Labena murilloi Zúñiga & Hanson, 2025

Zuñiga, Ronald & Hanson, Paul, 2025, Three new species of Labeninae (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) from Costa Rica, Zootaxa 5728 (3), pp. 579-587 : 584-585

Labena murilloi Zúñiga & Hanson , sp. nov.

( Figs 4–6 )

Material examined. Holotype ♀ (antennae missing): Costa Rica, Puntarenas Prov. Finca Cafrosa , 1.1 km NE de la Escuela Progreso, 1200 m, ii.1996, M. Chinchilla, INBIOCRI002379898 ( MNCR).

Diagnosis. Labena murilloi can be distinguished from other New World species by the following combination of characters: body yellow with black markings ( Figs 4–5 ), fore wing without subapical black spot; propodeum in dorsal view bright yellow with black carinae, area basalis black and 2.0 × as wide as long, area superomedia confluent with areae petiolaris, dentipera and posteroexterna, this large area resembling a three-leaf clover ( Fig. 6 ).

Description. Female. Fore wing length 13.0 mm. Clypeus in anterior view basally almost flat, with a broad shallow impression on either side of slightly convex central apical region, with apex strongly convex in center; clypeofacial suture with scattered hairs; malar space 0.2 × as long as basal mandibular width; frons, vertex and gena smooth, without fine setiferous punctures; posterior ocellus separated from eye by 1.3 × its own maximum diameter; occipital carina complete, reaching hypostomal carina far from base of mandible, at a distance of 0.75 × the width of mandible base; hypostomal carina from base of mandible to union with occipital carina strongly raised. Pronotum smooth and shiny, without setiferous punctures, in dorsal view with two lateromedian pits and with an area of dense pubescence anteriorly; mesoscutum finely and very closely punctate, notauli absent, without transverse crest at anterior end; scutellum weakly punctate, slightly convex, with very short lateral carinae anteriorly; mesopleuron smooth and polished, with upper end of epicnemial carina slightly curved anteriorly just below center of hind pronotal margin; metapleuron very weakly convex, smooth and polished, with submetapleural carina complete. Propodeum in profile abruptly declivous; pleural carina absent anteriorly so that area spiracularis is open externally, present posteriorly and enclosing area lateralis; area basalis and area externa completely enclosed, the former about twice as wide as long; in dorsal view with area superomedia not delineated posteriorly, broadly confluent with areae petiolaris, dentipera and posteroexterna, this large area delineated anteriorly by anterior transverse carina which forms three broad lobes, the central lobe extending most anteriorly ( Fig. 6 ); area externa fully enclosed, about 0.9 × as wide as long; area lateralis transverse, about 2.3 × as wide as long at longest point, coming to a point ventrally. Mid tibia with distal 0.7 strongly inflated, without longitudinal row of spine-like bristles on outer surface; second tarsomere about 1.2 × as long as wide, about as long as following two tarsomeres combined, second and third tarsomeres strongly spinose ventrally; hind coxa about 2.5 × as long as wide at widest point. Fore wing with areolet transverse, 0.4 × as wide as length of distal abscissa of M, with 3 rs-m nearly as long as 2 rs-m. Hind wing with cu-a 2.0 × as long as abscissa of Cu 1 between M and cu-a. Metasoma with tergite I about 2.6 × as long as posteriorly wide, without a carinae; sternite I reaching to spiracle, about 0.4 × length of tergite; tergite II 1.1 × as long as posteriorly wide; tergites II+ with fine dense pubescence. Ovipositor extending beyond apex of metasoma by 1.9 × length of hind tibia, strongly laterally compressed, the apex of the lower valve with fine file-like teeth, and with a small scabrous area basal to these teeth.

Coloration. A predominantly bright yellow species. Head with black marks just above toruli, a transverse band through the ocelli, and above the occipital carina. Pronotum with black in small central dorsal area and along lateroposterior margin; mesoscutum with three longitudinal black bands and with black around the periphery; black on scutoscutellar groove, posterior margin of scutellum, anterior and posterior margin of mesopleuron, area basalis and carinae of propodeum. Metasoma yellow with a transverse dark band centrally on tergite I; tergites II+ black anteriorly. Legs yellow with internal (hind) surface of coxae and femora light brownish. Wings hyaline, pterostigma yellowish, without subapical black spot. Ovipositor sheath reddish brown, darker at apex.

Male. Unknown.

Remarks. Only one female has been collected of Labena murilloi , on the Pacific side of the Talamanca mountain range. A modification of the key to Costa Rican Labena species is given below. L. murilloi appears to belong to the grallator species group, but a male specimen is needed for confirmation since this group was partially defined by males having the fifth tarsomere of the front leg with a black comb-like area ventrally (Gauld 2000). Other Costa Rican species having a somewhat similar pattern of carinae on the propodeum ( L. osai Gauld and L. pluvia Gauld ) have a subapical black spot on the fore wing, which is lacking in L. murilloi . Among the species described recently from elsewhere in the Neotropics (Khalaim, & Ruíz-Cancion 2009; Bordera et al. 2010; González-Moreno et al. 2015), L. murilloi is most similar to L. litoralis González-Moreno & Bordero , described from Mexico (with one non-type male from French Guyana). However, L. murilloi differs by having the propodeum in dorsal view with the area basalis less transverse and the area superomedia confluent with the area petiolaris.

Etymology. This species is named in honor of Luis Ricardo Murillo-Hiller for his enthusiastic dedication to teaching and research on the Lepidoptera of Costa Rica.

Figures

FIGURES 4–6. Labena murilloi. 4. Lateral habitus. 5. Head and mesosoma, lateral view. 6. Propodeum, dorsal view.