Sendaphne rogerblancoi Fernandez-Triana & Whitfield, 2014

Fernandez-Triana, Jose L., Whitfield, James B., Smith, M. Alex, Hallwachs, Winnie & Janzen, Daniel H., 2014, Revision of the neotropical genus Sendaphne Nixon (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Microgastrinae), Journal of Hymenoptera Research 41, pp. 1-29 : 13-14

Sendaphne rogerblancoi Fernandez-Triana & Whitfield sp. n.

Figs 68-75

Holotype.

Female, CNC. COSTA RICA, Guanacaste, Area de Conservación Guanacaste, Sector Cacao, Sendero Cima, 1,460 m, 10.93328, -85.45729; 18.xii.2008; coll. D.H. Janzen & W. Hallwachs. DNA Voucher code: DHJPAR0031465.

Paratypes.

4 ♀, 5♀ (BMNH, CNC, INBio, NMNH), same locality as holotype. Collecting dates are mostly on December 2008, with one record each in November 2008, March 2009, and April 2009. All specimens are from one Malaise trap at the very peak of Volcán Cacao.

Diagnosis.

This is the most distinctive species of Sendaphne based on coloration (head, mesosoma, metasoma, and metacoxa black), shape of first discal cell, and narrow mediotergite 1.

Description.

Head color: black. Mesosoma color: black. Tegula color: dark brown. Metasoma color (dorsally): black. Metacoxa color: dark brown to black. Anatomical line tangent to posterior margin of anterior ocellus crossing very slightly (less than 0.01 mm) above anterior margin of posterior ocelli. Ocular-ocellar line: 0.17-0.18 mm. Interocellar distance: 0.09 mm. Posterior ocellus diameter: 0.08 mm. Body length: 4.3-4.6 mm. Fore wing length: 4.2-4.3 mm. Ovipositor length: 3.8-4.2 mm. Metacoxa length: 1.10-1.11 mm. Metafemur length: 0.85-0.90 mm. Metatibia length: 1.5-1.6 mm. T1 length/width at posterior margin: 0.80-0.85 mm/0.15-0.16 mm. T2 length/width at posterior margin: 0.45 mm/0.25 mm.

Distribution.

Only the summit cloud forest at 1,450 m on Volcán Cacao, northwestern Costa Rica.

Molecular data.

In BOLD there are data for 16 specimens of this species (the holotype, the paratypes and other specimens that we could not examine) which rendered partial barcodes, most of them from 260 to 390 base pairs. Only the holotype (DNA Voucher code: DHJPAR0031465) had a longer barcode (633 base pairs).

Etymology.

This unique species, the only Sendaphne known from Costa Rica so far, is named after Sr. Roger Blanco Segura, of Area de Conservación Guanacaste (ACG), northwestern Costa Rica, in recognition of his 3+ decades of intense care and management of ACG in an enormous variety of circumstances and for a very large array of purposes.

Figures

Figures 68 - 75. Sendaphne rogerblancoi, female holotype. 68 Habitus, lateral view 69 Fore wing 70 Head, frontal view 71 Hypopygium and hind legs (partially), lateral view 72 Ovipositor, ovipositor sheaths, and hypopygium, lateral view 73 Head and mesosoma (partially), lateral view 74 Propodeum and T 1, dorsal view 75 Propodeum and mesosoma, dorsal view.