Parapanteles scotti Valerio and Whitfield

Valerio, A. A., Whitfield, J. B. & Janzen, D. H., 2009, Review of world Parapanteles Ashmead (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Microgastrinae), with description of fourteen new Neotropical species and the first description of the final instar larvae, Zootaxa 2084 (1), pp. 1-49 : 37-38

Parapanteles scotti Valerio and Whitfield , n. sp.

Figs. 4E , 6A , 8C , 10B , 13D

Female. Body length = 1.90–2.13 mm.

Body color: Legs yellow (except tarsomeres fuscous and articulation between hind femur and tibia and tarsal claws dark brown) and basal 1/3 of metasoma (except terga), palpi, scape, ovipositor; tegula light yellow; labrum and mandibles reddish brown; compound eyes silver; ocelli light orange; remainder of body dark brown. Wings hyaline; forewing with veins brownish yellow, except most of M+CU and 1-1A less darker, pterostigma and C+SC+R darker in color than remainder of veins; hind wing with vein R1 darker yellowish brown, remainder of veins light yellow.

Head. Head height/width = 1.21–1.23; compound eye height/width = 1.50–1.60; intertentorial pit distance = 0.15–0.16 mm; tentorial pit distance/distance tentorial pit to compound eye = 2.40–2.60; width of face at dorsal clypeal edge = 0.28–0.31 mm; clypeus width/height = 2.33–2.50; vertex width/distance between anterior ocelli and edge of torulus = 2.29–2.72; length of first flagellomere = 0.20–0.22 mm; first flagellomere length/width = 3.20–4.00; length of first flagellomere/length of second flagellomere = 1.00–1.06; length of first flagellomere/length of third flagellomere = 0.88–1.06; terminal flagellomere length = 0.12–0.14 mm; terminal flagellomere length/penultimate flagellomere length = 1.10; terminal flagellomere length/width = 2.50–2.80; malar space height/basal width of mandible = 1.00–1.13; ocell-ocular distance/lateral ocelli distance = 1.38–1.67. Clypeus with minute punctate sculpture; face with fine punctate sculpture which is more evident than clypeal sculpture, longitudinal medial area of face with less dense punctate sculpture than remainder of face; frons with lateral areas with dense fine punctate sculpture which is also present inside junction area with scrobal areas, scrobal areas essentially nitid and very shallow in shape which presents a smooth keel like structure between them, frons distal area essentially bare and anterior 1/2 of vertex; remainder of vertex with few setation present; temple area with dense and fine punctate sculpture as remainder of gena (except ocular ring nitid) and junction area with postgena; remainder of postgena nitid.

Mesosoma. Mesosoma length = 0.75–0.85 mm; mesosoma length/width = 1.30–1.31; mesosoma height = 0.55–0.68 mm. Propleuron with distal edge nitid and remainder of area with punctate sculpture, externolateral edge with confused colliculate like sculpture at posterior 1/3; pronotum lateral area with basal 1/3 with a series of well defined transversal narrow ridges which are also present throughout the length of the ventral lateral groove, ventral lateral groove thicker in diameter than dorsal groove, dorsal groove with few and sparse narrow transversal ridges and mainly nitid, area between ridges with smooth and confused punctate sculpture, dorsal edge is 1/5 and ventral edge is 1/3 of posterior edge height; mesonotum with anterior area with dense and well defined punctate sculpture, distal area with gradually less defined and more foveate like sculpture and smaller in size towards scutellar groove, almost reaching it; scutellar groove with 8 to 10 well defined costulae, middle ones as 2 times as width as lateral ones; scutellum with big and well defined punctate sculpture mainly concentrated at anterior 1/3 of its length, remainder of areas with few and sparse sculpture present, lateral areas with well defined and wide costulae which became shorter towards posterior edge; axilla through mesonotum with anterior edge of lunulae well defined and with smooth and confused short transversal ridges next to it, remainder of area with big, deep and well defined costula throughout its width; metanotum rectangular in shape, mostly nitid, with sparse confused rugose sculpture at posterior medial 1/3 of it, middistal area with two conspicuously present costulae; axilla through metanotum with four to five narrow transversal ridges and areas between them deeply impressed; propodeum all covered by well defined and big areolate-rugulose sculpture, areola slightly more cristate and evident than other sculpture around; mesopleuron with anterior edge punctate, sternaulus as a well impressed depression which exhibits some small and well defined costulae oriented dorso-ventrally, dorsal edge with well defined and evident transversal ridges all over its extension, posterior edge essentially nitid except for two short and poorly defined ridges, ventral area of mesopleuron with confused shallow punctate sculpture, remainder of mesopleuron nitid; metapleuron with distal 1/2 covered by confused areolate-rugulose sculpture, posterior and dorsal edge with big and spaced transversal ridges (fewer at posterior edge), medial pit present at nitid anterior 1/2 of metapleuron.

Legs. Hind femur length = 0.58–0.65 mm; hind femur length/width = 3.46–3.53; hind tibia length/hind femur length = 1.23–1.35. Fore telotarsus with thick and short hooklike setae at distal 1/3 of telotarsus, shorter in length than basitarsus; hind basitarsus with a set of elongated and conspicuous setae at internal lateral area.

Wings. Forewing length = 2.15–2.25 mm; 1RS length = 0.05–0.06 mm; 1CUa length/1CUb length = 0.86–1.00; length RS+Ma = 0.32–0.38 mm; length M+CU = 0.76–0.80 mm; 1M length/ m-cu length = 1.57–1.83; pterostigma length/height = 2.09–2.50. Hind wing: 1M length = 0.40–0.41 mm; 1M length/2M length = 1.74–2.00; 1M length/M+CU length = 1.65–1.77; length r-m/length cu-a = 0.75–0.83; 1RSa length/ 2r-m = 1.71–1.83; 1A length = 0.16–0.20 mm.

Metasoma. First tergum basal width = 0.16–0.18 mm; first tergum length/distal width = 1.13–1.20; second tergum length/distal width = 0.45–0.48; third tergum length/distal width = 0.47–0.50; hypopygium length = 0.35–0.40 mm. First metasomal tergum with well defined costate sculpture throughout its length, distal 1/4 with slightly more sinuate pattern of sculpture; second metasomal tergum with thicker and more sinuate lineate sculpture than observed first tergum; third metasomal tergum with similar sculpture present on second tergum but less cristate and less clearly defined, the lineate sculpture medially reaches 1/3 of the tergum length but laterally only 1/4 of it creating an irregular triangular shaped sculptured area, remainder of tergum nitid as remainder of terga; ovipositor sheaths elongated and narrow, with a set of long setae at distal 1/4 of its length; ovipositor thick in lateral view, as 1/2 as long as hind tibia length; hypopygium slightly divided at posterior edge.

Variation. The following morphological variation was observed: palpi color can vary from totally yellow to totally light brown or a combination of both colors; face and clypeus with smooth fine punctate sculpture; the degree of areolate-rugulose sculpture on the propodeum varies in its density and spacing but is always present, additionally the posterior lateral area could be observed with a large mid lateral nitid area.

Material examined. Holotype, female, “ Costa Rica, Guanacaste, ACG, Sector del Oro, Meteorológico , 590 m, Latitude: 11.00199 Longitude: -85.46166, 26/ii/2002, [Col.] E. Cantillano; 02-SRNP-5266.” Paratypes, 7 females and 4 males, all specimens with same data as holotype . Holotype and most paratypes deposited at INBio; one female and one male paratype deposited at INHS .

Male. Similar to female.

Rearing records. Ctenoplusia oxygramma (Noctuidae) feeding on Conyza bonariensis (Asteraceae) . The following sex ration was observed: 7/99. Voucher numbers: 02-SRNP-5266.

Etymology. Gender, masculine. This species is named after Scott Robinson of the Beckman Institute Imaging Technology Group at University of Illinois at U-C.

Comments. While morphologically this species appears to be Parapanteles, DNA barcoding potentially shows to be Cotesia Whitfield 14 ( Smith et al 2008), a situation to be analyzed elsewhere.

Figures

FIGURE 4. Parapanteles masoni Austin & Dangerfield fore telotarsus (A) and pronotum in dorsal view (F); fore telotarsus structure of P. tessares n. sp. (B), P. sicpolus n. sp. (C), P. mariae n. sp. (D), P. scotti n. sp. (E), P. aletiae (Riley) (G), P. paradoxus (Muesebeck) (H), and P.rarus n. sp. (I). The arrows in these figures point to the different setae on the fore telotarsus.

FIGURE 6. Parapanteles scotti n. sp. propodeum (A); P.aletiae (Riley) female genitalia (B) and first metasomal tergum in dorsal view (D); P. nephos n. sp. propodeum (C) and wings (F), and P. rooibos Valerioet al. female genitalia (E).

FIGURES 8. First metasomal tergum in dorsal view for Parapanteles thrix n. sp. (A), P. rarus n. sp. (B), P. scotti n. sp. (C), P. noae n. sp. (D), P.tessares n. sp. (E), and P.polus n. sp. (F).

FIGURE 10. Female genitalia of Parapanteles tlinea n. sp. (A), P. scotti n. sp. (B), P. sicpolus n. sp. (C), P.polus n. sp. (D), P.mariae n. sp. (E), and P. lincolnii n. sp. (F).

FIGURE 13. Wing venation of Parapanteles aletiae (Riley) (A), P. sicpolus n. sp. (B), P. tlinea n. sp. (C), P. scotti n. sp. (D), P.tessares n. sp. (E), and P.em n. sp. (F).