Mahencyrtus nitidus (Howard)

(Figs 392-402; Hab. ♀ 64, ♂ 65)

Encyrtus nitidus Howard in Riley, Ashmead & Howard, 1894:94-95. Lectotype ♀, St Vincent (WI), NHMUK, designated Noyes (1979:163), examined.

Encyrtus convexus Howard, 1897:153. Holotype ♂, Grenada (WI), NHMUK, examined. Synonymised with Protyndarichus nitidus by Noyes (1979:163).

Sceptrophorus convexus (Howard); Ashmead, 1900:381.

Pseudencyrtus nitidus (Howard); Ashmead, 1900:396.

Protyndarichus proximus De Santis, 1945. Holotype ♀, Argentina, MLP, examined. Synonymised with Protyndarichus nitidus by Noyes (1979:163).

Protyndarichus nitidus (Howard); Noyes, 1979:163.

Mahencyrtus nitidus (Howard); Noyes & Hayat, 1984:294.

DIAGNOSIS. Female (length about 1.1-2.1mm): head mainly metallic green or blue-green, with some weak coppery areas especially between eye and scrobes; scape pale orange; pedicel and flagellum slightly dusky pale orange, proximal segments a little darker; pronotum dark brown with a conspicuous coppery purple sheen; mesoscutum metallic green or blue-green, posteriorly with slight coppery purple sheen; scutellum metallic green or blue-green, anteriorly with a slight coppery purple sheen; mesopleuron, mesosternum and metanotum dark brown with a slight purple sheen; fore wing (Fig. 394) largely hyaline but with a median, elongate, wedge-shaped, infuscate mark; legs mainly pale orange, but hind femur mostly brown to dark brown, mid and hind coxae sometimes brownish proximally, rarely mid femur brown in distal half or mid and hind coxae almost completely brown; propodeum dark brown with a slight purple sheen, side with a group of silver setae dorsally, metallic green or blue-green; gaster dark brown, dorsally with a coppery sheen, Gt1 metallic green or blue-green, side and venter with mixed coppery and green or blue-green reflections; gonostylus dark brown; head (Fig. 392) about 3.2-3.5X as wide as frontovertex, ocelli forming an angle of about 65-70°; sculpture on frontovertex fine, polygonally reticulate of mesh size slightly smaller than eye facet; scrobes shallow, meeting, weakly margined; antenna (Fig. 396) with all funicle segments slightly longer than broad, broader distad, clava slightly widened, sutures slightly oblique, about as long as F3-F6 combined or slightly shorter, sensory area at apex only giving apex a weakly truncate or rounded appearance; malar sulcus absent; mesoscutum (Fig. 393) with irregular, polygonally reticulate sculpture that is very slightly deeper and coarser than that on frontovertex; scutellum mostly with polygonally reticulate sculpture that is deeper and more regular than that on mesoscutum, area between axillae with cells more rounded, posterior cells more longitudinally elongate, apical 0.14 of scutellum and side completely smooth and shiny; forewing about 3.2-3.4X as long as broad, venation and setation as in Figs 394, 397. Gaster very slightly shorter than head and thorax combined, hypopygium (Fig. 395) reaching about 0.4X towards apex, syntergum about 1.4X as long as mid tibia, ovipositor (Fig, 398) about 1.6-1.7X as long as mid tibia and slightly exserted, the exserted part about one-third length of mid tibial spur. Male (length about 0.7-1.6mm): fore wing (Fig. 401) with infuscate streak paler than in female or absent; flagellum (Fig. 400) clothed with whorls of long setae, the longest of which is about 2.2X as long as diameter of segment; genitalia (Fig. 402) with a single small, apical tooth on digitus, aedeagus slender, apically acute, 0.45-0.6X as long as mid tibia.

DISTRIBUTION. Mexico. Grenada, St Vincent & Grenadines, Trinidad & Tobago and Argentina (Noyes, 2019). Also recorded below from Costa Rica (new record),

HOSTS. Unknown.

MATERIAL EXAMINED.

Type material. Lectotype ♀ of Encyrtus nitidus: “ Encyrtus nitidus n. How.” [St Vincent]. Paralectotypes of Encyrtus nitidus: 3♀, one labelled ST VINCENT, H.H. Smith, “ Encyrtus nitidus n. How. Type” and all (including lectotype) (BM) (18)99-331. Holotype ♂ of Encyrtus convexus: GRENADA, windward side, Balthazar, H.H. Smith, (BM) (18)99-331, “ Encyrtus convexus How. type ♂”.

Non type material. ST VINCENT & GRENADINES, 4♀, 8♂, St Vincent, various localities, 6-13. vii.1976 (J.S. Noyes). TRINIDAD & TOBAGO, 1♀, Trinidad, Caroni, Gran Couva, cacao plantation, 27.vi.1976 (J.S. Noyes); 2♀, 1♂, Trinidad, St George, St Augustine, Malaise trap, 15.vii-13.viii.1976 (J.S. Noyes); 1♀, Tobago, St Patrick, Mount Irvine Bay, coastal grassland, 19.vii.1976 (J.S. Noyes); 1♀, Tobago, St John, Cambleton, secondary forest, 22.vii.1976 (J.S. Noyes); COSTA RICA, 7♀, Guanacaste, Santa Rosa NP, Hacienda, various dates 17.iv.1985-31.i.1987 (Janzen & Gauld). 1♀, 1♂, Guanacaste, Guanacaste NP, below Pitilla, 600m, 7-8.iii.1990 (J.S. Noyes); 1♀, Guanacaste, San Lorenzo, Tienas Morenas, LN 287800 427600, iv.1995 (G. Rodriguez); 4♀, Guanacaste, PN Marino Las Baulas, LN 332690 258040, 0m, 16.viii.2000, 20.ix-16.x.2000 and 14.xii.2000 (Y. Cardenas); 1♀, Guanacaste, Santa Cruz, Vista del Mar, Torre Cocesna, LN 357490 235430, 970m, #61247, xii.2000 - i.2001 (Y. Cardenas); 1♀, Guanacaste, ZP Nozara, File Maravilla, LN 221350 381700, 800m, #66663, 24.xi-21.xii.2001 (I. Jiménez); 2♀, Guanacaste, PN Palo Verde, Sector Palo Verde Estación, LN 385020 260952, 0m, 6.i-18.ii.2000 and 13-20.ix.2000 (I. Jiménez); 1♀, Guanacaste, PN Palo Verde, Sector Catalina, Puente Espuela, 0m, #58295, 9.viii-8.ix.2002 (I. Jiménez); 1♀, Heredia, OTS-La Selva, 100m, ix.1992 (P. Hanson); 1♀, Heredia, 11km SE La Virgen, 10°20’N 84°04’W, 450-550m, 05/N/TN, 22.ii-20.iv.2003 (INBio-OET-ALAS); 1♀, Heredia, Santa Rosa de Heredia, INBio, LN 217400 526250, 1100m, #58654, 5.ix-5.x.2000 (R. Zuñiga); 1♀, San José, Ciudad Colon, ii.1990 (L. Fournier); 4♀, Puntarenas, Res. Priv. Karen Mogensen, 9°52’N 85°03’W, 305m, 14-15.ii.2005 (J.S. Noyes); 1♀, Puntarenas, Manuel Antonio, 26.vii.1986 (L. Masner); 1♀, Puntarenas, Est.Altamira, Send. a Casa Coca, LS 331750 574400, 1700m, ii.2002 (C. Hansson, D. Rubí, J. Azofeifa); 1♀, Puntarenas, RF Golfo Dulce, 5km W Piedras Blancas, 8°46’N 83°17’W, 100m, i-iii.1991 (P. Hanson, C. Godoy); 2♀, 2♂, Puntarenas, Pen. Osa, 5km N Puerto Jimenez, 8°33’N 83°21’W, 10m, x.1990, i-ii.1991 and vii-viii.1993 (P. Hanson); 2♀, Puntarenas, Pen. Osa, Puerto Jimenez, 8°32’N 83°19’W, i.1992 and x.1992 (P. Hanson); 2♂, Puntarenas, PN Corcovado, Los Patos, LS 517900 281600, 200m, #62437, 4-5.v.2001 (J. Azofeifa). Material in MZUCR and NHMUK.