Lytopylus vaughntani Sharkey

Sharkey, Michael J., Clutts, Stephanie, Tucker, Erika M., Janzen, Daniel, Hallwachs, Winnie, Dapkey, Tanya & Smith, M. Alex, 2011, Lytopylus Foerster (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Agathidinae) species from Costa Rica, with an emphasis on specimens reared from caterpillars in Area de Conservacion Guanacaste, ZooKeys 130, pp. 379-419 : 398-399

Lytopylus vaughntani Sharkey sp. n. Figs 3031

Description.

Body length 3.9 - 4.8 mm. Ovipositor length 3.1 - 3.8 mm. Gena acute posterolaterally, or rounded or with an obtuse angle posterolaterally. Longitudinal groove on interantennal prominence present. Protuberances on occiput absent. Propodeum with carinae forming areolae, median areola not rounded anteriorly. Notauli well-impressed, smooth without crenulae, or with one or two crenulae restricted to extreme anterior apex along border of mesoscutum. Posterior margin of syntergum 2+3 straight. Median syntergite 2 + 3 mostly smooth with longitudinal striae restricted to the transverse grooves, rarely the third lobe is partially striate. Forewing mostly or entirely infuscate. Color as in Figs 30, 31. Color variation: Color is quite consistent across the six specimens examined. Some specimens are slightly paler than that shown in figures 30 and 31 especially on the metasoma.

Molecular data.

BOLD process ID/ Janzen parasitoid voucher/GenBank accession:

ASHYB 1349-09/DHJPAR0030608/JN034730.

Distribution.

Heredia and Alajuela provinces, Costa Rica. Click here for a distribution map.

Biology.

The single rearing is from an unidentified elachistid ( Elachistidae , Stenomatinae ) leaf roller/webber on the rain forest herbaceous composite Fleischmannia pycnocephala ( Asteraceae ). While 52 rearing records from this plant have yielded a diverse array of Crambidae , Thyrididae , Tortricidae and Elachistidae parasitized by a diverse array of ichneumonids, tachinids and microgastrine braconids, this is the only Agathidinae encountered to date.

Etymology.

Named in honor of Vaughn Tan of Cambridge, Massachusetts, who has enthusiastically supported the conservation of the ACG forest occupied by this parasitoid wasp.

Material examined.

Holotype: ♀H6614 (DHJPAR0030608) Costa Rica: Alajuela: Area de Conservación Guanacaste: Sector San Cristobal: Puente Palma: 13.ii.2009, 10.916N, 85.379W, 460m [AEI].

Paratypes [AEI, HIC, INBio]: Costa Rica: Heredia: Est. Bio. La Selva: 10.433N, 84.017W, 150m: ♀H7080 vii.1998, ♂H7079 xii.1999. Sector Cocori: Limon: 1.1995, 10.365N, 83.734W, 100m: ♀: H6467, H7075, ♂H7077.