Itaplectops aurifrons Fleming & Wood, 2014

Fleming, AJ, Wood, D. Monty, Smith, M. Alex, Janzen, Daniel H. & Hallwachs, Winnie, 2015, Nine new species of Itaplectops (Diptera: Tachinidae) reared from caterpillars in Area de Conservacion Guanacaste, northwestern Costa Rica, with a key to Itaplectops species, Biodiversity Data Journal 3, pp. 4596-4596 : 4596

Itaplectops aurifrons Fleming & Wood, 2014 sp. n.

Materials

Type status: Holotype. Occurrence: occurrenceDetails: http://janzen.sas.upenn.edu; catalogNumber: DHJPAR0007133 ; recordedBy: D.H. Janzen & W. Hallwachs, Gloria Sihezar; individualID: DHJPAR0007133; individualCount: 1; sex: M; lifeStage: adult; preparations: pinned; otherCatalogNumbers: ASTAV375-06, 06-SRNP-1262; Taxon: scientificName: Itaplectopsaurifrons; phylum: Arthropoda; class: Insecta; order: Diptera; family: Tachinidae; genus: Itaplectops; specificEpithet: aurifrons; scientificNameAuthorship: Fleming & Wood; Location: continent: Central America; country: Costa Rica; countryCode: CR; stateProvince: Alajuela; county: Area de Conservacion Guanacaste; locality: Sector San Cristobal ; verbatimLocality: Cementerio Viejo; verbatimElevation: 570; verbatimLatitude: 10.881; verbatimLongitude: -85.389; verbatimCoordinateSystem: Decimal; decimalLatitude: 10.881; decimalLongitude: -85.389; Identification: identifiedBy: AJ Fleming; dateIdentified: 2014; Event: samplingProtocol: reared from caterpillar of Dalcerides mesoa (Dalceridae); verbatimEventDate: Mar-04-2006; Record Level: language: en; institutionCode: CNC; collectionCode: Insects; basisOfRecord: Pinned Specimen

Type status: Paratype. Occurrence: occurrenceDetails: http://janzen.sas.upenn.edu; catalogNumber: DHJPAR0023648 ; recordedBy: D.H. Janzen & W. Hallwachs, Dunia Garcia; individualID: DHJPAR0023648; individualCount: 1; sex: F; lifeStage: adult; preparations: pinned; otherCatalogNumbers: ASTAW505-08, 07-SRNP-47422; Taxon: scientificName: Itaplectopsaurifrons; phylum: Arthropoda; class: Insecta; order: Diptera; family: Tachinidae; genus: Itaplectops; specificEpithet: aurifrons; scientificNameAuthorship: Fleming & Wood; Location: continent: Central America; country: Costa Rica; countryCode: CR; stateProvince: Guanacaste; county: Area de Conservacion Guanacaste; locality: Sector Cacao ; verbatimLocality: Cuesta Caimito; verbatimElevation: 640; verbatimLatitude: 10.891; verbatimLongitude: -85.472; verbatimCoordinateSystem: Decimal; decimalLatitude: 10.891; decimalLongitude: -85.472; Identification: identifiedBy: AJ Fleming; dateIdentified: 2014; Event: samplingProtocol: reared from caterpillar of Rosema attenuata (Notodontidae); verbatimEventDate: Jan-13-2008; Record Level: language: en; institutionCode: CNC; collectionCode: Insects; basisOfRecord: Pinned Specimen

Type status: Paratype. Occurrence: occurrenceDetails: http://janzen.sas.upenn.edu; catalogNumber: DHJPAR0019121 ; recordedBy: D.H. Janzen & W. Hallwachs, Gloria Sihezar; individualID: DHJPAR0019121; sex: F; lifeStage: adult; preparations: pinned; otherCatalogNumbers: ASTAI1768-07, 98-SRNP-6258; Taxon: scientificName: Itaplectopsaurifrons; phylum: Arthropoda; class: Insecta; order: Diptera; family: Tachinidae; genus: Itaplectops; specificEpithet: aurifrons; scientificNameAuthorship: Fleming & Wood; Location: continent: Central America; country: Costa Rica; countryCode: CR; stateProvince: Alajuela; county: Area de Conservacion Guanacaste; locality: Sector San Cristobal ; verbatimLocality: Sendero Corredor; verbatimElevation: 620; verbatimLatitude: 10.879; verbatimLongitude: -85.39; verbatimCoordinateSystem: Decimal; decimalLatitude: 10.879; decimalLongitude: -85.39; Identification: identifiedBy: AJ Fleming; dateIdentified: 2014; Event: samplingProtocol: reared from caterpillar of Parasa sandrae (Limacodidae); verbatimEventDate: Feb-27-1998; Record Level: language: en; institutionCode: CNC; collectionCode: Insects; basisOfRecord: Pinned Specimen

Type status: Paratype. Occurrence: occurrenceDetails: http://janzen.sas.upenn.edu; catalogNumber: DHJPAR0052468 ; recordedBy: D.H. Janzen & W. Hallwachs, Dunia Garcia; individualID: DHJPAR0052468; individualCount: 1; sex: F; lifeStage: adult; preparations: pinned; otherCatalogNumbers: ASHYM1822-13, 13-SRNP-35378; Taxon: scientificName: Itaplectopsaurifrons; phylum: Arthropoda; class: Insecta; order: Diptera; family: Tachinidae; genus: Itaplectops; specificEpithet: aurifrons; scientificNameAuthorship: Fleming & Wood; Location: continent: Central America; country: Costa Rica; countryCode: CR; stateProvince: Guanacaste; county: Area de Conservacion Guanacaste; locality: Sector Cacao ; verbatimLocality: Sendero Abajo; verbatimCoordinateSystem: Decimal; Identification: identifiedBy: AJ Fleming; dateIdentified: 2014; Event: samplingProtocol: reared from caterpillar of Acharia apicalis (Limacodidae); verbatimEventDate: Jul-15-2013; Record Level: language: en; institutionCode: CNC; collectionCode: Insects; basisOfRecord: Pinned Specimen

Type status: Paratype. Occurrence: occurrenceDetails: http://janzen.sas.upenn.edu; catalogNumber: DHJPAR0019122 ; recordedBy: D.H. Janzen & W. Hallwachs, Gloria Sihezar; individualID: DHJPAR0019122; individualCount: 1; sex: F; lifeStage: adult; preparations: pinned; otherCatalogNumbers: ASTAI1769-07, 98-SRNP-6258; Taxon: scientificName: Itaplectopsaurifrons; phylum: Arthropoda; class: Insecta; order: Diptera; family: Tachinidae; genus: Itaplectops; specificEpithet: aurifrons; scientificNameAuthorship: Fleming & Wood; Location: continent: Central America; country: Costa Rica; countryCode: CR; stateProvince: Alajuela; county: Area de Conservacion Guanacaste; locality: Sector San Cristobal ; verbatimLocality: Sendero Corredor; verbatimElevation: 620; verbatimLatitude: 10.879; verbatimLongitude: -85.39; verbatimCoordinateSystem: Decimal; decimalLatitude: 10.879; decimalLongitude: -85.39; Identification: identifiedBy: AJ Fleming; dateIdentified: 2014; Event: samplingProtocol: reared from caterpillar of Parasa sandrae (Limacodidae); verbatimEventDate: Feb-27-1998; Record Level: language: en; institutionCode: CNC; collectionCode: Insects; basisOfRecord: Pinned Specimen

Type status: Paratype. Occurrence: occurrenceDetails: http://janzen.sas.upenn.edu; catalogNumber: DHJPAR0019123 ; recordedBy: D.H. Janzen & W. Hallwachs, Gloria Sihezar; individualID: DHJPAR0019123; individualCount: 1; sex: F; lifeStage: adult; preparations: pinned; otherCatalogNumbers: ASTAI1770-07, 98-SRNP-6258; Taxon: scientificName: Itaplectopsaurifrons; phylum: Arthropoda; class: Insecta; order: Diptera; family: Tachinidae; genus: Itaplectops; specificEpithet: aurifrons; scientificNameAuthorship: Fleming & Wood; Location: continent: Central America; country: Costa Rica; countryCode: CR; stateProvince: Alajuela; county: Area de Conservacion Guanacaste; locality: Sector San Cristobal ; verbatimLocality: Sendero Corredor; verbatimElevation: 620; verbatimLatitude: 10.879; verbatimLongitude: -85.39; verbatimCoordinateSystem: Decimal; decimalLatitude: 10.879; decimalLongitude: -85.39; Identification: identifiedBy: AJ Fleming; dateIdentified: 2014; Event: samplingProtocol: reared from caterpillar of Parasa sandrae (Limacodidae); verbatimEventDate: Feb-27-1998; Record Level: language: en; institutionCode: CNC; collectionCode: Insects; basisOfRecord: Pinned Specimen

Type status: Paratype. Occurrence: occurrenceDetails: http://janzen.sas.upenn.edu; catalogNumber: DHJPAR0019120 ; recordedBy: D.H. Janzen & W. Hallwachs, gusaneros; individualID: DHJPAR0019120; individualCount: 1; sex: M; lifeStage: adult; preparations: pinned; otherCatalogNumbers: ASTAI1767-07, 93-SRNP-2131; Taxon: scientificName: Itaplectopsaurifrons; phylum: Arthropoda; class: Insecta; order: Diptera; family: Tachinidae; genus: Itaplectops; specificEpithet: aurifrons; scientificNameAuthorship: Fleming & Wood; Location: continent: Central America; country: Costa Rica; countryCode: CR; stateProvince: Guanacaste; county: Area de Conservacion Guanacaste; locality: Sector Santa Rosa ; verbatimLocality: Cafetal; verbatimElevation: 280; verbatimLatitude: 10.858; verbatimLongitude: -85.611; verbatimCoordinateSystem: Decimal; decimalLatitude: 10.858; decimalLongitude: -85.611; Identification: identifiedBy: AJ Fleming; dateIdentified: 2014; Event: samplingProtocol: reared from caterpillar of Parasa wellesca (Limacodidae); verbatimEventDate: Jun-29-1993; Record Level: language: en; institutionCode: CNC; collectionCode: Insects; basisOfRecord: Pinned Specimen

Type status: Paratype. Occurrence: occurrenceDetails: http://janzen.sas.upenn.edu; catalogNumber: DHJPAR0016104 ; recordedBy: D.H. Janzen & W. Hallwachs, Wilberth Araya Alegria; individualID: DHJPAR0016104; individualCount: 1; sex: M; lifeStage: adult; preparations: pinned; otherCatalogNumbers: ASTAP133-06, 06-SRNP-33945; Taxon: scientificName: Itaplectopsaurifrons; phylum: Arthropoda; class: Insecta; order: Diptera; family: Tachinidae; genus: Itaplectops; specificEpithet: aurifrons; scientificNameAuthorship: Fleming & Wood; Location: continent: Central America; country: Costa Rica; countryCode: CR; stateProvince: Guanacaste; county: Area de Conservacion Guanacaste; locality: Sector Pitilla ; verbatimLocality: Sendero Laguna; verbatimElevation: 680; verbatimLatitude: 10.989; verbatimLongitude: -85.423; verbatimCoordinateSystem: Decimal; decimalLatitude: 10.989; decimalLongitude: -85.423; Identification: identifiedBy: AJ Fleming; dateIdentified: 2014; Event: samplingProtocol: reared from caterpillar of Vipsophobetronmarisa (Limacodidae); verbatimEventDate: Sep-29-2006; Record Level: language: en; institutionCode: CNC; collectionCode: Insects; basisOfRecord: Pinned Specimen

Type status: Paratype. Occurrence: occurrenceDetails: http://janzen.sas.upenn.edu; catalogNumber: DHJPAR0055013 ; recordedBy: D.H. Janzen & W. Hallwachs, Ricardo Calero; individualID: DHJPAR0055013; individualCount: 1; sex: M; lifeStage: adult; preparations: pinned; otherCatalogNumbers: ASHYH1560-14, 14-SRNP-70421; Taxon: scientificName: Itaplectopsaurifrons; phylum: Arthropoda; class: Insecta; order: Diptera; family: Tachinidae; genus: Itaplectops; specificEpithet: aurifrons; scientificNameAuthorship: Fleming & Wood; Location: continent: Central America; country: Costa Rica; countryCode: CR; stateProvince: Guanacaste; county: Area de Conservacion Guanacaste; locality: Sector Pitilla ; verbatimLocality: Sendero Manguera; verbatimCoordinateSystem: Decimal; Identification: identifiedBy: AJ Fleming; dateIdentified: 2014; Event: samplingProtocol: reared from caterpillar of Euprosterna elaea (Limacodidae); verbatimEventDate: Mar-14-2014; Record Level: language: en; institutionCode: CNC; collectionCode: Insects; basisOfRecord: Pinned Specimen

Type status: Paratype. Occurrence: occurrenceDetails: http://janzen.sas.upenn.edu; catalogNumber: DHJPAR0019124 ; recordedBy: D.H. Janzen & W. Hallwachs, Harry Ramirez; individualID: DHJPAR0019124; individualCount: 1; sex: M; lifeStage: adult; preparations: pinned; otherCatalogNumbers: ASTAI1771-07, 04-SRNP-46517; Taxon: scientificName: Itaplectopsaurifrons; phylum: Arthropoda; class: Insecta; order: Diptera; family: Tachinidae; genus: Itaplectops; specificEpithet: aurifrons; scientificNameAuthorship: Fleming & Wood; Location: continent: Central America; country: Costa Rica; countryCode: CR; stateProvince: Guanacaste; county: Area de Conservacion Guanacaste; locality: Sector Cacao ; verbatimLocality: Quebrada Otilio; verbatimElevation: 550; verbatimLatitude: 10.89; verbatimLongitude: -85.48; verbatimCoordinateSystem: Decimal; decimalLatitude: 10.89; decimalLongitude: -85.48; Identification: identifiedBy: AJ Fleming; dateIdentified: 2014; Event: samplingProtocol: reared from caterpillar of Acharia sarans (Limacodidae); verbatimEventDate: Jul-10-2004; Record Level: language: en; institutionCode: CNC; collectionCode: Insects; basisOfRecord: Pinned Specimen

Type status: Paratype. Occurrence: occurrenceDetails: http://janzen.sas.upenn.edu; catalogNumber: DHJPAR0052467 ; recordedBy: D.H. Janzen & W. Hallwachs, Dunia Garcia; individualID: DHJPAR0052467; individualCount: 1; sex: M; lifeStage: adult; preparations: pinned; otherCatalogNumbers: ASHYM1821-13, 13-SRNP-35377; Taxon: scientificName: Itaplectopsaurifrons; phylum: Arthropoda; class: Insecta; order: Diptera; family: Tachinidae; genus: Itaplectops; specificEpithet: aurifrons; scientificNameAuthorship: Fleming & Wood; Location: continent: Central America; country: Costa Rica; countryCode: CR; stateProvince: Guanacaste; county: Area de Conservacion Guanacaste; locality: Sector Cacao ; verbatimLocality: Sendero Abajo; verbatimCoordinateSystem: Decimal; Identification: identifiedBy: AJ Fleming; dateIdentified: 2014; Event: samplingProtocol: reared from caterpillar of Acharia apicalis (Limacodidae); verbatimEventDate: Jul-15-2013; Record Level: language: en; institutionCode: CNC; collectionCode: Insects; basisOfRecord: Pinned Specimen

Type status: Paratype. Occurrence: occurrenceDetails: http://janzen.sas.upenn.edu; catalogNumber: DHJPAR0023103 ; recordedBy: D.H. Janzen & W. Hallwachs, Manuel Rios; individualID: DHJPAR0023103; individualCount: 1; sex: M; lifeStage: adult; preparations: pinned; otherCatalogNumbers: ASTAW264-08, 07-SRNP-34168; Taxon: scientificName: Itaplectopsaurifrons; phylum: Arthropoda; class: Insecta; order: Diptera; family: Tachinidae; genus: Itaplectops; specificEpithet: aurifrons; scientificNameAuthorship: Fleming & Wood; Location: continent: Central America; country: Costa Rica; countryCode: CR; stateProvince: Guanacaste; county: Area de Conservacion Guanacaste; locality: Sector Pitilla ; verbatimLocality: Amonias; verbatimElevation: 390; verbatimLatitude: 11.042; verbatimLongitude: -85.403; verbatimCoordinateSystem: Decimal; decimalLatitude: 11.042; decimalLongitude: -85.403; Identification: identifiedBy: AJ Fleming; dateIdentified: 2014; Event: samplingProtocol: reared from caterpillar of Parasa minima (Limacodidae); verbatimEventDate: Jan-18-2008; Record Level: language: en; institutionCode: CNC; collectionCode: Insects; basisOfRecord: Pinned Specimen

Description

Male and female

Length: male 4-5mm; female 4-5mm.

Head (Fig. 6c): proclinate orbital bristles present in both males and females; first flagellomere entirely dark or brownish orange over at least 1/2 of its surface; arista dark brown over 1/2 of its length, bright orange basally, with gradual taper; first flagellomere reaching facial margin; ocellar bristles reduced, almost hair-like, as long or longer than length of pedicel, arising behind anterior ocellus; ocellar triangle covered in small proclinate hairs; frontal vitta approximately 2x as wide as fronto-orbital plate; facial ridge bearing at least 8 stout, decumbent bristles; fronto-orbital plate slightly gold tinged; parafacial entirely silver and bare; fronto-orbital plate of male with fine bristles confined to a row lateral to frontal bristles, these not extending past lowest frontal bristle; absent in females.

Thorax (Fig. 6a): three postsutural supra-alar bristles, anteriormost greatly reduced to an almost hair-like structure; katepisternum with 2 bristles, anteriormost reduced in size, arising slightly behind suture; apical scutellar bristles long, up to 3/4 length of subapical scutellars; subapical scutellar bristles parallel or convergent (often crossed); scutellum with 1-2 pairs of widely separated discal bristles.

Wings (Fig. 6a, b): smoky yellow.

Legs (Fig. 6b): appearing dark overall, femur at least 1/2 yellow, tibia yellow, and tarsi yellow (although these may appear dark due to hirsuteness); dorso-ventral margin of hind tarsi with yellow tufts of bristles apically.

Abdomen (Fig. 6a, b): T1+2 with mid-dorsal depression extending along 2/3 of its length, but not reaching tergal margin; median marginal bristles present on T4 and T5 but absent on T1+2 and T3. Reduced discal bristles present on T3, sometimes appearing like thicker abdominal hairs. Silver tomentosity on margins of abdominal segments T3 and T4 only visible under certain angles of light, this not extending beyond 1/3 of tergal surface.

Male terminalia (Fig. 6d, e): cerci tightly juxtaposed when viewed dorsally; haired up to tapering point, then bare until the tip; slightly convex when viewed laterally; surstylus almost as long as the cercus, outwardly convex at its center so as to appear outwardly bowed with a slight inward bend apically, giving it a slightly hooked tip; densely bristled along its entire length; phallus 2x as long as cercus, with a downward bend.

Diagnosis

Itaplectops aurifrons can be distinguished by the following combination of traits: proclinate orbital bristles present in males; fronto-orbital plate with gold sheen; first flagellomere black/brown over at least 1/2 its surface; three postsutural supra-alar bristles; median marginal bristles absent on T1+2 and T3 but present on T4 and T5; discal bristles present at least on T3 (in some cases these can appear reduced but still present); silver tomentosity present on margins of abdominal segments T3 and T4. It can be distinguished from its most similar congener, Itaplectops argentifrons , following couplet 7 in the key to Itaplectops (below).

Etymology

From the Latin adjective, aurum, meaning “gold”, and the Latin noun frons, meaning "forehead" (a common term in insect anatomy), in reference to the bright golden tomentosity on the fronto-orbital plate and parafacial.

Distribution

Costa Rica, ACG, Prov. Alajuela and Guanacaste, rain forest and dry forest.

Ecology

Hosts

Reared from caterpillars of the Limacodidae , Vipsophobetron marisa Druce, 1900.