Apanteles esthercentenoae 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 : 129-131

Apanteles esthercentenoae Fernandez-Triana sp. n. Fig. 150

Apanteles Rodriguez105 ( Smith et al. 2006). Interim name provided by the authors.

Type locality.

COSTA RICA, Guanacaste, ACG, Sector Santa Rosa, Area Administrativa, 295m, 10.83764, -85.61871.

Holotype.

♀ in CNC. Specimen labels: 1. DHJPAR0005275. 2. COSTA RICA, Guanacaste, ACG, Sector Santa Rosa, Area Administrativa, 12.vi.2000, Victor Chien. 3. 00-SRNP-8744, Palpita venatalis feeding on fallen flowers of Stemmadenia obovata ( Apocynaceae ).

Paratypes.

2 ♀, 4 ♂ (CNC, NMNH). COSTA RICA, ACG database codes: DHJPAR0005268, DHJPAR0005272-DHJPAR0005274, DHJPAR0012475, DHJPAR0012476.

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): dark, dark, dark. Femora color (pro-, meso-, metafemur): pale, anteriorly dark/posteriorly pale, dark. Tibiae color (pro-, meso-, metatibia): pale, pale, anteriorly pale/posteriorly dark. Tegula and humeral complex color: tegula pale, humeral complex half pale/half dark. Pterostigma color: mostly pale and/or transparent, with thin dark borders. Fore wing veins color: mostly white or entirely transparent. Antenna length/body length: antenna about as long as body (head to apex of metasoma); if slightly shorter, at least extending beyond anterior 0.7 metasoma length. Body in lateral view: not distinctly flattened dorso–ventrally. Body length (head to apex of metasoma): 3.5-3.6 mm or 3.7-3.8 mm. Fore wing length: 3.9-4.0 mm. Ocular–ocellar line/posterior ocellus diameter: 2.0-2.2. Interocellar distance/posterior ocellus diameter: 1.4-1.6. Antennal flagellomerus 2 length/width: 2.6-2.8. Antennal flagellomerus 14 length/width: 1.4-1.6. Length of flagellomerus 2/length of flagellomerus 14: 2.0-2.2. Tarsal claws: with single basal spine–like seta. Metafemur length/width: 3.0-3.1. Metatibia inner spur length/metabasitarsus length: 0.4-0.5. Anteromesoscutum: mostly with shallow, dense punctures (separated by less than 2.0 × its maximum diameter). Mesoscutellar disc: mostly smooth. Number of pits in scutoscutellar sulcus: 11 or 12. Maximum height of mesoscutellum lunules/maximum height of lateral face of mesoscutellum: 0.8 or more. Propodeum areola: completely defined by carinae, including transverse carina extending to spiracle. Propodeum background sculpture: mostly sculptured. Mediotergite 1 length/width at posterior margin: 1.1-1.3. Mediotergite 1 shape: clearly widening towards posterior margin. 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: 1.2-1.3. Length of fore wing veins r/2RS: 2.0-2.2 or 2.3 or more. Length of fore wing veins 2RS/2M: 1.7-1.8. Length of fore wing veins 2M/(RS+M)b: 0.5-0.6. Pterostigma length/width: 3.1-3.5. Point of insertion of vein r in pterostigma: about 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. Mediotergite 2 tends to be less transverse, and mediotergite 1 is rather parallel-sided.

Molecular data.

Sequences in BOLD: 8, barcode compliant sequences: 8.

Biology/ecology.

Solitary. Hosts: Crambidae , Palpita venatalis , Pyralidae , Cromarcha stroudagnesia .

Distribution.

Costa Rica, ACG.

Comments.

This species was reared from Palpita venatalis inside of fallen Stemmadenia obovata ( Apocynaceae ) flowers, and from Cromarcha stroudagnesia mining in Tabebuia ochracea ( Bignoniaceae ) stems. No evidence suggests that the specimens are different species, thus they are kept as one here. Based on morphology alone, Apanteles esthercentenoae is very similar to Apanteles thurberiae (see comments under that species).

Etymology.

We dedicate this species to Esther Centeno in recognition of her diligent efforts for the ACG Programa de Ecoturismo.