Apanteles leonelgarayi Fernandez-Triana

Fernandez-Triana, Jose L., Whitfield, James B., Rodriguez, Josephine J., Smith, M. Alex, Janzen, Daniel H., Hallwachs, Winnie D., Hajibabaei, Mehrdad, Burns, John M., Solis, M. Alma, Brown, John, Cardinal, Sophie, Goulet, Henri & Hebert, Paul D. N., 2014, Review of Apantelessensu stricto (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Microgastrinae) from Area de Conservacion Guanacaste, northwestern Costa Rica, with keys to all described species from Mesoamerica, ZooKeys 383, pp. 1-565 : 201-202

Apanteles leonelgarayi Fernandez-Triana sp. n. Figs 138, 294

Type locality.

COSTA RICA, Alajuela, ACG, Sector Pitilla, Quebradona, 475m, 10.99102, -85.39539.

Holotype.

♀ in CNC. Specimen labels: 1. DHJPAR0040434. 2. COSTA RICA, Alajuela, ACG, Sector Pitilla, Quebradona, 27.vii.2010, 10.99102°N, -85.39539°W, 475m, DHJPAR0040434. 3. Voucher: D.H.Janzen & W.Hallwachs, DB: http://janzen.sas.upenn.edu, Area de Conservación Guanacaste, COSTA RICA, 10-SRNP-72417.

Paratypes.

29 ♀, 12 ♂ (BMNH, CNC, INBIO, INHS, NMNH). COSTA RICA: Guanacaste, ACG database code: DHJPAR0042944, 10-SRNP-72417, 10-SRNP-73384.

Description.

Female. Body color: head dark, mesosoma dark with parts of axillar complex pale, metasoma with some mediotergites, most laterotergites, sternites, and/or hypopygium pale. Antenna color: scape and/or pedicel pale, flagellum dark. Coxae color (pro-, meso-, metacoxa): pale, pale, pale. Femora color (pro-, meso-, metafemur): pale, pale, pale. Tibiae color (pro-, meso-, metatibia): pale, pale, anteriorly pale/posteriorly dark. Tegula and humeral complex color: both pale. Pterostigma color: dark with pale spot at base. Fore wing veins color: mostly dark (a few veins may be unpigmented). Antenna length/body length: antenna about as long as body (head to apex of metasoma); if slightly shorter, at least extending beyond anterior 0.7 metasoma length. Body in lateral view: not distinctly flattened dorso–ventrally. Body length (head to apex of metasoma): 2.3-2.4 mm. Fore wing length: 2.3-2.4 mm. Ocular–ocellar line/posterior ocellus diameter: 1.7-1.9. Interocellar distance/posterior ocellus diameter: 1.4-1.6. Antennal flagellomerus 2 length/width: 2.9-3.1. Antennal flagellomerus 14 length/width: 1.1-1.3. Length of flagellomerus 2/length of flagellomerus 14: 2.3-2.5. Tarsal claws: simple. Metafemur length/width: 3.0-3.1. Metatibia inner spur length/metabasitarsus length: 0.4-0.5. Anteromesoscutum: mostly smooth or with shallow sparse punctures, except for anterior 0.3 where it has deeper and/or denser punctures. Mesoscutellar disc: mostly smooth. Number of pits in scutoscutellar sulcus: 7 or 8 or 9 or 10. Maximum height of mesoscutellum lunules/maximum height of lateral face of mesoscutellum: 0.4-0.5. Propodeum areola: completely defined by carinae, including transverse carina extending to spiracle. Propodeum background sculpture: partly sculptured, especially on anterior 0.5. Mediotergite 1 length/width at posterior margin: 2.0-2.2. Mediotergite 1 shape: more or less parallel–sided. Mediotergite 1 sculpture: with some sculpture near lateral margins and/or posterior 0.2-0.4 of mediotergite. Mediotergite 2 width at posterior margin/length: 3.2-3.5. Mediotergite 2 sculpture: mostly smooth. Outer margin of hypopygium: with a medially folded, transparent, semi–desclerotized area; with 0-3 pleats visible. Ovipositor thickness: anterior width at most 2.0 × posterior width (beyond ovipositor constriction). Ovipositor sheaths length/metatibial length: 0.3 or less. Length of fore wing veins r/2RS: 1.0 or less. Length of fore wing veins 2RS/2M: 1.4-1.6. Length of fore wing veins 2M/(RS+M)b: 0.9-1.0. Pterostigma length/width: 2.6-3.0. Point of insertion of vein r in pterostigma: about half way point length of pterostigma. Angle of vein r with fore wing anterior margin: clearly outwards, inclined towards fore wing apex. Shape of junction of veins r and 2RS in fore wing: distinctly but not strongly angled.

Male. As in female but with a relatively shorter mediotergite 2.

Molecular data.

Sequences in BOLD: 6, barcode compliant sequences: 6.

Biology/ecology.

Gregarious (Fig. 294). Hosts: Elachistidae , elachJanzen01 Janzen835.

Distribution.

Costa Rica, ACG.

Comments.

This species is characterized by an extremely short ovipositor (0.3 × as long as metatibia), mediotergite 2 relatively large (its medial length almost as long as medial length of mediotergite 3), mediotergite 1 almost completely smooth, and relatively extensive yellow coloration. The first two characters are unique among Mesoamerican Apanteles , and suggest that the species may better be placed on a different genus when more studies on Microgastrinae phylogeny are done. It also has a tooth-like projection in the center of postscutellum, which so far seems unique among all Mesoamerican Apanteles as well. It is here described as Apanteles because that is the best arrangement at present.

Etymology.

We dedicate this species to Leonel Garay in recognition of his diligent efforts for the ACG Programa de Contabilidad.