Leptodrepana eckerti Dadelahi & Shaw

Dadelahi, Samin D., Shaw, Scott R., Aguirre, Helmuth & Almeida, Luis Felipe V. de, 2018, A taxonomic study of Costa Rican Leptodrepana with the description of twenty-four new species (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Cheloninae), ZooKeys 750, pp. 59-130 : 75-78

Leptodrepana eckerti Dadelahi & Shaw sp. n. Figs 29-33

Diagnosis.

Robust body, more than 3.0 mm. In dorsal, lateral and posterior views, the carapace apex is rounded; in posterior view, the ventral margin of the carapace is shallowly arched. The mesopleuron medially is densely foveate and a wide foveate band is present at the precoxal sulcus. The body is mostly blackish brown except for some brownish orange on mesonotum.

Holotype female.

BL 3.8 mm; FWL 3.8 mm; CL 1.88 mm; CW 0.52 mm; CL/CW 3.61.

Description.

Color. Head blackish brown, mandibles yellow, blackish brown apically; palpi yellowish white; antennae brown, distal ends of flagellomeres 1-4 yellowish brown, scape and pedicel yellowish brown; mesosoma mostly brownish black, mesoscutum with medial orangish brown square patch, scutellum and metanotum orange/brown; legs with coxa, trochanter and trochantellus yellowish white, femur and tibia of fore and middle leg yellowish brown, hind leg femur and tibia brown but femur yellowish white ventrally; wings lightly pigmented with yellowish brown venation; carapace blackish brown.

Head. HW 0.95 mm; HL 0.75 mm; HW/HL1.26; face, genae, vertex and ocellar triangle coarsely rugulose-punctate; frons depressed rugulose-punctate with parallel lineation lateral to median carina; clypeus punctate and apical margin rounded; occipital carina complete.

Mesosoma. Pronotum foveate antero-laterally to foveolate-rugose at propleural margin; propleuron weakly areolate-rugose; mesoscutum medially areolate-rugose; notauli indistinct; median mesonotal lobe foveolate-granulate and lateral mesonotal lobes foveolate-rugose; scutellar sulcus with five well-defined depressions, all longer than wide; scutellar disc rugose-punctate; mesopleuron anteriorly rugose foveolate, medially densely foveate, wide foveate band at precoxal sulcus, and foveolate-punctate postero-ventrally; propodeum coarsely areolate-rugose with distinct transverse carina raised into medial and lateral flanges, medial flanges greatly reduced, lateral flanges at least twice the size of median flanges.

Metasoma. Carapace areolate-rugose to punctate at apex; in posterior, lateral and dorsal views, apex rounded.

Variation of paratype females. Mesoscutum medially only orange at transcutal articulation, and scutellar sulcus; metanotum black; scutellar sulcus with 5-6 well-defined depressions; HW 0.88-0.95 mm; HL 0.75 mm; HW/HL 1.17-1.27; BL 3.5-3.8 mm; FWL 3.3-3.8 mm; CL 1.68-1.88 mm; CW 0.48-0.52 mm; CL/CW 3.3-3.61.

Paratype males. No males.

Material examined.

Holotype female: SAN JOSE, Cerro de la Muerte, 19 km S 3W Empalme, 2600 m, vi–viii.1993 (P. Hanson) [UWIM]. Paratype data: 3♀, same data except 26 km N San Isidro, 2100 m, ii–v.1991.

Remarks.

Leptodrepana eckerti may be easily distinguished from other Costa Rican species. The body is robust, more than 3.0 mm. In dorsal, lateral, and posterior views, the carapace apex is rounded (Figs 32, 33). In posterior view, the ventral margin of the carapace is shallowly arched (Fig. 31). The carapace is punctate at the apex. The mesopleuron medially is densely foveate and a wide foveate band is present at the precoxal sulcus. The scutellar sulcus has 6 well-defined depressions. The medial flanges of the propodeal carina are greatly reduced so that the lateral flanges appear at least twice as large as the medial flanges. In color, the body is mostly blackish brown except for some brownish orange on mesonotum.

Etymology.

This species name is a patronym in honor of Jeffery Alan Eckert in thanks for all his mental and financial support.