Triraphis balteus Valerio

Valerio, Alejandro A. & Shaw, Scott R., 2015, Thirteen new Costa Rican species belonging to the genus Triraphis Ruthe (Braconidae: Rogadinae) with their host records, Zootaxa 3904 (4), pp. 501-540 : 507-509

Triraphis balteus Valerio , sp. nov.

Figures 4 , 13–18 , 101 .

Description. Female. Body color: Body whitish yellow as head ventral area and face, with antenna black as distal 2/3 of hind tibia and tarsomeres; pedicel and scape brownish yellow as tarsal claws; propleuron yellow as mesonotum, pronotum dorsal area, tegula, fore leg, hind coxae, palpi and third metasomal tergum. Fore wing: basal 1/2 yellow, remainder dusty; hind wing: hyaline; veins m+cu, 1 – a, cu – a yellow, remainder veins brownish yellow. Body length = 8.14 – 5.90 mm; fore wing length = 6.11 – 4.89 mm.

Head: Head height/head length = 1.20 – 1.28; maximum height of compound eye/maximum width of compound eye = 1.50 – 1.52; distance between basal edges of tentorial pits and the basal area of toruli/Maximum width of face measured at dorsal edge of clypeus = 1.11 – 1.15; width of vertex/minimal distance between toruli and the medial ocellus = 2.17 – 2.33; height of oral opening/height of oral opening = 1.75 – 1.80. Distance between tentorial pits = 0.20 – 0.26 mm; minimal distance between external edge of tentorial pits and compound eye = 0.18 mm. Antenna, flagellomeres all longer than wide, between 52 – 59; malar space narrower than basal width of mandible; occipital carina clearly divided dorsally (dorsal gap at least as big as distance between the external edge of lateral ocellus), not fused with hypostomal carina, clearly separated; median ocellus slightly smaller than lateral ocellus; space between lateral ocellus black; ocell-ocular distance 1/3 of Lateral ocellus width.

Mesosoma: Length of mesosoma in dorsal view/width of mesosoma = 2.94 – 3.10; height of mesosoma = 1.21 – 1.50 mm; propleuron dorso – basal area with defined colliculate sculpturing present, dorso-lateral area, basally with defined colliculate sculpturing, remainder with less defined colliculate sculpturing present; remainder mesonotum nitid; notauli punctate, from smaller laterally to bigger medially, defined medially; medial longitudinal pit present with large punctate sculpturing present medially; sternauli striate as union with prepectal carina, area below with confused colliculate sculpturing; mesopleuron with rugose and less defined colliculate sculpturing at dorso-lateral area, remainder with defined colliculate sculpturing; metapleuron with rugose and granulate sculpturing; propodeum, spiracles oval; first lateral areas of propodeum with light areolate-rugulose sculpturing; medial carina <1/5 of Propodeum length; areola triangular; ventral tubercles present and densely granulate.

Legs: basal lobe of hind tarsal claws elongate and acute at tip.

Wings: fore wing: lCUb/RS+Ma = 1.11 – 1.20; 3RSa/lRS = 4.13 – 4.33; pterostigma length/width = 2.00 – 2.08; r = 0.26 – 0.30 mm. hind wing: lM/r – m = 1.62 – 1.69; lA/cu – a = 1.37 – 1.72; m+cu = 0.79 – 1.03 mm; m+cu before 2RS; 2RS bent to wing base; angle at union 2RS – 2M acute; pterostigma yellow.

Metasoma: Length of first metasomal tergum/width of first metasomal tergum = 1.30 – 1.19; length of second metasomal tergum/width of second metasomal tergum = 0.88 – 1.00; length of third metasomal tergum/width of third metasomal tergum = 0.44 – 0.66; anterior width of first tergum = 0.40 – 0.60 mm; hypopygium = 0.51 – 0.75 mm; Anterior triangular area of first metasomal tergum close without carinae present, medial carina normal; first metasomal tergum lineate sculpturing more spaced than second metasomal tergum sculpturing; second metasomal tergum medial carina defined and cristate basally; third metasomal tergum lineate sculpturing finer, closer and less conspicuous than second metasomal tergum sculpturing, reaching third metasomal tergum distal edge; fourth metasomal tergum with fine lineate sculpturing.

Male. Unknown.

Female holotype. Costa Rica, Peninsula de Osa, 8 km S. puente sobre el Río Rincón, Coopemarti, 30 m. xi/ 1990, Col. P. Hanson. Paratypes: 7 females; Puntarenas: (2) 24 km W. Piedras Blancas, 200 m. ii/1992; 2 same data except date, iii/1991, iii – v/1989; R. F. Golfo Dulce, 5 km W. Piedras Blancas, 100m x/1990; Rd. to Rincon, 10 km W. of Pan – Amer. Hwy. 100 m. iii – v/1989; San José, Ciudad Colón, Hacienda el Rodeo, 800 m. 19 – 29/vii/1997, Col. A. González.

Holotype and paratypes have been deposited at the RMSEL.

Distribution. The altitudinal range of this species is from 30 – 200 m on the Pacific coast; the type of forest present at site of collecting was tropical moist/wet forest. Some specimens were collected at the edge of a secondary forest, and at a small island of forest that belongs to “Selva Verde.”

Biology. One specimen parasitized a larva of Melanis pixie ; the mummification of the larva occurred four days before the emergence of the wasp, and the larvae was immobile for 10 days before the emergence of the wasp (A. González unpubl. data).

Comments. Similar to Triraphis fusciceps (Cresson) by the ratio of fore wing veins 3RSa/1RS bigger than 3.7x, first lateral areas of propodeum with light areolate-rugulose sculpturing and propodeal medial carina smaller than 1/4 of propodeum length, but can be identified by the hind coxae bicolored (black and whitish yellow).

Etymology. This species is named for the black anterior edge of the fore wing; “ balteus ” in Latin means border, edge.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 6. Ocell-ocular distance for: 1, Triraphis cortazari; 2, T. guarusa; 3, T. simphlex; 4, T. balteus; 5, T. defectus; 6, T. paraholos. Scale bar in millimeters.

FIGURE 13 – 18. Triraphis balteus, 13, dorsal habitus; 14, lateral habitus; 15, mesosoma, dorsal view; 16, mesosoma, lateral view; 17, head, anterior view; 18, metasoma, dorsal view. Scale bar in millimeters.

FIGURE 101 – 108. Wing venation and wing pattern for: 101, Triraphis balteus; 102, T. fusciceps (Cresson); 103, T. chinusi; 104, T. guarusa; 105, T. cortazari; 106, T. ikelops; 107, T. defectus and 108, T. melasops.