Heterospilus microstigmi Richards

Marsh, Paul M., Wild, Alexander L. & Whitfield, James B., 2013, The Doryctinae (Braconidae) of Costa Rica: genera and species of the tribe Heterospilini, ZooKeys 347, pp. 1-474 : 254-255

Heterospilus microstigmi Richards Figure 172

Heterospilus microstigmi Richards, 1935: 131; Marsh and Melo 1999: 19.

Female.

Body size: 2.5-3.0 mm. Color: body yellow or honey yellow, mesoscutum, propodeum and metasomal terga 1-4 sometimes marked with brown; scape yellow without lateral brown stripe, flagellum yellow basally to brown apically; legs yellow. Head: vertex granulate; frons granulate; face granulate; temple in dorsal view narrow, sloping behind eye, width slightly less than 1/2 eye width; malar space greater than 1/4 eye height; ocell-ocular distance slightly greater than 2.5 times diameter of lateral ocellus; 24-28 flagellomeres. Mesosoma: mesoscutal lobes granulate, median lobe with shallow longitudinal depression; notauli scrobiculate, meeting at scutellum in small costate area; scutellum granulate; prescutellar furrow with 1 strong median cross carina and 2 weak carinae on each side; mesopleuron granulate; precoxal sulcus weakly scrobiculate or smooth; venter granulate; propodeum with basal median areas not distinctly margined, granulate-rugose, basal median carina absent, areola not indicated, areolar area rugose, lateral areas entirely rugose, propodeum with small but distinct tubercle above hind coxa. Wings: fore wing vein r slightly shorter than vein 3RSa, vein 1cu-a beyond vein 1M; hind wing vein SC+R absent, vein M+CU shorter than vein 1M. Metasoma: first tergum longitudinally costate, raised median area distinct, length slightly greater than apical width; second tergum longitudinally costate; anterior transverse groove present, straight; posterior transverse groove present; third tergum costate basally, weakly granulate apically; terga 4-7 weakly granulate; ovipositor about 1/2 length of metasoma.

Specimens examined.

2 ♀♀, Costa Rica, Puntarenas, Osa Peninsula; 1 ♀, Costa Rica, Puntarenas, Corcovado Nat. Pk. This species also occurs in Trinidad and Brazil.

Biology.

Reared from nests of Microstigmus theridii Ducke and Microstigmus comes Krombein ( Hymenoptera : Sphecidae ) ( Marsh and Melo 1999).

Comments.

The yellow color of the body and the rugose propodeum are distinctive for this species.