Lytopylus rebeccashapleyae 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 : 395-396

Lytopylus rebeccashapleyae Sharkey sp. n. Figs 2324

Description.

Body length 4.2 - 4.9 mm. Ovipositor length 4.2 - 4.5 mm. Gena acute posterolaterally. Longitudinal groove on interantennal prominence absent. Protuberances on occiput absent. Propodeum with carinae forming areolae, median areola rounded anteriorly, or 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 except for weak striae anteromedially. Forewing clear except base slightly infuscate. Color as in Figs 23, 24. Color variation: Body color is consistent across the five specimens examined.

Molecular data.

BOLD process ID/Janzen parasitoid voucher/GenBank accession:

ASHYB1809-10/DHJPAR0039521/JN034725

ASHYB1810-10/DHJPAR0039522/JN034724

ASHYB1794-10/DHJPAR0039506/JN034723

ASHYB1813-10/DHJPAR0039525/JN024722

Distribution.

Alajuela Province and Puntarenas Province, Costa Rica. Click here for a distribution map.

Biology.

All five rearings are from Episimu s Brown002 ( Tortricidae , Olethreutinae ), a relatively common solitary leaf webber feeding on the shrubs Vismia baccifera and Vismia billbergiana ( Clusiaceae ) that occur throughout disturbed ACG rain forest sites (150+ caterpillar rearings). However, all five wasp rearings are from a batch of Episimus Brown002 larvae collected in late April and early May in just one intermediate elevation site on the very wet Caribbean slopes of Volcan Rincon de la Vieja in Sector Rincon Rain Forest.

Etymology.

Lytopylus rebeccashapleyae is named in honor of Rebecca Shapley of Mountain View, California, who has enthusiastically supported the conservation of the ACG forest occupied by this parasitoid wasp.

Material examined.

Holotype: ♀, H8047 (DHJPAR0039525) Costa Rica: Alajuela: Area de Conservación Guanacaste: Sector Rincon Rain Forest: Sendero al Crater: 19.v.2010, 10.8488N, 85.3281W, 980m. [AEI].

Paratypes [AEI, HIC, INBio]: Costa Rica: Alajuela: Area de Conservación Guanacaste: Sector Rincon Rain Forest: Camino Albergue Oscar: 10.8774N, 85.3236W, 560m: 17.v.2010: ♀ H8020 (DHJPAR0039521), ♀ H7959 (DHJPAR0039506); ♀ H7960 (DHJPAR0039507) 14.v.2010. ♀ H8032 (DHJPAR0039522) 8.v.2010.