Leptodrepana gauldilox 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 : 78

Leptodrepana gauldilox Dadelahi & Shaw sp. n. Figs 34-39

Diagnosis.

Body large, more than3.0 mm, and in lateral view the carapace is more than 3.5 times as long as wide. Body mostly brownish black except yellowish white patches baso-laterally below dorsal carinae.

Holotype female.

BL 3.47 mm; FWL 3.0 mm; CL 1.6 mm; CW 0.44 mm; CL/CW 3.63.

Description.

Color. Head brownish black, mandibles yellow, blackish brown apically and basally; palpi yellowish white; antennae darkest apically (black) with scape, pedicel, and flagellomeres 1-5 (basal) yellow; mesosoma brownish black; hind leg: coxa dark brown, trochanter and trochantellus yellowish white, femur and tibia dark brown, tibia with narrow yellowish white basal band; fore and middle legs same as hind leg except middle coxa yellowish white; wings mostly suffused with brown pigment especially apical half of 1st Submarginal, 2nd Submarginal, and basal most portion of marginal cell, obfuscate linear area running from base of stigma to slightly beyond vein RS+Mb; brown venation; carapace blackish brown with yellowish white patches baso-laterally below dorsal carinae.

Head. HW 0.95 mm; HL 0.7 mm; HW/HL 1.36; face, genae, vertex and ocellar triangle rugulose-punctate; frons depressed rugulose-punctate, median carina present; clypeus punctate and apical margin rounded; occipital carina complete.

Mesosoma. Pronotum foveolate antero-laterally to rugose at propleural margin; propleuron weakly areolate-rugose; mesoscutum medially with distinct regular parallel pitted grooves between notauli; notauli narrow and visible anteriorly; median mesonotal lobe coarsely punctate and lateral mesonotal lobes rugulose-punctate; scutellar sulcus with 7 well-defined depressions, all longer than wide; scutellar disc punctate; mesopleuron anteriorly rugose, medially and at precoxal sulcus evenly foveate, foveate to weakly punctate postero-ventrally; propodeum coarsely areolate-rugose with distinct transverse carina raised into small and roughly equal medial and lateral flanges.

Metasoma. Carapace areolate-rugose to shiny punctate at apex; in dorsal and posterior views, apex terminating in two points widely separated; in lateral view, carapace terminates in narrow point below midline.

Variation of paratype females. Antennae with scape partly brown and only flagellomeres 1 and 2 yellow remainder of flagellum brown; HW 0.8-0.95 mm; HL 0.55-0.68 mm; HW/HL 1.29-1.32; BL 3.4-3.47 mm; FWL 2.6-3.0 mm; CL 1.4-1.6 mm; CW 0.32-0.44 mm; CL/CW 3.63-4.38.

Variation of paratype males. Similar to females except antennae with 25 flagellomeres, all longer than wide and tapering apically; scape, pedicel and flagellum yellowish white; mesopleuron sometimes medially shiny and impunctate, carapace sometimes completely black; all legs with coxa, trochanter, and trochantellus yellowish white; HW 0.73-0.8 mm; HL 0.5-0.65 mm; HW/HL 1.23-1.45; BL 2.33 mm; FWL 2.2-2.53 mm; CL 1.32-1.4 mm; CW 0.32 mm; CL/CW 4.13-4.75.

Material examined.

Holotype female: SAN JOSE, Zurqui de Moravia, 1600 m, ix–x.1990 (P. Hanson) [UWIM]. Paratype data: 1♀, 1♂, ALAJUELA, Area Conservation de Arenal, Est. San Ramon, in vegetation on sendero W. F. 5. vi– 15.vii.1998 (Zitani, Dadelahi, Krenzelok & Fenoff); 1♀, GUANACASTE, Est. Pitilla, 9 km S. Santa Cecilia, 700 m, iv.1989 (I. Gauld); 1♂, HEREDIA, 3 km S. Puerto Viejo OTS La Selva, 100 m, xii.1992; 1♀, same as holotype except vi.1990; 1♀, same as holotype except vi.1992.

Remarks.

Superficially L. gauldilox is most similar to L. kimbrellae but upon closer examination they are easily distinguished from one another. Leptodrepana gauldilox is large, more than 3.0 mm, and in lateral view the carapace is more than 3.5 times as long as wide. Conversely, L. kimbrellae is small, less than 2.5 mm, and in lateral view the carapace is no more than 3 times as long as wide.

Etymology.

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