Gregburtoni, Sharkey, Michael J., Clutts, Stephanie, Tucker, Erika M., Janzen, Daniel, Hallwachs, Winnie, Dapkey, Tanya & Smith, M. Alex, 2011

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 : 389

Lytopylus gregburtoni Sharkey sp. n. Figs 1011

Description.

Body length 6.4 - 7.9 mm. Ovipositor length 3.7 - 5.5 mm. Gena acute posterolaterally, or rounded or with an obtuse angle posterolaterally. Longitudinal groove on interantennal prominence present. Protuberances on occiput present. Propodeum 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 with longitudinal striae in the three transverse depressions and sometimes striate anteromedially anterad first transverse depression. Forewing mostly or entirely infuscate. Color as in Figs 10, 11. Color variation: This species is very consistent in color across all 18 specimens examined.

Distribution.

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

Biology.

The single rearing is from Desmia Solis19 ( Crambidae , Spilomelinae ) feeding on Psychotria panamensis ( Rubiaceae ) in ACG rain forest. The caterpillar makes a large sloppy leaf roll and lives within it, among leaf fragments and fecal pellets. The wasp spins its cocoon inside the leaf roll. This caterpillar has been reared 150+ times from a diverse array of Rubiaceae in the rain forest understory, and this is the only Agathidinae to appear (but it is accompanied by a diverse array of tachinids, ichneumonids and other braconids). Desmia , as a generic concept, has been reared 4,000+ times by the inventory, and yielded 51 Agathidinae ; all but this one are in the genus Alabagrus .

Etymology.

Named in honor of Greg Burton of Mountain View, California, who has enthusiastically supported the conservation of the ACG forest occupied by this parasitoid wasp.

Material Examined.

Holotype: ♀H6408 (DHJPAR0036705) Costa Rica: Alajuela: Area de Conservación Guanacaste: Sector Rincon Rain Forest: Camino Albergue Oscar: 27.viii.2009, 10.8774N, 85.3236W, 560m [AEI].

Paratypes [AEI, HIC, INBio]: Costa Rica: Alajuela: Area de Conservación Guanacaste: Sector Cacao: Cerro Pedregal: 10.928N, 85.475W, 1080m: ♀: 4-11.vii.2009: H2408, H2407; H2490 30.v.-6.vi.2009; H4131 13-20.vi.2009; H2493 23-30.v.2009. Puntarenas: Las Tablas: 30.viii.-5.ix.1995, 8.955N, 83.12W, 1530m:♀: H6795, H7034, H7032, H7067, H7068, H7066, H7031. Embalse: 17.vi.-13.viii.1996, 1300m: ♀: H6421, H7037. Finca Marcos Morales: 5.vii.-25.viii.1995, 1200m: ♀: H7039, H7033, H6414.