Heterospilus petralbus Marsh

Marsh, Paul M., Wild, Alexander L. & Whitfield, James B., 2013, The Doryctinae (Braconidae) of Costa Rica: genera and species of the tribe Heterospilini, ZooKeys 347, pp. 1-474 : 141-143

Heterospilus petralbus Marsh sp. n. Figure 95

Female.

Body size: 2.0-3.5 mm. Color: head usually brown, often with face lighter; scape yellow with weak lateral longitudinal brown stripe, flagellum brown with apical 3-5 flagellomeres white; mesosoma usually dark brown, mesoscutal lobes often lighter or distinctly light brown, lower portion of mesopleuron and venter occasionally lighter brown; metasomal tergum 1 dark brown, tergum 2 usually dark brown with lateral converging yellow lines, sometimes tergum 2 nearly entirely brown, terga 3-7 brown basally, honey yellow apically; wing veins including stigma brown; legs bicolored yellow and brown, fore and mid legs yellow, hind coxa and trochanters yellow, hind femur yellow on basal 1/3, brown on apical 2/3, hind tibia brown at extreme base, yellow on basal 1/3, brown on apical 2/3, hind tarsus brown. Head: vertex transversely costate; frons transversely costate; face rugose or rugose-areolate; temple in dorsal view narrow, width less than 1/2 eye width; malar space greater than 1/4 eye height; ocell-ocular distance slightly greater than 2.5 times diameter of lateral ocellus; 22-29 flagellomeres. Mesosoma: mesoscutal lobes granulate; notauli scrobiculate, meeting at scutellum in triangular rugose-costate area; scutellum granulate; prescutellar furrow with 3 cross carinae; mesopleuron granulate; precoxal sulcus smooth, shorter than mesopleuron; venter granulate; propodeum with basal median areas margined, granulate-rugose, basal median carina present, areola not distinctly margined, areolar area rugose, lateral areas rugose posteriorly, granulate or smooth anteriorly. Wings: fore wing vein r shorter than vein 3RSa, vein 1cu-a beyond vein 1M; hind wing vein SC+R present, vein M+CU shorter than 1M. Metasoma: first tergum longitudinally costate-rugose, length greater than apical width; second tergum longitudinally costate; anterior transverse groove present, sinuate; posterior transverse groove present; third tergum smooth, often striate antero-laterally; terga 4-7 smooth; ovipositor about as long as metasoma.

Holotype female.

Top label (white, printed) - COSTA RICA: Puntar [;] Golfo Dulce, 10km W [;] Piedras Blancas, 100m [;] VI-VIII 1989, Hanson; second label (red, partially printed and hand written) - HOLOTYPE [;] Heterospilus [;] petralbus [;] P. Marsh. Deposited in ESUW.

Paratypes.

1 ♀, Costa Rica: Puntarenas [;] Golfo Dulce, 24km W. [;] Piedras Blancas, 200m [;] xii.1991, Paul Hanson (ESUW). 1 ♀, COSTA RICA: [;] 24km W Piedras Blancas [;] 200m, vi–viii 1989 [;] Hanson (ESUW). 2 ♀♀, top label - Costa Rica: Puntarenas [;] Buenos Aires [;] Sendero Los Gigantes [;] Est. Altamira, 1450m; second label - 3-22 February 2000 [;] D. Rubi, Amarilla [;] LS 331700-572200 [;] # 54808 (ESUW). 1 ♀, Costa Rica: Puntarenas [;] San Vito, Las Cruces [;] Wilson Botanical Gardens [;] 18-22.iii.1990, 1150m [;] J.S. Noyes (ESUW). 1 ♀, Costa Rica: Limon, Sec. Cocori [;] 30Km al N, Cariari, 100m [;] xii.1994, E. Rojas, Malaise [;] L.N. 286000-567500 #4525 (ESUW). 1 ♀, Costa Rica: Limon [;] 30km N Cariari, 100m [;] Sector Cocori, Malaise [;] iii.1995, E. Rojas #4524 [;] L.N. 286000-567500 (ESUW). 1 ♀, COSTA RICA-Heredia Prov. [;] La Selva Biological Station [;] 10°26'N, 84°01W, 100m [;] Malaise trap 05, #324 [;] 15.i.1994 [;] Project ALAS (M.05.324) (ESUW). 1 ♀, top label - COSTA RICA: Heredia Pr.;] La Selva Biol. Sta. [;] 3km S Pto. Viejo [;] 10°26'N, 84°01W; second label - 10.IV.1988 [;] H.A. Hespenheide (ESUW). 1 ♀, Costa Rica: Heredia [;] Braulio Carrillo N.P. [;] 250-500m IV.10.85 [;] Henri Goulet (AEIC). 1 ♀, COSTA RICA, Puntar. [;] Golfo Dulce, 24km W. [;] PiedrasBlancas, 200m [;] XII.89-III.90 Hanson (MICR). 1 ♀, Costa Rica: Puntarenas [;] San Vito - Las Cruces [;] 5-VI-1988 1200m [;] P. Hanson (TAMU). 1 ♀, Est. Altamira, Buenos Aires, Prov. Punta. [;] COSTA RICA. 15 Set– 14 Oct 1998. R. [;] Delgado, LS 572100_331700 #2370 (INBC). 1 ♀, Est. Biol. Las Alturas, [;] 1500m, Coto Brus, Prov. [;] Punt., COSTA RICA, [;] M.Zumbado, Ene 1992, [;] L-S-822500-591800 (INBC). 1 ♀, Est. Pitilia, 700m, 9km S [;] Sta. Cecilia, P.N.Guana- [;] caste, Prov.Guan. COSTA [;] RICA, C. Moraga, May [;] 1991, L-N-330200-380200 (INBC). 1 ♀, Quebrada Segundo, Tapanti, Prov. [;] Carta. COSTA RICA. 1150m. JUN [;] 1995, R.Delgado, Amarilla [;] L N 194000 559800 #5345 (INBC). 1 ♀, Est. La Casona, R.B. Monteverde, Prov. [;] Punta. COSTA RICA. 1520m. Jul 1993. N [;] Obando, L N 253250_449700 #2287 (INBC).

Comments.

This species is similar to Heterospilus gahani but is distinguished by the granulate mesoscutal lobes.

Etymology.

The specific name is from the Latin petra meaning rock and the Latin albus meaning white in reference to the locality of several of the type series being Piedras Blancas, meaning white stones.