and a truncation; antenna (Fig. 1045) with scape about 2.6X as long as broad; all funicle segments transverse; linear sensilla on F5-F6; clava very large, 3-segmented, about as long as pedicel and funicle combined; sensory area enlarged, extending ventrally about 0.6X length of clava, apex strongly obliquely truncate; head width nearly as much as length of pedicel and flagellum combined; mesoscutum (Fig. 1047) anteriorly with fine, longitudinally elongate, striate to striate-reticulate sculpture, posteriorly with polygonally reticulate sculpture; scutellum with a distinct, apical tuft of setae; wings fully developed, fore wing (Fig. 1044) about 2.5X as long as broad; parastigma downcurved; costal cell dorsally naked save for two or three apical setae, ventrally with a complete line of setae; area below proximal part of parastigma with a group of about 16 or 17 setae; apices of postmarginal and stigmal veins connected by a naked hyaline area that continues some way into disc (Fig. 1046); apical bristle of postmarginal vein about 0.4X as long as marginal vein; mid tibial spur slightly longer than basitarsus; propodeum with 10 or 11 silvery setae adjacent to spiracle, side naked; syntergum about as long as mid tibia with apex narrowly angular. Male: unknown.

Female (holotype): length, 1.47mm (AD) .

Head with occiput pale orange, otherwise mostly orange; occiput with a brown spot above foramen; frontovertex a little dusky, ocellar area with distinct deep metallic blue and purple reflections, anterior part with weaker purple and blue reflections; temple, gena and area below eye with a weak brassy, purple and green sheen; scrobal area with a very weak brassy and purple sheen, mouth margin dark brown; temple with a short diagonal brown line from occipital margin towards torulus; frontovertex clothed with inconspicuous, pale brown setae, a line of more conspicuous, translucent setae below eye; antenna (Fig. 1045) with radicle pale orange, apex brown; scape pale orange, ventral margin pale brown internally; pedicel pale orange with an internal dark brown streak along its length; funicle pale orange-brown externally, dark brown internally; clava dark brown; maxillary palpus white; pronotum mostly orange, neck dark brown; prosternum orange, anterior to coxa brown; mesoscutum orange in anterior two-fifths posterior three-fifths dark brown with a dark, metallic blue and purple sheen, posterior margin purple-brown with a slight purple and brassy sheen, anterior part clothed in relatively sparse dark brown setae, posterior part with relatively dense silvery setae, mixed with a few dark brown setae; tegula orange, apex orange-brown; axilla and scutellum orange, clothed in dark brown setae, scutellar tuft black; metanotum dusky orange; mesopleuron mostly orange with a weak brassy sheen, posterior half slightly dusky with a slight purple and green sheen; fore coxa white; fore femur largely white, apically pale orange, tibia pale orange margined pale brown subbasally, tarsus pale orange-brown; mid coxa mostly pale orange, dusky proximally; mid femur white, tibia pale orange with dorsal margin brown in proximal one-third, spur and tarsus very pale orange, almost white; hind coxa white; hind femur pale orange with a small brown apical spot, tibia very pale orange with a weak, dorsal, subbasal brown mark, tarsus very pale orange; fore wing (Fig. 1044) mostly infuscate, hyaline towards base; submarginal vein largely yellow, otherwise venation brown; propodeum orange, laterally with a slight green lustre, 12 or 13 translucent, white setae outside spiracle; gaster dark brown, with a green, brassy, coppery and purple lustre, Gt1 more conspicuously green dorsally, gonostylus dark brown.

Head about 6X as wide as frontovertex in profile about 1.8X as high as deep, anteriorly quite straight below top of scrobes, interantennal prominence hardly protuberant; occipital margin sharp, acute, but not carinate; ocelli forming an angle of about 40°; frontovertex quite shiny, with shallow, fairly regular, polygonally reticulate sculpture, deeper in ocellar area, shallower anterior, mesh size slightly smaller than diameter of eye facet; interantennal prominence with shallow sculpture, scrobes completely smooth, temple and posterior gena with shallow, irregular, longitudinally elongate sculpture, anterior gena with slightly deeper, irregular, reticulate sculpture; area between eye and scrobe completely smooth, a little narrower than diameter of anterior ocellus; scrobes moderately deep, meeting dorsally, sharply margined only immediately below eye, very broadly ∩-shaped, interantennal prominence dorsally rounded; antenna as in Fig. 1045; scape broadened and flattened, about 2.6X as long as broad; funicle with all segments transverse, larger and broader distad; funicle with linear sensilla present only on F5-F6; clava enlarged, as long as pedicel and funicle combined, sutures oblique, sensory area enlarged, extending ventrally about 0.6X along clava, giving it a distinct, strongly obliquely truncate appearance; eye reaching occipital margin, clothed with extremely short setae that are much shorter than diameter of facet; inner eye margins converging below anterior ocellus; malar sulcus absent; clypeal margin weakly concave medially; mandible with 2 acute teeth, and a truncation; apical segment of maxillary palpus hardly enlarged, hardly longer than radicle. Relative measurements: HW 90, HH 90, FV 15, POL 8, OOL 0, OCL 8.5, AOL 14, EL 64, EW 51, MS 42, SL 38, SW 14.5.

Thorax (Fig. 1047) with irregular, polygonally reticulate sculpture on pronotum that is similar to that on frontovertex in ocellar area; mesoscutum in anterior two-fifths with fine, longitudinally elongate striate to striate-reticulate sculpture, posterior two-fifths with fairly regular, polygonally reticulate sculpture that is slightly shallower than that on pronotum; axilla and scutellum with similar sculpture to pronotum, but perhaps a little coarser, axilla posteriorly weakly sculptured, sculpture on scutellum more elongate laterally; visible part of mesoscutum about 1.8X as broad as long; scutellum about as broad as long with a distinct subapical tuft, setae mostly about 0.4X as long as scutellum; hind femur about 3.8X as long as broad; fore wing with venation and setation as in Figs 1044, 1046; costal cell dorsally with 1 or 2 setae at apex; apices of postmarginal and stigmal veins connected by a distinct, naked, hyaline streak (Fig. 1046); mid tibia without an external carina; propodeum (Fig. 1047) medially about 0.10X as long as scutellum and more or less smooth, but with some shallow sculpture dorsally on side. Relative measurements: FWL 113.5, FWW 45; HWL 94, HWW 26.

Gaster without “gland-like” structures on Gt1 or Gt5; hypopygium reaching about 0.4X to apex; syntergum about as long as mid tibia, with apex narrowly angular; ovipositor with apex missing, gonostyli missing.

Variation. Only holotype examined.

Male. Unknown.

DISTRIBUTION. Costa Rica.

HOSTS. Unknown.

MATERIAL EXAMINED.

Type material. Holotype E: COSTA RICA, Cartago, Turrialba , CATIE, 22.ii.1991 (J.S. Noyes) . Holotype in NHMUK .

COMMENTS. Even though apical parts of ovipositor are missing the species is being described here because of the short funicle and unusually enlarged clava. The only other similar species with a large clava is diaces . Cheiloneurus jeroba can be distinguished from diaces by the scape being at least about 2.6X as long as broad, the head about 6X as wide as the frontovertex, the scrobal margin not sharply margined medially, the mandible with 2 teeth and a distinct truncation, the ventral surface of the costal cell of the fore wing having a complete line of setae and a group of about 15 setae below the parastigma. In diaces the scape is less than 2X as long as broad, the head is more than 8X as wide as the frontovertex, the scrobal margin is sharp medially, the mandible is tridentate, the ventral surface of the costal cell is virtually naked, with only a few setae in proximal half and there is only a single line of at most 6 or 7 setae below the parastigma.