Leptodrepana thema 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 : 110-113

Leptodrepana thema Dadelahi & Shaw sp. n. Figs 121-125

Diagnosis.

Small body size, less than 2.5 mm. In posterior, dorsal, and lateral views, carapace apex rounded. The flagellum appears slightly dilated medially. The wings are lightly suffused with yellowish brown pigment and do not have a densely setose darkly pigmented patch below the stigma.

Holotype female.

BL 2.06 mm; FWL 1.87 mm; CL 0.92 mm; CW 0.36 mm; CL/CW 2.56.

Description.

Color. Head blackish brown, mandibles yellow, blackish brown apically; apical margin of clypeus yellowishish brown; palpi yellowish white; antennae with scape and pedicel a yellowish brown and flagellum brown; mesosoma blackish brown; middle and fore legs yellow; hind leg mostly yellow except apical portions of femur and tibia yellowish brown; wings suffused with light yellowish brown pigment; venation yellowish brown; basal third of carapace yellowish white and apical 2/3 of carapace blackish brown.

Head. HW 0.68 mm; HL 0.53 mm; HW/HL 1.58; face, genae, vertex and ocellar triangle coarsely rugulose-punctate; frons depressed, coarsely rugulose-punctate with fine parallel lineation lateral to median carina; clypeus punctate and apical margin rounded; occipital carina complete; antennae with a slightly dilated appearance medially.

Mesosoma. Pronotum deeply foveate antero-laterally to weakly areolate-rugose at propleural margin; propleuron weakly areolate-rugose; mesoscutum areolate-rugose, mesonotal lobes not differentiated from median mesoscutum; notauli indistinct and visible anteriorly; scutellar sulcus with five well-defined depressions, all longer than wide; scutellar disc rugose-punctate; mesopleuron anteriorly rugose, medially coarsely foveate, foveate groove at precoxal sulcus, foveate postero-ventrally; propodeum coarsely areolate-rugose with distinct transverse carina raised into small and roughly equal medial and lateral flanges.

Metasoma. Carapace completely areolate-rugose; in posterior, dorsal, and lateral views, carapace apex rounded.

Variation of paratype females.HW 0.7-0.75 mm; HL 0.575 mm; HW/HL 1.21-1.30; BL 2.26-2.4 mm; FWL 1.86-2.06 mm; CL 0.96-1.04 mm; CW 0.4-0.44 mm; CL/CW 2.36-2.4.

Paratype males. No males.

Material examined.

Holotype female: GUANACASTE, P. N. Santa Rosa, Bosque San Emilio, 50 year old deciduous forest in clearing fully isolated part of day, 300 m, 24. v– 14.vi.1986 (I. Gauld & D. Janzen) [UWIM]. Paratype data: 1♀, same data as holotype; 1♀, same data except 31. i– 21.ii.1987; 1♀, same data except site #2, open regenerating woodland, 10 years old, more or less fully shaded as possible, 6-27.ix.1986.

Remarks.

Leptodrepana thema is superficially similar to L. soussanae but may be distinguished from this species by its small body size, less than 2.5 mm. The flagellum appears slightly dilated medially. The wings are lightly suffused with yellowish brown pigment and do not have a densely setose darkly pigmented patch below the stigma. Leptodrepana soussanae has a robust body, more than 3 mm in length. The thickness of the flagellum is uniform. The wing bears a densely setose circular area below the stigma that is suffused with brown pigmentation and covers the apical half of 1st submarginal cell and most of 2nd submarginal cell.

Etymology.

This species name is an arbitrary arrangement of letters to form a euphonious combination.