Parapanteles tlinea 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 : 44-46

Parapanteles tlinea Valerio and Whitfield , n. sp.

Figs 3C , 5E , 10A , 11E , 13C

Female. Body length = 2.35–2.37 mm.

Body color: Posterior tip of hind coxae whitish yellow as trochanter, trochantellus, fore coxae and palpi; fore leg yellow except dorsodistal area of femur brownish yellow as tarsomeres, mid leg mostly brownish yellow except lateral and basal area of femur, hind leg with basal area tibia yellowish as basal 1/3 of metanotum sterna and pleura; compound eyes silver; ocellus yellowish remainder of leg brownish yellow; remainder of body dark brown. Wings hyaline, forewing venation light brownish yellow as pterostigma but C+SC+R darker than remainder of veins (except basal 1/3 of 1-1A whitish); hind wing with basal vein of M+CU whitish, remainder of vein and veins light brownish yellow.

Head. Head height/width = 1.23–1.24; compound eye height/width = 1.38–1.42; intertentorial pit distance = 0.12–0.15 mm; tentorial pit distance/distance tentorial pit to compound eye = 2.00–2.40; width of face at dorsal clypeal edge = 0.30–0.31 mm; clypeus width/height = 2.30–2.50; vertex width/distance between anterior ocelli and edge of torulus = 2.14–2.30; length of first flagellomere = 0.20–0.45 mm; first flagellomere length/width = 3.00–4.00; length of first flagellomere/length of second flagellomere = 1; length of first flagellomere/length of third flagellomere = 1.00–1.05; terminal flagellomere length = 0.14 mm; terminal flagellomere length/penultimate flagellomere length = 1.38; terminal flagellomere length/width = 2.75; malar space height/basal width of mandible = 1.00; ocell-ocular distance/lateral ocelli distance = 1.38–1.42. Clypeus with sparse punctulate sculpture present, remainder nitid; face with confused, fine, dense and shallow punctate sculpture which is more clearly impressed near the compound eyes; frons with scrobal areas shallow and wide distally, totally nitid as lateral area, distal area essentially nitid with the exception of some punctate sculpture at lateral area next to vertex; vertex essentially nitid except at junction area with temple with well impressed punctate sculpture; remainder of gena with well impressed punctate sculpture except ocular ring nitid and immediate surrounding area with shallow punctate sculpture.

Mesosoma. Mesosoma length = 0.92–0.95 mm; mesosoma length/width = 1.43–1.48; mesosoma height = 0.55–0.60 mm. Propleuron mainly nitid except some confused and shallow punctate sculpture at basal 1/3 of it on externolateral area; pronotum lateral area with basal 1/2 with few and well defined transversal narrow ridges, upper lateral groove nitid and poorly impressed, ventral lateral groove and union of grooves with confused and smooth scrobiculate like sculpture, area between grooves nitid, dorsal edge and ventral edge 1/4 of posterior edge height; mesonotum with dense punctate sculpture on anterior 1/2 of it, distal 1/2 with bigger medially and smaller laterally and slightly less dense punctate sculpture with the presence of two longitudinal short nitid areas laterally and area in front of scutellar groove; scutellar groove with 5 to 6 well defined costulae; scutellum mainly nitid except for few confused punctate sculpture at basal 1/3 of its length, lateral areas with narrow and well defined costulae, posterior costula wider and smaller in size; axilla through mesonotum with upper area with a long transversal ridge that crosses its width, remainder of area with long sinuate ridge across this area; metanotum short, narrow and covered with confused smooth rugulose sculpture as axilla through metanotum, metanotum middistal costula with two well defined longitudinal ridges; propodeum with anterior 1/4 nitid except by midlongitudinal carina, reminder first lateral areas with confused rugulose sculpture and spiracular area which does not exalt the presence of the costulae anteriorly, posterior lateral areas with few thick and smooth transversal carina and the area between them essentially nitid, areolar and transversal carina well cristate and evident as midlongitudinal carina and posterior 1/2 of costula, areola mainly nitid except for a sinuate transversal carina which divides the areola across its length; anterior edge of mesopleuron with confused rugulose sculpture present at upper 1/2, ventral 1/2 of anterior edge with transversal lineate sculpture which extends to ventral area of mesopleuron, sternaulus as an elongate and nitid depressed area along mesopleuron length, posterior as dorsal edge with dense and well defined scrobiculate sculpture (posterior edge with more confused sculpture than dorsal edge), costula with few spaced, smooth and wide scrobiculate sculpture, remainder nitid; metapleuron with a small and deep medial pit, anterior 1/2 nitid, dorsal and posterior edge with spaced, big and well defined transversal ridges (posterior edge with fewer and bigger ridges), area immediately next to dorsal and posterior edge with few confused rugulose sculpture.

Legs. Hind femur length = 0.61–0.63 mm; hind femur length/width = 3.92–4.08; hind tibia length/hind femur length = 1.22–1.33. Fore telotarsus with hooklike setae on the internolateral area of it, telotarsus shorter in length than basitarsus; hind telotarsus with a set of elongated and conspicuous setae at internal lateral area of it.

Wings. Forewing length = 2.30–2.35 mm; 1RS length = 0.08 mm; 1CUa length/1CUb length = 0.71–0.75; length RS+Ma = 0.30–0.32 mm; length M+CU = 0.80–0.88 mm; 1M length/ m-cu length = 2.18; pterostigma length/height = 1.38–1.42. Hind wing: 1M length = 0.40–0.42 mm; 1M length/2M length = 1.60–2.00; 1M length/M+CU length = 2.18; length r-m/length cu-a = 1.00–1.25; 1RSa length/2r-m = 1.30–2.00; 1A length = 0.15–0.16 mm.

Metasoma. First tergum basal width = 0.20–0.22 mm; first tergum length/distal width = 1.73–2.00; second tergum length/distal width = 0.37–0.45; third tergum length/distal width = 0.38–0.48; hypopygium length = 0.50–0.52 mm.

First metasomal tergum with posterior midlongitudinal depressed area with fine confused rugulose sculpture and depression surrounded by longitudinal lineate sculpture in a “V” shape and remainder of posterior 1/2 of first metasoma tergum, basal 1/2 with thick and well defined lineate sculpture which is orientated towards midpoint of tergum at 1/2 of its length, basal edge with confused rugulose sculpture; second tergum with longitudinally sinuate lineate sculpture on top of foveate like sculpture; third as remainder of terga nitid; ovipositor sheaths with set of setae at distal edge; ovipositor 0.82 times as long as hind tibia, ovipositor thick at base but elongated in lateral view.

Male. Similar to female.

Material examined. Holotype, female, “ Costa Rica, Prov.[incia] Puntarenas, Monteverde, San Luis , 1000–1350 m, Agosto 1993, Z. Fuentes, LN 250850_449250, #4412.” Paratypes, 19 females: one female, same data as holotype except Dic. 1993, trampas amarillas, LN 449250_250850, # 2493; Costa Rica: Puntarenas, Area de Conservación Arenal , Monteverde, 1000–1300 m, i/1994, Col. Z. Fuentes, # 2883; Cartago, P.N. Tapanti; 1250 m, Feb. 1993, Col. G. Mora, LN 194000_560000 , one female same data except year: February 1992; Guanacaste, PN Guanacaste, Estc. Pitilla , 9 km S. de Sta. Cecilia, 700 m, 22/ix-14x/ 1992, Col. C. Moraga; (9) Puntarenas, Coto Brus, Estación Las Alturas, 1500 m, Octubre 1991, LN 322500_591300; Costa Rica, Guanacaste, P.N. Rincón de la Vieja, Estación Las Pailas, 20-31/v/1993, Col. D.Garcia L_N_306300_388600, 2 same data except date: 24/viii-14/ix/1992, Col. C. Cano, one same data except date: 27/vii-15/viii/1992; Costa Rica, Guanacaste, ACG, Sector Cacao, Sendero Nayo, 1090 m, 322834N 375582E, 16/viii/2003, Col. F. Quesada. Material deposited at INHS except for two paratype females deposited at INBio with 25 other specimens not used as paratypes .

Comments. Paratype with propleuron with confused punctate sculpture crossing the propleuron at posterior 1/2 of its length; pronotum with junction of lateral grooves almost nitid; axilla through mesonotum with confused transversal ridges.

Rearing records. Unidentified Riodinid larva feeding on unidentified host, and unidentified Arctiid larva feeding on Inga sp. (Fabaceae) .

Voucher numbers: 03-SRNP-22291 and 04-SRNP-669.

Etymology. Gender, neutral. This species is named after the transversal lineate sculpture present on the anterior area of the mesopleuron, tlinea as a contraction of the words transversal line.

Figures

FIGURE 3. Propodeum of Parapanteles rooibos Valerio et al. (A); P. nephos n. sp. first metasomal tergum in dorsal view (B), and P. tlinea n. sp. transversal lineate sculpture on mesopleuron (arrow points at it) (C).

FIGURE 5. Propodeum of Parapanteles tessares n. sp. (A), P. sicpolus n. sp. (B), P.aletiae (Riley) (C), P.em n. sp. (D), P. tlinea n. sp. (E), and P. continua 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 11. First metasomal tergum in dorsal view for Parapanteles sicpolus n. sp. (A), P.em n. sp. (B), P. paradoxus (Muesebeck) (C), P. rooibos Valerioet al., P. tlinea n. sp. (E), and P. continua 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).