Homalopoda onothrix, 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 : 55-57

Homalopoda onothrix sp.nov.

( Figs 72-77; Hab. E 12)

DIAGNOSIS. Female (length about 1.6-1.9mm): scape and flagellum dark brown; fore femur dark brown, distally pale orange, tibia apically pale orange with a subbasal brown band; mid femur mostly dark brown proximally pale orange, tibia pale orange, brown proximally; fore wing ( Fig. 74) with a pair of subapical hyaline areas; paired hyaline spots at apex of venation separated by about 1.5X length of marginal vein; no hyaline spot present in middle of wing below marginal vein; head about 4.1X as wide as frontovertex; occipital margin with a bristle-like seta behind posterior ocellus; mandible with 4 teeth, two uppermost teeth very short; an inconspicuous line of silvery setae adjacent to eye above scrobe; scape about 6.2X as long as broad; funicle segments subcylindrical ( Fig. 73), all at least about 2X as long as broad, linear sensilla present only on F2- F4; flagellum longer than head width; apex of scutellum with a pair of bristle-like setae ( Fig. 72); costal cell of fore wing ventrally with 3 lines of setae proximally, a single line of setae in distal half; postmarginal vein much shorter than stigmal vein ( Fig. 75); linea calva not interrupted ( Fig. 74); hind tibia without a subbasal constriction. Male: unknown.

Female (holotype): length, including ovipositor, 1.85mm; excluding ovipositor, 1.69mm ( CPD) .

Head dark brown to black with a distinct metallic lustre; occiput mainly metallic dark green with some blue-green reflections; frontovertex metallic dark green mixed with some violet, especially area above scrobes; area immediately above scrobes coppery; scrobes metallic green with some violet, dark blue and coppery reflections; mouth margin orange-brown; temple mixed metallic dark blue, violet, purple and coppery purple; gena shining metallic dark green and blue green with some coppery; area immediately below lowest part of eye relatively dull dark blue and violet; frontovertex with a few, fairly inconspicuous, scattered, translucent, pale brown setae; an inconspicuous line of sparse, translucent silvery setae between eye and scrobe extending to position of malar sulcus; gena and interantennal prominence with scattered, similarly inconspicuous, translucent, silvery setae; maxillary palpus dark brown; radicle pale orange, with a dark brown apical ring; scape, pedicel and flagellum dark brown; thorax dark brown to black with a metallic lustre; pronotum mainly with blue-green, and violet sheen, mixed with some dark green, posterior margin medially coppery purple; mesoscutum metallic dark green, mixed dark blue and violet especially anteriorly, narrowly margined coppery purple laterally and posteriorly; tegula dark brown with a weak coppery purple sheen; axilla dark brown with a dull coppery purple sheen; scutellum dorsally quite strongly metallic dark green, mixed coppery and brassy proximally and with ridges of reticulations coppery purple, side and apex strongly shining blue-green and green, with some coppery reflections at apex; mesopleuron anteriorly with a moderate violet, coppery purple and dark blue sheen, posteriorly similar, but more strongly coppery purple; all coxae dark brown; fore femur dark brown with extreme distal apex pale orange, tibia largely pale orange, but with a broad, subbasal brown band to about 0.7X, tarsus slightly dusky pale orange, apical tarsomere dark brown; mid femur dark brown with a narrow, oblique, subbasal pale orange band, tibia pale orange, dusky along its length dorsally, spur and tarsus pale orange; hind femur dark brown, hind tibia dark brown with apex narrowly pale orange dorsally, tarsus white, apical tarsomere pale orange; fore wing with a pattern of hyaline and infuscate areas as in Fig. 74, with 3 pairs of hyaline spots; propodeum dark brown with a weak brassy and purple sheen, side with a metallic dark green and dark blue sheen mixed brassy; gaster dark purple-brown, dorsally with a coppery purple sheen, Gt1 with a metallic, dark blue, violet and blue-green sheen, side and venter with coppery, blue, brassy and green reflections; gonostylus dark brown.

Head about 4.1X as wide as frontovertex, in profile about 1.8X as high as deep, tangent to frontovertex forming an angle of about 80° with that of face; occipital margin sharp, carinate, with a conspicuous, elongate seta present behind each posterior ocellus, seta about 0.7X as long as minimum width of frontovertex; a slender, oval depression adjacent to eye near occipital margin; ocelli forming an angle of about 80°; frontovertex clearly narrowing anteriorly; ocellar area with relatively deep, fine, polygonally reticulate sculpture 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; temple and gena with relatively shallow, longitudinally elongate, fine polygonally reticulate sculpture; top of scrobes with shallow, regular, polygonally reticulate sculpture, above torulus almost completely smooth and shiny, elsewhere with shallow sculpture; interantennal prominence and mouth margin with shallow, relatively fine, polygonally reticulate sculpture; antenna as in Fig. 73; scape hardly broadened and flattened, about 6.2X as long as broad; all funicle segments at least about 2X as long as broad, F1 longest, segments slightly broader distad; clava about as long as F1-F3 combined, sutures parallel, sensory area small, at apex only giving it a rounded appearance; eye slightly overreaching occipital margin, naked; a shallow groove immediately below eye that continues a little way on to gena; clypeal margin medially virtually straight. Relative measurements: HW 90, HH 71, FV 22, POL 13, OOL 1, OCL 9, AOL 11, EL 41, EW 45, MS 40, SL 53, SW 8.5.

Thorax ( Fig. 72) with visible part of mesoscutum about 1.5X as broad as long; scutellum about 1.4X as broad as long, apex with a pair of slender, elongate, bristles, each about 0.9X as long as scutellum; hind femur about 3.3X as long as broad; fore wing with venation and setation as in Figs 74, 75; costal cell distally with about 14 setae extending dorsally in apical 0.4X; propodeum medially about 0.05X as long as scutellum. Relative measurements: FWL 92, FWW 39.5; HWL 68, HWW 20.

Gaster with hypopygium reaching about 0.6X towards apex; syntergum about 0.8X as long as mid tibia, with apex more less rounded; ovipositor slightly exserted, the exserted part about 0.7X length of mid tibial spur or about 0.3X mid tibia.

Paratype. Mandible with four teeth, two upper teeth very short, together almost forming a broad truncation. funicle with linear sensilla present only on F2-F4; hypopygium as in Fig. 77; ovipositor as in Fig 76, second valvifer without any subapical setae. Relative measurements: OL 71, GL 18 [MT 47.5].

Variation. Females vary in overall length from 1.64-1.90mm, the mid tibia may be mostly dark brown with only the apical 0.25X pale orange and Gt1 may be dorsally mostly deep violet.

Male. Unknown.

DISTRIBUTION. Costa Rica.

HOSTS. Unknown.

MATERIAL EXAMINED.

Type material. Holotype E: COSTA RICA, Alajuela, RB San Ramon, 900m, ii-iii.2000 (P. Hanson). Paratypes: COSTA RICA, 1E, Guanacaste, Cacao (ACG), 1100 m, MT/YPT, 26.i-24.ii.1996 (J.S. Noyes); 1E, Alajuela, PN Volcán Tenorio, Est. El Pilón, 700-800m, #74622, 28.vii.2003 (J. Azofeifa); 1E, Heredia, 3km S. Puerto Viejo, OTS-La Selva, 100m, canopy fog Carapa sp. , FOT 02, 15.iii.1993; 1E, Heredia, OTS La Selva, 10°26’N 84°01’W, 100m, canopy fog Pentaclethra, FPM /08, 4.iv.1993; 1E, Heredia, La Selva, 10°26’N 84°01’W, 50-150m, fog Pentaclethra macroloba, FPM /04, 6.v.1993 (INBio-OET); 1E, Heredia, 11km ESE La Virgen, 10°21’N 84°03’W, 250-350m, 05/TN/ALL, 10-18.iv.2004 (ALAS-INBio/ OET); 1E, San José, Est. Sta Elena, 14.ii-16.iii.1996 (M. Segura, E. Alfaro); 1E, Puntarenas, Monte Verde Res., 1.vi.1993 (Michalski). Holotype in MZUCR, paratypes in NHMUK and CNC.