Leptodrepana ronnae Dadelahi & Shaw

Dadelahi, Samin D., Shaw, Scott R., Aguirre, Helmuth & Almeida, Luis Felipe V. de, 2018, A taxonomic study of Costa Rican Leptodrepana with the description of twenty-four new species (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Cheloninae), ZooKeys 750, pp. 59-130 : 87-90

Leptodrepana ronnae Dadelahi & Shaw sp. n. Figs 72-76

Diagnosis.

In dorsal view, apex appears rounded or with barely protruding truncated flange below rounded dorsum of carapace; in lateral view, carapace apex terminates in narrow sloping point below midline. Presence of a transverse carina at the carapace apex in posterior view. Scutellar sulcus with three well-defined depressions, all longer than wide. Body mostly brownish black except flagellum brown that bears a yellowish white annulus at flagellomeres 4-6, and carapace with basal half yellowish white.

Holotype female.

BL 2.87 mm; FWL 2.6 mm; CL 1.32 mm; CW 0.4 mm; CL/CW 3.3.

Description.

Color. Head brownish black, mandibles yellow, blackish brown apically; palpi yellowish white; antennae brown, except for flagellomeres 4-6 yellowish white, scape and pedicel yellowish brown; mesosoma mostly black, pronotum yellowish white postero-laterally, propleuron yellowish white; fore and middle legs with coxa and trochanter yellowish white, trochantellus, femur and tibia yellowish brown; hind leg similar except brown and coxa with apical brown patch; wings lightly pigmented with darker area below stigma covering apical half of 1st submarginal cell and anterior portion of 2nd submarginal cell; carapace blackish brown with basal half yellowish white.

Head. HW 0.85 mm; HL 0.7 mm; HW/HL 1.21; face, genae, vertex and ocellar triangle rugulose-punctate; frons depressed punctate with distinct parallel lineation lateral to median carina; clypeus punctate and apical margin rounded; occipital carina complete; antennae with flagellum slightly dilated medially.

Mesosoma. Pronotum mostly shiny and impunctate but rugose-punctate near tegula; propleuron weakly areolate-rugose; mesoscutum medially with shallow irregular pitted grooves between notauli, mesonotal lobes rugose-punctate; notauli visible anteriorly; scutellar sulcus with three well-defined depressions, all longer than wide; scutellar disc rugose-punctate; mesopleuron anteriorly rugose, medially shiny and weakly punctate, some shallow irregularly shaped pits at precoxal sulcus, and weakly punctate to impunctate postero-ventrally; propodeum coarsely areolate-rugose with distinct transverse carina raised into medial and lateral flanges, lateral flanges greatly protruding approximately 3 × the size of median flanges.

Metasoma. Carapace areolate-rugose to punctate at apex; in dorsal view, apex appears rounded or with barely protruding truncated flange below rounded dorsum of carapace; in lateral view, carapace apex terminates in narrow sloping point below midline; in posterior view, apex terminates in shallowly arched ridge or carina.

Variation of paratype females. No paratype females.

Paratype males. No males.

Material examined.

Holotype female: PUNTARENAS, San Vito, Jardin Bot. Las Cruces, 1200 m, vi–vii.1988 (P. Hanson) [UWIM].

Remarks.

Leptodrepana ronnae is similar to L. strategeri in shape and color. It may be easily distinguished from L. strategeri by the presence of a transverse carina at the carapace apex in posterior view. Also when viewed posteriorly, the carapace apex appears distinctly wrinkled or rugulose. The scutellar sulcus has only three well-defined depressions and the mesopleuron has shallow irregularly shaped pits at the precoxal sulcus. In females, the flagellum is brown but bears a yellowish white annulus at flagellomeres 4-6. Leptodrepana strategeri lacks a transverse carina at the carapace apex in posterior view. The carapace is shiny and weakly punctate at the apex. The scutellar sulcus has 4-5 well-defined depressions and the mesopleuron has a scrobiculate groove at the precoxal sulcus. In females the flagellum is light brown.

Etymology.

This species name is a patronym for Ronnae Lynn Nemitz, a close friend of SDD, always ready to point out that we do not know everything.