Leptodrepana conleyae Dadelahi & Shaw

Dadelahi, Samin D., Shaw, Scott R., Aguirre, Helmuth & Almeida, Luis Felipe V. de, 2018, A taxonomic study of Costa Rican Leptodrepana with the description of twenty-four new species (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Cheloninae), ZooKeys 750, pp. 59-130 : 72-75

Leptodrepana conleyae Dadelahi & Shaw sp. n. Figs 19-23

Diagnosis.

The carapace apex terminates in two small tubercles weakly arched between. Head blackish brown; mesosoma mostly orange, metapleuron with black areas posteriorly; wings suffused with light yellowish brown pigment. The carapace has a baso-medial yellowish white “cape” or patch that extends laterally but not all the way to the lateral margins of the carapace, remainder of carapace blackish brown.

Holotype female.

BL 3.7 mm; FWL 3.2 mm; CL 1.68 mm; CW 0.44 mm; CL/CW 3.8.

Description.

Color. Head blackish brown, mandibles yellow, blackish brown apically; palpi yellowish white; antennae with scape, pedicel and basal flagellomere 1 light brown and remainder of flagellum brownish black; mesosoma mostly orange, metapleuron with black areas posteriorly; fore leg yellow; hind and middle legs mostly yellow except trochantellus, apical portion of femur and laterally along length of tibia brown; wings suffused with light yellowish brown pigment; venation yellowish brown; basal third of carapace yellowish white with small median area of yellowish white extending into middle third, remainder of carapace blackish brown.

Head. HW 1.1 mm; HL 0.93 mm; HW/HL 1.19; face and genae, coarsely rugulose-punctate; vertex and ocellar triangle coarsely rugulose-punctate almost weakly areolate-rugose; frons depressed, coarsely rugulose-punctate with fine parallel lineation lateral to median carina; clypeus punctate and apical margin rounded; occipital carina complete; antennae with flagellomeres all longer than wide and decreasing in length apically, except penultimate flagellomere almost as long as wide and approximately half the length of ultimate flagellomere.

Mesosoma. Pronotum rugose-foveate antero-laterally to impunctate at propleural margin; propleuron weakly areolate-rugose; mesoscutum areolate-rugose, mesonotal lobes not differentiated from median mesoscutum; notauli indistinct; scutellar sulcus with 7 well-defined depressions, all longer than wide; scutellar disc punctate; mesopleuron anteriorly rugose, medially foveate, foveate groove at precoxal sulcus, foveolate to punctate postero-ventrally; propodeum coarsely areolate-rugose with distinct transverse carina raised into small and roughly equal medial and lateral flanges.

Metasoma. Carapace areolate-rugose basally to shiny and punctate at apex; in dorsal view, apex terminates in two small points visible below rounded dorsum carapace; in posterior view, apex terminates in two small points weakly arched between; and in lateral view, carapace apex terminates in narrow point below midline.

Variation of paratype females.HW 0.875-1.025 mm; HL 0.75-0.9 mm; HW/HL 1.12-1.2; BL 2.9-3.6 mm; FWL 2.6-3.2 mm; CL 1.36-1.6 mm; CW 0.4-0.44 mm; CL/CW 3.4-4.0.

Paratype males. No males.

Material examined.

Holotype female: PUNTARENAS, San Vito, Est. Las Alturas, 1500 m, i.1992 (P. Hanson) [UWIM]. Paratype data: 1♀, same data as holotype; 1♀, same data except xii.1991; 1♀, same data except xi.1991; 1♀, same province, R. B. Carara, Est. Queb. Bonita, 50 m, L-NL194500-469850, xii.1992 (J. C. Saborio) [INBio, barcode CR1000-900653]; 1♀, same data except i.1994 (R.M. Guzman) [INBio, barcode CR1001-940130]; 1♀, same province, Area de Conservacion Arenal, R. B. Monteverde, Est. La Casona, 1520 m, L-N-253250-449700, xii.1993, (N. G. Obando) [INBio, barcode CR1001-866000]; 1♀, same province, Coto Brus, Est. Las Alturas 1500 m, L-S-322500-591300, xii.1991 (M. A. Zumbado) [INBio, barcode CR1000-487177].

Remarks.

Leptodrepana conleyae is superficially similar to L. ninae but may be distinguished by the following combination of characters. In dorsal and posterior views the carapace apex of L. conleyae terminates in two small tubercles weakly arched between (Figs 21, 23). The propleural margin of the pronotum is shiny and weakly punctate. The mesopleuron is foveate medially and has a foveate groove at the precoxal sulcus. The scutellar sulcus has seven well-defined depressions. The carapace has a baso-medial yellowish white “cape” or patch that extends laterally but not all the way to the lateral margins of the carapace. In L. ninae , the carapace apex terminates in two sharp tubercles that are deeply arched between (Fig. 64). The propleural margin of the pronotum is rugose. The mesopleuron is medially shiny and weakly punctate with a shallow foveate band at the precoxal sulcus.

The scutellar sulcus has six well-defined depressions. Dorsally the carapace bears a large oval area of orangish brown.

Etymology.

This species is a patronym for Jennifer Katherine Conley, in appreciation for her support, friendship, and ability to argue coherently on any topic for any length of time.