Leptodrepana demeter 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 : 75

Leptodrepana demeter Dadelahi & Shaw sp. n. Figs 24-28

Diagnosis.

Rounded carapace apex. In posterior view, the carapace apex is rugulose-lacunose and bears a small transverse carina directly above the posterior margin of the carapace. In lateral view the carapace is more than 4 × as long as wide. Head black-brown; mesosoma mostly orange with some brownish black areas; carapace black with yellowish white elongate oval area baso-medially between dorsal carinae. Presence of the wide foveate groove at the precoxal sulcus.

Holotype female.

BL 3.4 mm; FWL 3.06 mm; CL 1.92 mm; CW 0.4 mm; CL/CW 4.8.

Description.

Color. Head black/brown, mandibles mostly yellowish brown but black/brown basally and apically; palpi yellowish white; antennae brown except scape, pedicel and base of first flagellomere yellowish white; mesosoma mostly orange with some brownish black areas on median pronotum (visible laterally), mesopleuron postero-ventrally and over the median flanges of the propodeal carina; legs mostly yellow, hind leg with brown areas apically on coxa and femur and white patch laterally on femur, tibia with distinct pattern: linear white ellipse ringed in brown visible dorsally running most of tibial length; wings suffused with light yellow/brown pigmentation; venation brown but veins 1M, RS+Ma, 2RS and 2M yellow or light brown; carapace black with yellowish white elongate oval area baso-medially between dorsal carinae.

Head. HW 0.95 mm; HL 0.83 mm; HW/HL 1.15; face, genae, vertex and ocellar triangle rugulose-punctate; frons depressed, impunctate with fine parallel lineation transverse to median carinae; clypeus rugulose-punctate and apical margin rounded; occipital carina complete.

Mesosoma. Pronotum foveate antero-laterally to weakly areolate-rugose to smooth postero-laterally; propleuron weakly areolate-rugose; mesoscutum medially with 2-3 irregular parallel pitted grooves between notauli; notauli distinct and visible anteriorly; mesonotal lobes granulate-punctate; scutellar sulcus with five well-defined depressions, all longer than wide; scutellar disc punctate; mesopleuron anteriorly rugose and medially foveate; precoxal sulcus with a wide foveate groove; propodeum coarsely areolate-rugose with distinct transverse carina raised into small roughly equal medial and lateral flanges.

Metasoma. Carapace areolate-rugose basally graduating to rugulose-lacunose at apex; in dorsal and lateral views, carapace apex rounded; in posterior view, apex rounded and bearing a small transverse carina directly above the posterior margin of the carapace.

Variation of paratype females. Color: apical margin of clypeus brownish orange; carapace small baso-medial area of brownish orange; HW 0.85-0.88 mm; HL 0.68-0.73 mm; HW/HL 1.2-1.26; BL 2.86 mm; FWL 2.33 mm; CL 1.4 mm; CW 0.32 mm; CL/CW 4.37.

Paratype males. No males.

Material examined.

Holotype female: GUANACASTE, Arenales W. side Volcan Cacao, 900 m, 1988-1989 (P. Hanson) [UWIM]. Paratype females: 1♀, same province, Est. Pitilla, 9 km S Santa Cecilia, 700 m, v.1989 (I. Gauld); 1♀, same data except iv.1989.

Remarks.

Leptodrepana demeter may be confused with L. conda as both females are similar in color and have a rounded carapace apex. It may be distinguished from L. conda by presence of the wide foveate groove at the precoxal sulcus as opposed to a scrobiculate groove in L. conda . In posterior view, the carapace apex of L. demeter is rugulose-lacunose and bears a small transverse carina directly above the posterior margin of the carapace. Whereas in posterior view, the carapace apex of L. conda is weakly areolate-rugose. When viewed laterally, the carapace of L. demeter is more than 4 × as long as wide. In L. conda the carapace is not more than 3 × as long as wide. Additionally the propodeum of L. demeter is mostly orange and the baso-median patch of yellowish white, when present, does not extend to the lateral margins of the carapace. The propodeum of L. conda is blackish brown and the basal third of the carapace is completely yellowish white.

Superficially L. demeter also resembles L. atalanta in color and size. However, the apex of L. demeter is rounded in dorsal view (Figs 26, 28), while the carapace apex of L. atalanta may terminate in a single pointed or truncated end (Fig. 10, 11).

Etymology.

This species name stems from the Greek Demeter representing the goddess of agriculture, sister of Zeus, and mother of Persephone.