Apanteles sergiocascantei Fernandez-Triana

Fernandez-Triana, Jose L., Whitfield, James B., Rodriguez, Josephine J., Smith, M. Alex, Janzen, Daniel H., Hallwachs, Winnie D., Hajibabaei, Mehrdad, Burns, John M., Solis, M. Alma, Brown, John, Cardinal, Sophie, Goulet, Henri & Hebert, Paul D. N., 2014, Review of Apantelessensu stricto (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Microgastrinae) from Area de Conservacion Guanacaste, northwestern Costa Rica, with keys to all described species from Mesoamerica, ZooKeys 383, pp. 1-565 : 283-284

Apanteles sergiocascantei Fernandez-Triana sp. n. Figs 161, 303

Apanteles Rodriguez113. Smith et al. (2008). Interim name provided by the authors.

Type locality.

COSTA RICA, Guanacaste, ACG, Sector Pitilla, Pasmompa, 440m, 11.01926, -85.40997.

Holotype.

♀ in CNC. Specimen labels: 1. DHJPAR0004868. 2. Costa Rica: Guanacaste, ACG, Sector Pitilla, Pasmompa, 26.x.2006, 440m, 11.01926, -85.40997.

Paratypes.

2 ♀, 2 ♂ (BMNH, CNC, INBIO, INHS, NMNH). COSTA RICA, ACG database codes: DHJPAR0004873, DHJPAR0004875, DHJPAR0038314, DHJPAR0039033.

Description.

Female. Body color: body mostly dark except for some sternites which may be pale. Antenna color: scape, pedicel, and flagellum dark. Coxae color (pro-, meso-, metacoxa): pale, pale, pale. Femora color (pro-, meso-, metafemur): pale, pale, anteriorly pale/posteriorly dark. Tibiae color (pro-, meso-, metatibia): pale, pale, mostly pale but with posterior 0.2 or less dark. Tegula and humeral complex color: both dark. Pterostigma color: dark. Fore wing veins color: mostly dark (a few veins may be unpigmented). Antenna length/body length: antenna about as long as body (head to apex of metasoma); if slightly shorter, at least extending beyond anterior 0.7 metasoma length. Body in lateral view: not distinctly flattened dorso–ventrally. Body length (head to apex of metasoma): 2.3-2.4 mm, 2.5-2.6 mm or 2.7-2.8 mm. Fore wing length: 2.5-2.6 mm or 2.7-2.8 mm. Ocular–ocellar line/posterior ocellus diameter: 2.3-2.5. Interocellar distance/posterior ocellus diameter: 2.0-2.2. Antennal flagellomerus 2 length/width: 2.6-2.8. Antennal flagellomerus 14 length/width: 1.4-1.6. Length of flagellomerus 2/length of flagellomerus 14: 1.7-1.9. Tarsal claws: with single basal spine–like seta. Metafemur length/width: 3.2-3.3. Metatibia inner spur length/metabasitarsus length: 0.4-0.5. Anteromesoscutum: mostly with shallow, sparse punctures (separated by more than 2.0 × its maximum diameter). Mesoscutellar disc: mostly punctured. Number of pits in scutoscutellar sulcus: 5 or 6. Maximum height of mesoscutellum lunules/maximum height of lateral face of mesoscutellum: 0.4-0.5. Propodeum areola: completely defined by carinae, including transverse carina extending to spiracle. Propodeum background sculpture: mostly sculptured. Mediotergite 1 length/width at posterior margin: 3.5-3.7 or 3.8-4.0. Mediotergite 1 shape: mostly parallel–sided for 0.5-0.7 of its length, then narrowing posteriorly so mediotergite anterior width>1.1 × posterior width. Mediotergite 1 sculpture: with some sculpture near lateral margins and/or posterior 0.2-0.4 of mediotergite. Mediotergite 2 width at posterior margin/length: 3.6-3.9. Mediotergite 2 sculpture: mostly smooth. Outer margin of hypopygium: with a wide, medially folded, transparent, semi–desclerotized area; usually with 4 or more pleats. Ovipositor thickness: about same width throughout its length. Ovipositor sheaths length/metatibial length: 0.4-0.5. Length of fore wing veins r/2RS: 1.4-1.6. Length of fore wing veins 2RS/2M: 1.4-1.6. Length of fore wing veins 2M/(RS+M)b: 0.9-1.0. Pterostigma length/width: 2.6-3.0. Point of insertion of vein r in pterostigma: about half way point length of pterostigma. Angle of vein r with fore wing anterior margin: clearly outwards, inclined towards fore wing apex. Shape of junction of veins r and 2RS in fore wing: distinctly but not strongly angled.

Male. As in female, with metacoxa slightly darker dorsally.

Molecular data.

Sequences in BOLD: 9, barcode compliant sequences: 9.

Biology/ecology.

Solitary (Fig. 303). Host: Choreutidae , Brenthia Janzen04.

Distribution.

Costa Rica, ACG.

Comments.

The vannal lobe of the fore wing is more or less straight ( Apanteles -like) but it is also fully setose - suggesting this species might better be placed within the genus Dolichogenidea . However, molecular data clusters the species with other Apanteles . The limits of Apanteles and Dolichogenidea have long been controversial (e.g., Mason 1981; Achterberg 2003; Fernández-Triana 2010) and solving that is beyond the scope of this paper. The species is characterized by all coxae yellow (but not extensive yellow coloration in rest of the body), very short ovipositor (0.4 × as long as metatibia length), and mediotergite 1 3.8-4.0 × as long as wide at posterior margin.

Etymology.

We dedicate this species to Sergio Cascante in recognition of his diligent efforts for the ACG Programa de Seguridad.