Promicrogaster Brues & Richardson, 1913

Fernandez-Triana, Jose, Boudreault, Caroline, Dapkey, Tanya, Smith, M. Alex, Rodriguez, J., Hallwachs, Winnie & Janzen, Daniel H., 2016, Revision of the genus Promicrogaster (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Microgastrinae) from Area de Conservacion Guanacaste, Costa Rica, with a key to all species previously described from Mesoamerica, Journal of Hymenoptera Research 50, pp. 25-79 : 27-28

publication ID	https://dx.doi.org/10.3897/JHR.50.8220
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:8899289F-7707-4666-9D57-068469D75918
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/FD91CF69-90DC-8CC6-55DE-BFCEC08D09B5
treatment provided by	Journal of Hymenoptera Research by Pensoft
scientific name	Promicrogaster Brues & Richardson, 1913
status

Treatment

Promicrogaster Brues & Richardson, 1913 View in CoL View at ENA

Promicrogaster : Brues and Richardson 1913: 499.

Diagnosis.

Glossa elongate and bilobate (Figs 4 View Figures 1–8 , 10 View Figures 9–14 , 16 View Figures 15–20 , 22 View Figures 21–26 , 28 View Figures 27–32 , 34 View Figures 33–38 , 40 View Figures 39–44 , 46 View Figures 45–50 , 70 View Figures 69–74 , 76 View Figures 75–80 , 82 View Figures 81–86 , 101 View Figures 100–105 , 107 View Figures 106–110 , 118 View Figures 117–122 , 130 View Figures 129–134 , 149 View Figures 148–153 ). Lateral face of scutellum with polished area (=lunules) occupying most of the lateral face (Figs 12 View Figures 9–14 , 18 View Figures 15–20 , 24 View Figures 21–26 , 32 View Figures 27–32 , 36 View Figures 33–38 , 42 View Figures 39–44 , 62 View Figures 57–62 , 66 View Figures 63–68 , 72 View Figures 69–74 , 78 View Figures 75–80 , 84 View Figures 81–86 , 110 View Figures 106–110 , 114 View Figures 111–116 , 120 View Figures 117–122 , 126 View Figures 123–128 , 138 View Figures 135–140 , 147 View Figures 141–147 , 151 View Figures 148–153 ). Propodeum clearly sculptured and usually with some carination (Figs 12 View Figures 9–14 , 18 View Figures 15–20 , 36 View Figures 33–38 , 42 View Figures 39–44 , 66 View Figures 63–68 , 90 View Figures 87–92 , 99 View Figures 93–99 , 114 View Figures 111–116 , 120 View Figures 117–122 , 132 View Figures 129–134 , 133 View Figures 129–134 , 157 View Figures 154–159 ). Metacoxa very long, 0.8-1.0 × metafemur length and 0.6-0.8 × metatibia length (Figs 7 View Figures 1–8 , 15 View Figures 15–20 , 38 View Figures 33–38 , 45 View Figures 45–50 , 51 View Figures 51–56 , 57 View Figures 57–62 , 63 View Figures 63–68 , 74 View Figures 69–74 , 87 View Figures 87–92 , 106 View Figures 106–110 , 117 View Figures 117–122 , 129 View Figures 129–134 , 135 View Figures 135–140 , 146 View Figures 141–147 , 148 View Figures 148–153 , 154 View Figures 154–159 ). Mediotergite 1 parallel-sided (Figs 8 View Figures 1–8 , 13 View Figures 9–14 , 19 View Figures 15–20 , 32 View Figures 27–32 , 60 View Figures 57–62 , 140 View Figures 135–140 ) to slightly narrowing towards posterior margin (Figs 38 View Figures 33–38 , 44 View Figures 39–44 , 55 View Figures 51–56 , 67 View Figures 63–68 , 73 View Figures 69–74 , 85 View Figures 81–86 , 91 View Figures 87–92 , 105 View Figures 100–105 , 127 View Figures 123–128 , 132 View Figures 129–134 , 147 View Figures 141–147 ). Mediotergite 2 transverse, its width at posterior margin 3.0-4.5 × (rarely 2.0 ×) its length medially. Ovipositor very long for a microgastrine wasp (approximately two times longer than metatibia length), strongly curved and with its apex sinuate (Figs 1 View Figures 1–8 , 5 View Figures 1–8 , 14 View Figures 9–14 , 15 View Figures 15–20 , 20 View Figures 15–20 , 26 View Figures 21–26 , 30 View Figures 27–32 , 37 View Figures 33–38 , 43 View Figures 39–44 , 50 View Figures 45–50 , 51 View Figures 51–56 , 56 View Figures 51–56 , 61 View Figures 57–62 , 63 View Figures 63–68 , 68 View Figures 63–68 , 69 View Figures 69–74 , 74 View Figures 69–74 , 86 View Figures 81–86 , 87 View Figures 87–92 , 92 View Figures 87–92 , 98 View Figures 93–99 , 104 View Figures 100–105 , 108 View Figures 106–110 , 116 View Figures 111–116 , 121 View Figures 117–122 , 123 View Figures 123–128 , 128 View Figures 123–128 , 139 View Figures 135–140 , 140 View Figures 135–140 , 144 View Figures 141–147 , 148 View Figures 148–153 , 154 View Figures 154–159 , 159 View Figures 154–159 ). Fore wing usually with a small areolet, which is sometimes poorly defined (Figs 3 View Figures 1–8 , 17 View Figures 15–20 , 23 View Figures 21–26 , 29 View Figures 27–32 , 35 View Figures 33–38 , 47 View Figures 45–50 , 59 View Figures 57–62 , 65 View Figures 63–68 , 71 View Figures 69–74 , 77 View Figures 75–80 , 83 View Figures 81–86 , 89 View Figures 87–92 , 95 View Figures 93–99 , 108 View Figures 106–110 , 113 View Figures 111–116 , 119 View Figures 117–122 , 131 View Figures 129–134 , 137 View Figures 135–140 , 156 View Figures 154–159 ); but some small species have no trace of areolet whatsoever (Figs 41 View Figures 39–44 , 102 View Figures 100–105 , 125 View Figures 123–128 , 150 View Figures 148–153 ). Body and fore wing lengths ranging from 1.8-2.0 mm in the smallest species up to 4.9-5.3 mm in the largest species. Body length varying from slightly longer to slightly shorter than fore wing length.

Promicrogaster is a very distinctive genus as defined by the combination of elongate and bilobate glossa, large polished areas on lateral face of scutellum, and ovipositor shape and length. Within Microgastrinae , it can only be confused with Sendaphne , but the later has a much less transverse mediotergite 2, the apex of ovipositor is not sinuate, the propodeum is entirely or mostly smooth, and the first discal cell is much wider (e.g., Fernandez-Triana et al. 2014d).

We consider the described ' Promicrogaster ' from India as incertae sedis (see below for a detailed discussion on that species). Thus, Promicrogaster as defined here is restricted to the New World, with the vast majority of the species found in the Neotropics and a few extending north to the Nearctic ( Mason 1981, and unpublished data from the CNC collection). This pattern of distribution is remarkably similar to that found in other genera recently revised in the New World, such as Pseudapanteles and Venanus ( Fernandez-Triana et al. 2013, 2014b, 2014c). A total of 21 new species are described below, increasing the total known Mesoamerican species from 4 to 25, and the total number of described species for the genus from 11 to 32 (Table 1 View Table 1 ). We are aware of many additional undescribed species in collections, from North America (Canada/US) and South America, which will be dealt with in future papers.

As for habitat preference, 82% of the ACG species were collected in rain forests and cloud forests (with almost 60% restricted to cloud forests), while only 18% were found in dry forests. Around 40% of the species were found at low-mid elevation (0-500 m) whereas almost 60% of the species were collected at altitudes over 1,000 m. This strongly contrasts with the closely related genus Sendaphne , which has been mostly found at altitudes between 100-900 m with just a few species found in cloud forests ( Fernandez-Triana et al. 2014d).

All of the verified and authenticated host records for Promicrogaster are from caterpillars living more deeply inside more or less woody plant material than simply in rolled leaf structures. It is possible that the sinuate ovipositor tip in all known species of Promicrogaster is an adaptation allowing the ovipositor to be steered through fissures in harder/more woody structures than mere leaf rolls (e.g., Quicke 2015).

Muesebeck (1958) described Promicrogaster polyporicola as reared from unidentified Lepidoptera larvae infesting a bracket fungus ( Fomes sp.) in Panama. Davis (1996) reared an unidentified species of Promicrogaster from caterpillars of Prosetomorpha falcata ( Tineidae ) in Colombia; the larvae of this small moth are scavengers feeding on frass within the burrows made by larval Curculionidae in the stems of Solanum quitoensis ( Solanaceae : ‘Naranjilla’). Garcia and Montilla (2010) reared Promicrogaster as a parasitoid of cocoa fruit borers, Carmenta spp. ( Sessidae ) in Venezuela; Carmenta larvae mine through the pericarp of cocoa ( Malvaceae : Theobroma cacao ) fruit, and their damage leads to secondary phytopathogenic fungal infections (such as Phytophthora sp.) that cause the fruit to rot (e.g., Morrilo et al. 2009). The 21 species of Promicrogaster found in ACG have only been collected in Malaise traps. It is likely that those wasp species have not been reared yet because they are parasitizing small moth larvae concealed inside more or less woody plant or fungal tissues - the ACG inventory, while being the most comprehensive effort ever done to rear tropical caterpillars, has only focused on exposed feeders and rollers of green leaves.