Parapanteles continua Valerio and Whitfield

Valerio, A. A., Whitfield, J. B. & Janzen, D. H., 2009, Review of world Parapanteles Ashmead (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Microgastrinae), with description of fourteen new Neotropical species and the first description of the final instar larvae, Zootaxa 2084 (1), pp. 1-49 : 17-20

Parapanteles continua Valerio and Whitfield , n. sp.

Figure 5F , 9E , 11F , 12D

Female. Body length = 2.35–2.43 mm.

Body color: Head light brownish yellow as mesosoma, first and second terga, antenna; fore and mid leg light yellow as hind tibia basal 1/2, base of hind basitarsus leg, mandibles, tarsal claws, palpi; remainder of hind leg brownish yellow; compound eyes silver; ocelli yellow. Wings hyaline; forewing with light yellow veins but C+SC+R and pterostigma bright yellow; hind wing with transparent tubular veins.

Head. Head height/width = 1.26–1.33; compound eye height/width = 1.73–1.75; intertentorial pit distance = 0.16–0.18 mm; tentorial pit distance/distance tentorial pit to compound eye = 2.25–2.33; width of face at dorsal clypeal edge = 0.31–0.32 mm; clypeus width/height = 2.33–2.68; vertex width/distance between anterior ocelli and edge of torulus = 2.48–2.50; length of first flagellomere = 0.10–0.11 mm; first flagellomere length/width = 2.40–2.80; length of first flagellomere/length of second flagellomere = 1.00–1.07; length of first flagellomere/length of third flagellomere = 1.00–1.16; terminal flagellomere length = 0.10–0.11 mm; terminal flagellomere length/penultimate flagellomere length = 1.28–1.33; terminal flagellomere length/width = 2.00–2.25; malar space height/basal width of mandible = 0.88–1.00; ocell-ocular distance/lateral ocelli distance = 1.66–1.81. Clypeus and face with fine shallow punctate sculpture, midlongitudinal area of face with few shallow and confused foveate sculpture laterally, centrally nitid; frons with scrobal areas nitid, deeply impressed throughout its length and sharply narrowing distally, lateral areas of frons with few inconspicuous punctate sculpture, distal area nitid as anterior area of vertex; vertex conspicuously punctate at lateral areas and gena and postgena at junction area with gena until mid width of it; ocular ring nitid as remainder of postgena.

Mesosoma. Mesosoma length = 0.90–0.98 mm; mesosoma length/width = 1.12–1.20; mesosoma height = 0.65–0.7 mm. Propleuron with punctate sculpture as at distal 1/3 of it but upper edge nitid area between punctate sculpture and upper edge with scattered smooth and confused rugulose sculpture which extends until basal 1/3 of propleuron length; pronotum lateral area with anterior 1/2 with smooth shallow and inconspicuous thin transversal ridges, upper groove nitid but area immediately below with few smooth foveate sculpture, ventral groove nitid but distal 1/6 with few inconspicuous and smooth transversal ridges, remainder of area between grooves nitid, upper groove 1/4 and ventral groove 1/5 of posterior edge height; mesonotum with dense punctate sculpture which becomes more evident and slightly less dense towards scutellum groove; scutellum groove with 4 to 6 big costulae, lateral ones bigger than medial ones; scutellum with evident punctate sculpture throughout, lateral areas with costulate sculpture becoming smaller towards distal edge and of approximately same width; axilla through mesonotum with smooth transversal ridges that in some cases reach the mid width of axilla; metanotum with triangular shape in dorsal view, middistal area with one big medial nitid costula; axilla through metanotum with 4 sharp ridges, area between ridges nitid; propodeum with transversal and posterior 1/2 of costulae well cristate as most of areolar carinae (tip of dorsal area less conspicuously present), anterior 1/2 of costula absent, pronotum anterior 1/2 with transversally lineate sculpture present which is more evident and thick next to areolar carinae, remainder nitid; mesopleuron with anterior edge with fine punctate sculpture, dorsal distal 1/2 with dense small scrobiculate sculpture which becomes even smaller towards distal edge, anterior 1/2 of dorsal edge with few spaced and irregularly defined scrobiculate sculpture (anterior area more shallow and less cristate), distal edge nitid, sternaulus as a wide depress area, remainder of mesopleuron nitid; metapleuron with dorsal edge with big and spaced thin transversal ridges, distal edge with ever bigger and more spaced transversal ridges, distal 1/3 with fine confused rugulose sculpture, medial pit present and remainder of metapleuron nitid.

Legs. Hind femur length = 0.55–0.62 mm; hind femur length/width = 2.75–2.78; hind tibia length/hind femur length = 1.2–1.24. Fore telotarsus with set of four big and strong setae at mid ventral area of it, shorter in length than basitarsus; hind telotarsus with a set of elongated setae at internal lateral area of it.

Wings. Forewing length = 2.40–2.45 mm; 1RS length = 0.08–0.1 mm; 1CUa length/1CUb length = 0.72–0.78; length RS+Ma = 0.35–0.38 mm; length M+CU = 0.78–0.8 mm; 1M length/ m-cu length = 2.15–2.16; pterostigma length/height = 1.28–1.31. Hind wing: 1M length = 0.40 mm; 1M length/2M length = 1.77; 1M length/M+CU length = 1.52–1.68; length r-m/length cu-a = 0.73–0.80; 1RSa length/2r-m = 1.57–1.67; 1A length = 0.20–0.22 mm.

Metasoma. First tergum basal width = 0.19–0.21 mm; first tergum length/distal width = 1.22–1.24; second tergum length/distal width = 0.44–0.53; third tergum length/distal width = 0.47–0.50; hypopygium length = 0.70–0.78 mm. First metasomal tergum with midlongitudinal area with distal 2/3 with confused smooth rugulose sculpture with mixed with confused foveate sculpture becoming indistinct at junction area, rugose sculpture becoming more cristate and evident on distal 1/4 of tergum, remainder of tergum with shallow confused foveate sculpture; second metasomal terga with fine smooth lineate sculpture mixed with confused smooth foveate sculpture, both of them becoming less evident towards distal area; remainder of terga nitid; ovipositor almost as big as hind tibia length; ovipositor sheaths elongated in lateral view.

Variation. Sculpture of first and second tergum very weak, first tergum with anterior 1/2 nitid and medial rugulose sculpture very smooth and weakly defined second tergum with lineate sculpture which is more cristate posteriorly.

Material examined. Holotype, female, “ Costa Rica, Guanacaste Province, Area de Conservacion Guanacaste, Sector Cacao, Sendero Arenales, 1000 m, Lat 10.92471, Long -85.46738, 09/ix/1997, Col. R. Moraga, 97-SRNP-1739” Paratypes: 14 females, all same data as holotype. All material, including the holotype, deposited at INBio except for two females deposited at INHS

Male. Similar to female.

Comments. This species shares with P. tessares the 4 setae at the ventral-distal area of fore telotarsus but can be easily separated from it by the body color, the deeply impressed scrobal areas as well the ovipositor sheaths with long and sparse setae over most of its distal 1/3.

Rearing records. Hylesia continua (Saturniidae) feeding on Hampea appendiculata (Malvaceae) . Voucher numbers: 97-SRNP-1673, 97-SRNP-1677, 97-SRNP-1678, 97-SRNP-1679, 97-SRNP-1680, 97- SRNP-1685, 97-SRNP-1691, 97-SRNP-1694, 97-SRNP-1696, 97-SRNP-1703, 97-SRNP-1708, 97-SRNP- 1709, 97-SRNP-1710, 97-SRNP-1715, and 97-SRNP-1739. The observed sex ratio is as follow: 6/35.

Etymology. Gender, neutral. The name of this species is a random combination of letters without any meaning.

Figures

FIGURE 5. Propodeum of Parapanteles tessares n. sp. (A), P. sicpolus n. sp. (B), P.aletiae (Riley) (C), P.em n. sp. (D), P. tlinea n. sp. (E), and P. continua n. sp. (F).

FIGURE 9. Female genitalia of Parapanteles thrix n. sp. (A), P. rarus n. sp. (B), P. em n. sp. (C), P. paradoxus (Muesebeck) (D), P. continua n. sp. (E), and P. tessares n. sp. (F).

FIGURE 11. First metasomal tergum in dorsal view for Parapanteles sicpolus n. sp. (A), P.em n. sp. (B), P. paradoxus (Muesebeck) (C), P. rooibos Valerioet al., P. tlinea n. sp. (E), and P. continua n. sp. (F).

FIGURE 12. Wing venation of Parapanteles polus n. sp. (A), P. mariae n. sp. (B), P.thrix n. sp. (C), P. continua n. sp. (D), P. paradoxus (Muesebeck) (E), and P. noae n. sp. (F).