Labania ficophaga Belokobylskij & Zaldivar-Riveron, 2015

Belokobylskij, Sergey A., Solis, Miguel Artavia, Hanson, Paul E. & Zaldivar-Riveron, Alejandro, 2015, A new species of Labania Hedqvist (Braconidae, Doryctinae) from Costa Rica, reared from aerial root galls of Ficus obtusifolia Kunth, Journal of Hymenoptera Research 44, pp. 69-78 : 71-75

Labania ficophaga Belokobylskij & Zaldivar-Riveron sp. n. Figs 1 ; 2A-B

Diagnosis.

This new species is morphologically similar to Labania hansoni Marsh; however, Labania ficophaga can be distinguished from the latter species by the following features: 1) greater diameter of eye 2.0-2.2 times wider than temple (1.4-1.7 times in Labania hansoni ); 2) eye covered by short and sparse setae (long and very dense setae in Labania hansoni ); 3) malar space 0.35-0.4 times height of eye (0.4-0.5 times in Labania hansoni ); 4) propodeum mainly rugose-striate, smooth only in basolateral areas (mainly smooth, rugose only medially in Labania hansoni ); 5) discoidal (first discal) cell distinctly sessile anteriorly (petiolate anteriorly in Labania hansoni ); 6) dorsal carinae of the first metasomal tergite almost complete (incomplete in Labania hansoni ); 7) vertex and frons light reddish brown or brownish yellow (reddish brown to black in Labania hansoni ); 8) basal antennal segments black or almost black (yellow or brownish yellow in Labania hansoni ); 9) hind femur and tibia of female dark reddish brown to reddish brown (yellow or brownish yellow in Labania hansoni ).

Labania ficophaga is also morphologically similar to Labania minuta , but differs from this species by having: 1) a larger body length, from 3.6 to 4.1 mm (1.0 to 1.8 mm in Labania minuta ; Fig. 3A ); 2) antenna 23-26-segmented (less than 20 antennomeres in Labania minuta ; Fig. 3A ); 3) notauli joining at the end of mesoscutum in a wide longitudinally striate-rugose area (joining at the end of mesoscutum in narrow rugose area in Labania minuta ; Fig. 3B ); 4) head light reddish brown or yellowish brownish (face and temple honey yellow to brown, frons and vertex black in Labania minuta ; Figs 3A-C ); and 5) entirely smooth second metasomal tergite (with mediobasal longitudinal striae in Labania minuta ; Fig. 3E ).

Description.

Female. Body length 3.6-4.1 mm; fore wing length 3.1-3.2 mm.

Head: width 1.8-1.9 times its median length, 1.15-1.20 times width of mesoscutum. Head behind eyes (dorsal view) distinctly roundly narrowed. Transverse diameter of eye 2.0-2.2 times wider than temple. Ocelli medium-sized, arranged in triangle with base 1.2-1.3 times its sides. POL 0.8-1.0 times Od, 0.30-0.35 times OOL. Frons excavation deep, not wide, not extending beyond antennal sockets, with shallow or very shallow median furrow. Eye without emargination opposite antennal socket, 1.3 times as high as broad. Malar space 0.35-0.40 times height of eye, 0.8-1.0 times basal width of mandible. Face slightly convex, its width 0.9 times height of eye and 0.9-1.0 times height of face and clypeus combined. Clypeus convex, about twice as wide as high. Width of hypoclypeal depression almost equal to distance from edge of depression to eye, 0.5-0.6 times width of face. Hypostomal flange narrow. Occipital carina not fused with hypostomal carina and obliterated ventrally. Palpi short, maxillary palpus 5-segmented, labial palpus 2-segmented.

Antenna: thickened, weakly setiform, covered by dense and dark setae, 23-26-segmented. Scape 1.5-1.6 times longer than its maximum width, almost twice as long as pedicel. First flagellar segment 4.0-4.5 times longer than its apical width, 1.2-1.3 times longer than second segment. Penultimate segment 2.2-2.3 times longer than its width, 0.7-0.8 times as long as apical segment; the latter pointed apically.

Mesosoma: length 1.6-1.7 times its height. Median lobe of mesoscutum distinctly and highly convex (lateral view), slightly protruding forward and rounded anteriorly (dorsal view). Oblique submedian furrow on side of pronotum narrow and densely crenulated. Notauli complete, deep, narrow and densely crenulated, joining at the end of mesoscutum in a longitudinally striate-rugose area. Prescutellar depression long, deep, with several more or less high carinae, densely and distinctly reticulate-striate between carinae, 0.25-0.35 times as long as scutellum. Scutellum 1.2 times longer than maximum anterior width. Scuto-scuttelar suture absent. Precoxal sulcus almost absent or very weak, short. Metanotal tooth low (lateral view). Metapleural flange quite short and wide, almost indistinct. Propodeal lateral tubercles large and wide.

Wings: fore wing 2.7-3.0 times longer than its maximum width. Pterostigma 2.9-3.5 times longer than width. Metacarp (R1) 1.2-1.3 times longer than pterostigma. Radial (marginal) cell long, open apically after strong desclerotisation of apical part of third radial abscissa (3RSb). First (r) and second (3RSa) radial abscissae forming an obtuse angle. Second radial abscissa (3RSa) 4.0-4.3 times longer than first abscissa (r), 0.35-0.40 times as long as the straight third abscissa (3RSb). First radiomedial vein (2RS) mainly or completely absent, rarely present and short, or (exceptionally) with elongate anterior part of abscissa. Second radiomedial (second submarginal) cell fused with first radiomedial (first submarginal) cell, slightly narrowed apically. First medial abscissa ((RS+M)a) distinctly sinuate. Discoidal (first discal) cell sessile. Recurrent vein (1m-cu) 0.3-0.4 times as long as basal vein (1M); these veins parallel. Distance from nervulus (1cu-a) to basal (1M) vein 0.7-0.8 times nervulus (1cu-a) length. Brachial (first subdiscal) cell long, wide, opened apico-posteriorly after strong desclerotisation of second abscissa of longitudinal anal vein (2-1A). Brachial vein (2cu-a) long and mainly pigmented. Hind wing 4.0-4.1 times longer than its maximum width. Hamuli 3-4. Medial (basal) cell apically widely open after strong desclerotisation of second abscissa of costal vein (SC+R). Nervellus (cu-a) absent; submedial (subbasal) cell widely open apically. Recurrent vein (m-cu) distinct or fine, straight or slightly curved, more or less inclivous, interstitial, distinctly or sometimes faintly pigmented.

Legs: hind coxa without basoventral corner and tubercle, 1.4-1.5 times longer than maximum width, about 0.8 times as long as propodeum. Hind femur 2.8-3.1 times longer than width. Hind tarsus 0.8-0.9 times as long as hind tibia. Basitarsus of hind tarsus 0.55-0.60 times as long as second to fifth segments combined. Second segment of hind tarsus 0.5 times as long as basitarsus, 0.9 times as long as fifth segment (without pretarsus). Claws large.

Metasoma: 1.0-1.1 times longer than head and mesosoma combined. First tergite distinctly and almost linearly widened from base to apex, with slightly impressed spiracular tubercles in basal third, with distinct, almost complete and slightly convergent posterior dorsal carinae. Maximum width of first tergite about 2.0 times its minimum width; length 0.9-1.0 times its apical width, 1.4-1.5 times length of propodeum. Suture between second and third tergites quite shallow and almost complete. Median length of second and third tergites 1.1-1.2 times basal width of second tergite, 0.8-0.9 times maximum width of these tergites. Ovipositor short, its sheath about as long as first tergite of metasoma, 0.40-0.45 times as long as mesosoma, 0.18-0.22 times as long as fore wing.

Sculpture and pubescence: head entirely smooth, sometimes frons near antennal sockets with several curved striae. Mesoscutum smooth, with rugulosity in short and small medioposterior area. Scutellum mainly smooth, finely striate laterally. Mesopleuron mostly smooth. Propodeum widely rugose-striate, with all areas distinctly delineated by carinae; basolateral areas short, semi-rounded, mainly smooth; areola wide, about as long as maximum width; basal carina 0.2-0.3 times as long as basal fork of areola. Hind coxa and femur smooth. First tergite mainly striate with rugosities, finely reticulate to almost smooth between dorsal carinae. Remaining tergites entirely smooth. Vertex with numerous, dense and semi-erect pale setae. Mesoscutum mainly glabrous, with dense and erect pale setae arranged in almost single lines along notauli and laterally. Mesopleuron medially rather widely glabrous. Hind tibia dorsally with dense, relatively long and semi-erect pale setae, its length 0.5-0.8 times maximum width of hind tibia.

Colour: head entirely light reddish brown or sometimes yellowish brownish, ocellar triangle often black. Antenna black, dark reddish brown basally, two basal segments yellowish brown. Palpi pale brown. Mesosoma almost reddish black, with light brown on narrow stripe along lower margin of pronotal sides and along area of precoxal sulcus. Metasoma mainly dark reddish brown, dorsal basal and apical parts black. Fore and middle legs light reddish brown to yellowish brown. Hind leg mainly dark reddish brown, tibia faintly paler and light reddish brown basally and apically, hind tarsus entirely light reddish brown. Ovipositor sheath almost black. Fore and hind wings distinctly and evenly darkened, veins dark brown. Pterostigma black, slightly paler apically.

Male. Body length 2.9-3.9 mm; fore wing length 2.5-2.7 mm. Antenna slender, filiform or narrow basally and weakly thickened apically, 20-22-segmented. First flagellar segment 4.5-4.8 times longer than its apical width. Hind femur strongly widened, 1.9-2.1 times longer than width, dark brown or dark reddish brown. Hind tibia almost entirely light reddish brown. Metasoma 0.9-1.0 times as long as head and mesosoma combined. Length of first tergite 1.1 times its apical width, 1.2-1.5 times length of propodeum. Otherwise similar to female.

Distribution.

Known only from Costa Rica.

Type material.

Holotype: female, "Costa Rica: San Jose, Reserva el Rodeo, root galls on Ficus obtusifolia , IV.2011, Col. Miguel Artavia (IB-UNAM). Paratypes: 30 females (9 in alcohol), 16 males (4 in alcohol), the same label as holotype (IB-UNAM, MZCR, ZISP, NMNH); 1 female, same data as holotype, DNA voucher number CNIN1078 (IB-UNAM), GenBank accession numbers KJ586713 (COI), KJ586690 (wingless) and KJ586780 (28S) ( Zaldívar-Riverón et al. 2014) (IB-UNAM).

Biology.

All examined specimens of Labania ficophaga were reared from aerial root galls on a single Ficus obtusifolia tree. Each gall (Fig. 2C ) was approximately 1.5 cm in diameter and contained multiple larval chambers. Galls were frequently grouped together forming a mass that measured up to 6 cm in diameter and 12 cm in length. A photograph of these galls is shown in Zaldívar-Riverón et al. (2014; Fig. 1B). They are similar to the galls induced by Labania hansoni Marsh on Ficus citrifolia , as reported by Marsh (2002). It should be noted that the identification of the Ficus citrifolia requires verification; it is possible that the correct identity is Ficus eximia Schott.

Galls of Labania ficophaga were tracked on the host tree during a two years period (2011-2012), during which time the tree was visited every month. All wasps, including four additional species that are probably parasitoids, emerged during April and May. No wasps emerged during any other month. New galls began appearing in May and June and became full-sized in August.

Two lines of evidence suggest that Labania ficophaga is the gall inducer. First, it is larger than the other four species emerging from these galls (parasitoids are expected to be slightly smaller, unless they feed on gall tissue). Second, of the five species of hymenopterans reared from these galls (no other insects were reared), Labania ficophaga was the only species that was present in all the samples and in most samples it was also the most numerous species. For example, eight galls collected in April 2011 yielded 389 Labania , 89 Eurytomidae (probably Phylloxeroxenus Ashmead) species #1, and 28 Eurytomidae (probably Phylloxeroxenus Ashmead) species #2. Two galls collected in April 2012 yielded 45 Labania and 4 Eurytomidae species #2. One gall collected in May 2012 yielded 10 Labania , 17 Torymus Dalman ( Torymidae ), 1 Eurytomidae species #1, and 2 Platygastridae .

Figures

Figure 1. Labania ficophaga sp. n. (female, paratype): A habitus, lateral view B head and palpi, ventro-latero-posterior view C head and mesosoma, dorsal view D head and mesosoma, lateral view E metasoma, dorsal view F fore wing G hind wing.

Figure 2. Labania ficophaga sp. n. (male, paratype): A habitus, lateral view B hind femur C Aerial root galls on Ficus obtusifolia Kunth where specimens of Labania ficophaga were reared.

Figure 3. Labania minuta Marsh (female A-C, E; male D): A habitus, lateral view B head and mesosoma, dorsal view C head and mesosoma, lateral view D hind femur E metasoma, dorsal view.