Promicrogaster munda Muesebeck, 1958

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 : 49-50

Promicrogaster munda Muesebeck, 1958

Figs 117-122

Promicrogaster munda Muesebeck, 1958: 422. Original description.

Holotype.

Female, NMNH (not examined). HONDURAS, Tegucigalpa. Voucher code: USNM 63052.

Material Examined.

2♀ (CNC), COSTA RICA, Puntarenas, San Vito, Las Cruces Biological Station , ~ 1,200m, 8.7853, -82.9589, voucher code: CNCH3316; 5.vii.1983, B. Gill (coll.) ; 2♀ (CNC), PANAMA, Chiriquí Province, 15km NW of Hato del Volcan , 1200m, 24-31.v.1977, Peck & Howden (colls.) .

Description.

Head: mostly black, clypeus, labrum and mandibles yellow. Flagellomeres: dark brown to black. Mesosoma: black. Tegula: yellow. Metasoma (dorsally): T1 orange-yellow, T2+ yellow (some specimens with small brown spot centrally on T4+). Metacoxa: orange-yellow. Malar distance: 0.2-0.3 × eye length. Fore wing areolet: present. T1 sculpture: mostly smooth, with posterior 0.3 sculptured. T2 sculpture: smooth. Ocular-ocellar line: 0.15-0.18 mm. Interocellar distance: 0.11-0.14 mm. Posterior ocellus diameter: 0.10-0.11 mm. Body length: 4.33-5.12 mm. Fore wing length: 4.00-4.95 mm. Ovipositor length: 3.44-4.58 mm. Metacoxa length: 1.08-1.41 mm. Metafemur length: 1.14-1.51 mm. Metatibia length: 1.43-1.89 mm. T1 length/width at posterior margin: 0.45-0.74 mm/ 0.29-0.40 mm. T2 length/width at posterior margin: 0.10-0.15 mm/ 0.39-0.60 mm.

Distribution.

Costa Rica, Honduras, Mexico, Panama.

Comments.

The description and photos provided above are based on the CNC specimens studied, not the holotype-which was not examined. However, we suspect that P. munda is actually a complex of at least 2 morphologically similar species. We found variable coloration of the metatibia (entirely black vs mostly orange-yellow) and fore wing (hyaline vs infumated) among the specimens seen, as well as significant differences in size (with specimens from Panama being smaller than those of Costa Rica, with body and fore wing lengths 0.6-0.8 mm shorter) and relative length of T1. Until more material becomes available for study we prefer to keep all specimens as P. munda .

Figures

Figures 117 - 122. Promicrogaster munda.