Heterospilus kulai Marsh

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 : 99-100

Heterospilus kulai Marsh sp. n. Figure 65

Female.

Body size: 3.5-5.0 mm. Color: head dark brown; scape light brown, flagellum dark brown with apical 8-10 flagellomeres white; mesosoma dark brown; metasoma dark brown, tergum 2 yellow or light brown medially, terga 4-7 brown, often yellow laterally and/or apically on each tergum; legs bicolored yellow and brown, femora brown medially, hind tibia dark brown at base, light brown on apical half, hind tarsus brown; wing veins, including stigma, brown. Head: vertex transversely costate; frons transversely costate; face striate; temple narrow, not bulging behind eye, width equal to 1/2 eye width; malar space 1/4 eye height; ocell-ocular distance about twice diameter of lateral ocellus; 33-42 flagellomeres. Mesosoma: mesoscutal lobes granulate; notauli scrobiculate, meeting before prescutellar furrow in wide longitudinally costate area; scutellum smooth; prescutellar furrow with 3-5 cross carinae; mesopleuron smooth; precoxal sulcus smooth, shorter than mesopleuron; venter smooth; propodeum with basal median areas distinctly margined, basal median areas smooth, basal median carina present, areola not distinctly margined, areolar area rugose, lateral areas rugose with smooth area apically. Wings: fore wing vein r shorter than vein 3RSa, vein 1cu-a beyond vein 1M; hind wing vein SC+R present, vein M+CU shorter than 1M. Metasoma: first tergum length greater than apical width, longitudinally costate, rugose baso-medially, lateral costae curving toward median line at apex of tergum; second tergum longitudinally costate, apical width less than 3 times length; anterior transverse groove present, very slightly sinuate; posterior transverse groove present but indistinct; third tergum costate basally, granulate apically; terga 4-7 costate at base, granulate apically; ovipositor longer than metasoma.

Holotype female.

Top label (white, printed) - COSTA RICA Puntarenas [;] Reserva Forestal Golfo Dulce [;] 3km SW Rincon. 10m. primary [;] forest, xii.1992, P. Hanson; second label (red, partially printed and hand written) - HOLOTYPE [;] Heterospilus [;] kulai [;] P. Marsh. Deposited in ESUW.

Paratypes.

1 ♀, same data as holotype (ESUW). 1 ♀, Costa Rica: Puntarenas [;] Send. a Rio Clara, Est. Sirena [;] 1-100m, 17. vi– 4.ix.1991 [;] J.C. Saborio & G. Fonseca [;] I. S. 270500-508300 #6883 (ESUW). 1 ♀, Costa Rica: Limon, ACLAC [;] Central, R.B. Hitoy Cerere [;] Est. Hitoy Cerere [;] 140m. Malaise trap [;] 17. vi– 17.vii.1999. F. Umana [;] L.N. 184600-643400 #52861 (ESUW). 1 ♀, COSTA RICA-Heredia Prov. [;] La Selva Biological Station [;] 10°26'N, 84°01'W 100m [;] Malaise trap 07, #392 [;] 30.vi.1995 [;] Project ALAS (M 07 392) (ESUW). 1 ♀, Costa Rica: Puntarenas [;] R. F. Golfo Dulce, 24km. W [;] Piedras Blancas, 200m [;] III.1993. P. Hanson (ESUW). 1 ♀, COSTA RICA, Heredia [;] 3km. S. Puerto Viejo [;] OTS-La Selva, 100m [;] ii-iii.1993 P. Hanson (MICR).

Comments.

This species is similar to Heterospilus laselvus but is distinguished by the white apex of the flagellum and the costate area where the notauli meet.

Etymology.

Named for my good friend Robert Kula, braconidologist for the USDA’s Systematic Entomology Lab. at the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, a chair that I kept warm for him for many years.