Heterospilus flavisoma 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 : 231-232

Heterospilus flavisoma Marsh sp. n. Figure 156

Female.

Body size: 2.5 mm. Color: head dark brown; scape yellow with weak lateral longitudinal brown stripe, sometimes absent, apical 3-5 flagellomeres brown, nest 3-5 white, remainder brown; mesosoma dark brown; metasoma usually entirely yellow or honey yellow, terga 1-3 often marked with brown; wing veins brown, stigma yellow; legs yellow. Head: vertex granulate; frons granulate; face granulate; temple in dorsal view broad, width equal or greater than 1/2 eye width; malar space greater than 1/4 eye height; ocell-ocular distance about 2.5 times diameter of lateral ocellus; 23-26 flagellomeres. Mesosoma: mesoscutal lobes granulate; notauli scrobiculate, meeting at scutellum in triangular costate area; scutellum granulate; prescutellar furrow with 3-5 cross carinae; mesopleuron granulate; precoxal sulcus scrobiculate, shorter than mesopleuron; venter granulate; propodeum with basal median areas distinct but not distinctly margined, granulate, basal median carina absent, areola not distinctly margined, areolar area areolate, lateral areas entirely rugose. 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 vein 1M. Metasoma: first tergum longitudinally costate, apical width equal to length; second tergum longitudinally costate; anterior transverse groove present, straight; posterior transverse groove present; third tergum costate at base, granulate at apex; terga 4-7 weakly granulate, sometimes appearing smooth; ovipositor equal to length of metasomal terga 1 and 2 combined.

Holotype female.

Top label (white, printed) - COSTA RICA: [;] Guanacaste Prov. [;] Cerro el Hacha [;] NW Volcan Orosi [;] 300m, 1988; second label (red, partially printed and hand written) - HOLOTYPE [;] Heterospilus [;] flavisoma [;] P. Marsh. Deposited in ESUW.

Paratypes.

3 ♀♀, same data as holotype (ESUW). 6 ♀♀, top label - Costa Rica: Guanacaste [;] Santa Rosa Natl. Park [;] 300m, ex. Malaise trap [;] Site # BH-9-O, H-1-O and H-3-O [;] Dates: 29. xi– 20.xii.1986, 26. vii– 14.viii.1986, 18. x– 8.xi.1986, 28.xii.86-10.i.1987 and 10-31.i.1987 [;] I.D. Gauld & D. Janzen; second label, [BH] Bosque Humedo [;] mature evergreen dry forest [;] [O] in clearing, fully [;] isolated part of day, [H] open regenerating [;] woodland, 10 years old [;] [O] in clearing, fully [;] isolated part of day (ESUW). 1 ♀, S.RosaPark. Guan. [;] C. Rica 5 Jan 78 [;] D.H. Janzen [;] Riparian (AEIC).

Comments.

The yellow metasoma and yellow stigma are distinctive for this species.

Etymology.

The specific name is from the Latin flavus, meaning yellow, in reference to the yellow metasoma.