Apanteles ronaldcastroi 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 : 271-272

Apanteles ronaldcastroi Fernandez-Triana sp. n. Figs 117, 283

Type locality.

COSTA RICA, Alajuela, ACG, Sector San Cristobal, Bosque Trampa Malaise, 815m, 10.86280, -85.38460.

Holotype.

♀ in CNC. Specimen labels: 1. San Gerardo: MT, San Cristobal, Date: 11-17 Apr-2008. 2. DHJPAR0027681.

Paratypes.

1 ♀ (CNC). COSTA RICA: Guanacaste, ACG database code: DHJPAR0038206.

Description.

Female. Body color: head dark, mesosoma dark with parts of axillar complex pale, metasoma with some mediotergites, most laterotergites, sternites, and /or hypopygium pale. Antenna color: scape and/or pedicel pale, flagellum dark. Coxae color (pro-, meso-, metacoxa): pale, pale, pale. Femora color (pro-, meso-, metafemur): pale, pale, anteriorly pale/posteriorly dark. Tibiae color (pro-, meso-, metatibia): pale, pale, anteriorly pale/posteriorly dark. Tegula and humeral complex color: both pale. Pterostigma color: dark. Fore wing veins color: mostly dark (a few veins may be unpigmented). 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): 3.3-3.4 mm. Fore wing length: 3.5-3.6 mm. Ocular–ocellar line/posterior ocellus diameter: 1.7-1.9. Interocellar distance/posterior ocellus diameter: 1.7-1.9. Antennal flagellomerus 2 length/width: 2.0-2.2. Antennal flagellomerus 14 length/width: 1.4-1.6. Length of flagellomerus 2/length of flagellomerus 14: 2.3-2.5. Tarsal claws: with single basal spine–like seta. Metafemur length/width: 2.8-2.9. Metatibia inner spur length/metabasitarsus length: 0.4-0.5. Anteromesoscutum: mostly with deep, dense punctures (separated by less than 2.0 × its maximum diameter). Mesoscutellar disc: mostly punctured. Number of pits in scutoscutellar sulcus: 5 or 6. Maximum height of mesoscutellum lunules/maximum height of lateral face of mesoscutellum: 0.2-0.3. Propodeum areola: completely defined by carinae, including transverse carina extending to spiracle. Propodeum background sculpture: mostly sculptured. Mediotergite 1 length/width at posterior margin: 2.9-3.1. Mediotergite 1 shape: mostly parallel–sided for 0.5-0.7 of its length, then narrowing posteriorly so mediotergite anterior width>1.1 × posterior width. 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: 2.4-2.7 or 2.8-3.1. 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: anterior width at most 2.0 × posterior width (beyond ovipositor constriction). Ovipositor sheaths length/metatibial length: 0.8-0.9 or 1.0-1.1. Length of fore wing veins r/2RS: 1.4-1.6. Length of fore wing veins 2RS/2M: 1.4-1.6. Length of fore wing veins 2M/(RS+M)b: 0.7-0.8. 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: strongly angulated, sometimes with a knob.

Male. Unknown.

Molecular data.

Sequences in BOLD: 2, barcode compliant sequences: 2.

Biology/ecology.

Solitary (Fig. 283). Host: Crambidae . Pilocrocis ramentalis

Distribution.

Costa Rica, ACG.

Etymology.

We dedicate this species to Ronald Castro in recognition of his diligent efforts for the ACG Programa Forestal.