Heterospilus nigricoxus 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 : 132-134

Heterospilus nigricoxus Marsh sp. n. Figures 88, 89

Female.

Body size: 2.5-3.5 mm. Color: head brown to honey yellow; scape and pedicel yellow, flagellum yellow basally to brown apically; mesosoma brown to dark brown or black, propodeum often lighter brown; metasoma brown to dark brown, apical terga often lighter than basal terga; wing veins brown, stigma bicolored, brown medially, yellow at base and apex; legs yellow, hind coxa and femur brown, hind tibia often light brown basally. Head: vertex transversely costate-rugose, frons rugose, face areolate or areolate-rugose; temple in dorsal view less than half eye width; malar space about half eye height; ocell-ocular distance about twice diameter of lateral ocellus; 18-26 flagellomeres. Mesosoma: mesoscutal lobes granulate, rugose or costate along notauli, long gold setae along notauli; notauli scrobiculate, meeting at prescutellar furrow in wide, rectangular rugose area; mesopleuron smooth above precoxal sulcus, rugose-costate dorsally; precoxal sulcus scrobiculate, about half width of mesopleuron, often with costae extending from precoxal sulcus to posterior edge of mesopleuron; scutellum smooth, prescutellar furrow with 3-5 cross carinae; venter of mesosoma smooth or partially weakly granulate; propodeum with basal median areas distinct and margined, basal median areas granulate or rugose-granulate, basal median carina absent, areola meeting anterior margin of propodeum, areola margined at least apically, areola and propodeum laterally areolate-rugose. Wings: fore wing vein r 2/3 length of vein 3RSa, vein 1cu-a distinctly beyond vein 1M; hind wing vein SC+R present, vein M+CU shorter than vein 1M. Metasoma: first tergum length equal to apical width, longitudinally costate, granulate between costae, raised basal median area distinctly margined laterally and often with cross carinae near base; second tergum apical width less than 3 times length, longitudinally costate, granulate between costae; anterior and posterior transverse grooves weakly indicated; third tergum longitudinally costate between transverse grooves, smooth beyond posterior transverse groove; terga 4-7 smooth; ovipositor longer than metasoma, often nearly as long as entire body.

Holotype female.

Top label (white, partially printed and hand written) - Costa Rica: Guanacaste [;] Santa Rosa Natl. Park [;] 300m, ex. Malaise trap [;] Site #: SE-8-C [;] Dates: 2-23.iii.1986 [;] I. D. Gauld & D. Janzen; second label (white, printed) - [SE] Bosque San Emilio [;] 50yr old deciduous forest [;] [C] more or less fully [;] shaded as possible; third label (red, partially printed and hand written) - HOLOTYPE [;] Heterospilus [;] nigricoxus [;] P. Marsh. Deposited in ESUW.

Paratypes.

1 ♀, same data as holotype (ESUW). 6 ♀♀, same data as holotype except site numbers of 6, SE.6.2, SE.7.0 and dates of 5-26.v.1985, 31. i– 21-ii.1987, 2-23.iii.1986, 20. xii– 10.i.1986/7, 14. vi– 5.vii.1986, 10-31.i.1987 (ESUW). 2 ♀♀, same data as holotype except site number of 4, date of 10-31.i.1987 and second label [H] open regenerating [;] woodland <10 year old [;] [C] more or less fully [;] shaded as possible (ESUW). 6 ♀♀, same data as holotype except site numbers of H-3-0, H-2-0, dates of 10-31.i.1987, 18.i.1986, 31. i– 21.ii.1987, 21. ii– 14.iii.1987, 20.xii.1986-10.i.1987 and second label [H] open regenerating [;] woodland <10 years old [;] [O] in clearing, fully [;] isolated part of day. 1 ♀, same data as holotype except date of 20.xii.1986-10.i.1987 and second label [BH] Bosque Humedo [;] mature evergreen dry forest [;] [C] more or less fully [;] shaded as possible (ESUW). 4 ♀♀, same data as holotype except site number of SE.7.0, dates of 13. ix– 4.x.1986, 10-31.i.1987, 2-23.iii.1986 and second label [SE] Bosque San Emilio [;] 30yr old deciduous forest [;] [O] in clearing, fully [;] isolated part of day (ESUW). 2 ♀♀, first label - Costa Rica: Guanacaste [;] Santa Rosa National Pa. [;] 300m. Malaise. Ian Gauld [;] 10-31.i.1987; second label - Bosque San Emilio [;] 50yr old deciduous [;] forest [;] Full shade; third label - SE-8-C [;] 10-31.i.87 (ESUW). 2 ♀♀, first label - Costa Rica: Guanacaste [;] Santa Rosa National Pk. [;] 300m. Malaise. Ian Gauld [;] 31. i– 21.ii.87; second label - Bosque Humedo [;] Mature dry forest [;] high proportion [;] Evergreen species [;] Full Shade; third label - BH-10-C [;] 31. i– 21.ii.87 (ESUW). 2 ♀♀, first label - Costa Rica: Guanacaste [;] Santa Rosa National Pk. [;] 300m. Malaise. Ian Gauld [;] 31. i– 21.ii.87; second label - Bosque San Emilio [;] 50yr old deciduous [;] forest. Full Shade; third label - SE-8-c [;] 31. i– 21.ii.87 (ESUW). 1 ♀, first label - Costa Rica: Guanacaste [;] Santa Rosa National Pk. [;] 300m. Malaise. Ian Gauld [;] 31. i– 21.ii.87; second label - Open regenerating [;] woodland less than [;] 10yrs. Old. Sun; third label - H-1-0 [;] 31. i– 21ii.87 (ESUW). 1 ♀, Costa Rica: Puntarenas, ACLAP [;] Coto Brus. Zona Prot. Las Tablas [;] Est. Biol. Las Alturas [;] 1550m. de Luz [;] 16-23.iii.1999, H. Mendez [;] L.S. 322800-591500 #52467 (ESUW). 5 ♀♀, S.RosaPark, Guan. [;] C. Rica 29 Jan 78 to 14 Feb 78 [;] D. H. Janzen [;] Riparian (AEIC).

Comments.

This species is similar to Heterospilus cushmani but differs by having the stigma bicolored (entirely brown in Heterospilus cushmani ), the hind coxa and femur dark brown (yellow or very light brown in Heterospilus cushmani ), and the mesoscutal lobes granulate but rugose along the notauli (entirely granulate in Heterospilus cushmani ).

Etymology.

The specific name is from the Latin niger meaning dark and coxa meaning hip in reference to the dark colored hind coxa.