Apanteles mariamendezae Fernandez-Triana

Fernandez-Triana, Jose L., Whitfield, James B., Rodriguez, Josephine J., Smith, M. Alex, Janzen, Daniel H., Hallwachs, Winnie D., Hajibabaei, Mehrdad, Burns, John M., Solis, M. Alma, Brown, John, Cardinal, Sophie, Goulet, Henri & Hebert, Paul D. N., 2014, Review of Apantelessensu stricto (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Microgastrinae) from Area de Conservacion Guanacaste, northwestern Costa Rica, with keys to all described species from Mesoamerica, ZooKeys 383, pp. 1-565 : 230-231

Apanteles mariamendezae Fernandez-Triana sp. n. Fig. 143

Type locality.

COSTA RICA, Alajuela, ACG, Sector Pitilla, Estación Pitilla, 675m, 10.98931, -85.42581.

Holotype.

♀ in CNC. Specimen labels: 1. DHJPAR0042469. 2. COSTA RICA, Alajuela, ACG, Sector Pitilla, Estación Pitilla, 4.iii.2011, 10.98931°N, -85.42581°W, 675m, DHJPAR0042469. 3. Voucher: D.H.Janzen & W.Hallwachs, DB: http://janzen.sas.upenn.edu, Area de Conservación Guanacaste, COSTA RICA, 11-SRNP-30706.

Description.

Female. Body color: body mostly dark except for some sternites which may be pale. Antenna color: scape, pedicel, and flagellum dark. Coxae color (pro-, meso-, metacoxa): pale, dark, dark. Femora color (pro-, meso-, metafemur): pale, anteriorly dark/posteriorly pale, mostly dark but anterior 0.2 or less pale. Tibiae color (pro-, meso-, metatibia): pale, pale, anteriorly pale/posteriorly dark. Tegula and humeral complex color: tegula dark, humeral complex half pale/half dark. Pterostigma color: dark with pale spot at base. Fore wing veins color: mostly dark (a few veins may be unpigmented). Antenna length/body length: antenna shorter than body (head to apex of metasoma), not extending beyond anterior 0.7 metasoma length. Body in lateral view: not distinctly flattened dorso–ventrally. Body length (head to apex of metasoma): 3.1-3.2 mm. Fore wing length: 2.9-3.0 mm. Ocular–ocellar line/posterior ocellus diameter: 1.7-1.9. Interocellar distance/posterior ocellus diameter: 1.7-1.9. Antennal flagellomerus 2 length/width: 2.6-2.8. Antennal flagellomerus 14 length/width: 1.1-1.3. Length of flagellomerus 2/length of flagellomerus 14: 2.3-2.5. Tarsal claws: simple. Metafemur length/width: 3.2-3.3 or 3.4-3.5. Metatibia inner spur length/metabasitarsus length: 0.4-0.5. Anteromesoscutum: mostly with deep, dense punctures (separated by less than 2.0 × its maximum diameter). Mesoscutellar disc: mostly punctured. Number of pits in scutoscutellar sulcus: 7 or 8 or 9 or 10. Maximum height of mesoscutellum lunules/maximum height of lateral face of mesoscutellum: 0.4-0.5. Propodeum areola: completely defined by carinae, including transverse carina extending to spiracle. Propodeum background sculpture: partly sculptured, especially on anterior 0.5. Mediotergite 1 length/width at posterior margin: 4.1 or more. Mediotergite 1 shape: mostly parallel–sided for 0.5-0.7 of its length, then narrowing posteriorly so mediotergite anterior width>1.1 × posterior width. Mediotergite 1 sculpture: mostly sculptured, excavated area centrally with transverse striation inside and /or a polished knob centrally on posterior margin of mediotergite. Mediotergite 2 width at posterior margin/length: 3.6-3.9. Mediotergite 2 sculpture: with some sculpture, mostly near posterior margin. Outer margin of hypopygium: with a wide, medially folded, transparent, semi–desclerotized area; usually with 4 or more pleats. Ovipositor thickness: about same width throughout its length. Ovipositor sheaths length/metatibial length: 1.0-1.1. Length of fore wing veins r/2RS: 1.7-1.9. Length of fore wing veins 2RS/2M: 1.4-1.6. Length of fore wing veins 2M/(RS+M)b: 0.7-0.8. Pterostigma length/width: 2.6-3.0. Point of insertion of vein r in pterostigma: clearly beyond half way point length of pterostigma. Angle of vein r with fore wing anterior margin: clearly outwards, inclined towards fore wing apex. Shape of junction of veins r and 2RS in fore wing: distinctly but not strongly angled.

Male. Unknown.

Molecular data.

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

Biology/ecology.

Solitary. Hosts: Elachistidae , elachJanzen01 10-SRNP-30313.

Distribution.

Costa Rica, ACG.

Comments.

This species is characterized by the combination of glossa elongate, pterostigma brown, and ovipositor about the same width from base to apex.

Etymology.

We dedicate this species to María Mendez in recognition of her efforts for the ACG Comedor in Santa Rosa.