Pseudapanteles renecastroi Fernandez-Triana & Whitfield

Fernandez-Triana, Jose L., Janzen, Daniel H., Hallwachs, Winnie, Whitfield, James B., Smith, M. Alex & Kula, Robert, 2014, Revision of the genus Pseudapanteles (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Microgastrinae), with emphasis on the species in Area de Conservacion Guanacaste, northwestern Costa Rica, ZooKeys 446, pp. 1-82 : 24-25

Taxon classification Animalia Hymenoptera Braconidae

Pseudapanteles renecastroi Fernandez-Triana & Whitfield sp. n. Figs 151- 155

Holotype.

♀ in CNC. COSTA RICA, ACG, Guanacaste Province, Sector Santa Rosa, Area Administrativa, 295m, 10.83764, -85.61871, 25.xii.2008. ACG database code: DHJPAR0031765.

Paratypes.

2 ♀ (CNC). COSTA RICA, ACG database codes: DHJPAR0013149, DHJPAR0031639.

Diagnosis.

It belongs to the annulicornis species-group, and can be separated from other species within that group based on T2 mostly smooth, propodeum with short, carina like sculpture on lateral and posterior margins in addition to median longitudinal carina, and ovipositor sheaths relatively long (1.0 × as long as metatibia).

Description.

Female. Body length 2.0-2.1 mm. Fore wing length 2.0-2.1 mm. Head color: mostly dark brown to black, except for yellow clypeus, labrum, mandibles, and spot on lower corner of gena near oral foramen. Flagellomere color: all flagellomere brown to black. Mesosoma color: entirely dark brown to black. Metasoma color (dorsally): mostly dark brown to black, except for yellow-orange anterior 0.4-0.6 of mediotergite 1. Coxae color: pale/pale/mostly or completely dark. Metatibia color: mostly pale, with posterior 0.1-0.2 dark. Metatarsus color: dark. Pterostigma color: entirely dark. Mediotergite 1 length/width at posterior margin 4.6-5.0 ×. Mediotergite 1 maximum width/width at posterior margin 2.5-2.6 ×. Mediotergite 2 width at posterior margin/length: 3.6-3.7 × or 4.0-4.1 ×. Mediotergite 2 sculpture: Mostly smoth and polished. Ovipositor sheaths length: 1.0 × as long as metatibia.

Male. Unknown.

Molecular data.

Sequences in BOLD: 2, barcode compliant sequences: 1.

Biology/ecology.

Malaise-trapped.

Distribution.

Costa Rica, ACG dry forest.

Etymology.

This species is named in honour of Dr. Rene Castro, a Minister of Costa Rica’s MINAE, who helped ACG and INBio in their early years of exploring conservation through non-damaging biodiversity development, promoted the development of Costa Rica’s carbon market, and tolerated the growing pains of decentralized administration of Costa Rica’s conserved wildlands.