Apanteles duniagarciae 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 : 118-119

Apanteles duniagarciae Fernandez-Triana sp. n. Figs 53, 246

Apanteles Rodriguez07 ( Smith et al. 2006), in part. Interim name provided by the authors.

Type locality.

COSTA RICA, Guanacaste, ACG, Sector Cacao, Sendero Arenales, 1080m, 10.92471, -85.46738.

Holotype.

♀ in CNC. Specimen labels: 1. COSTA RICA, Guanacaste, ACG, Sector Cacao, Sendero Arenales, 7.x.2000, Mariano Pereira. 2. 00-SRNP-10830, Staphylus same as 00-10628, On Pleuropetalum sprucei . 3. DHJPAR0001655.

Paratypes.

23 ♀, 5 ♂ (BMNH, CNC, INBIO, INHS, NMNH). COSTA RICA: ACG database codes: DHJPAR0005311, DHJPAR0005271, DHJPAR0003974, DHJPAR0003977, DHJPAR0005217, DHJPAR0003961, DHJPAR0012307.

Description.

Female. Body color: body mostly dark except for some sternites which may be pale. Antenna color: scape, pedicel, and flagellum dark. Coxae color (pro-, meso-, metacoxa): pale, dark, dark. Femora color (pro-, meso-, metafemur): pale, pale, mostly dark but with pale spot antero–ventrally. Tibiae color (pro-, meso-, metatibia): pale, pale, mostly pale but with posterior 0.2 or less dark. Tegula and humeral complex color: tegula dark, humeral complex pale. Pterostigma color: dark with pale spot at base. Fore wing veins color: mostly dark (a few veins may be unpigmented). Antenna length/body length: antenna shorter than body (head to apex of metasoma), not extending beyond anterior 0.7 metasoma length. Body in lateral view: not distinctly flattened dorso–ventrally. Body length (head to apex of metasoma): 2.7-2.8 mm or 2.9-3.0 mm. Fore wing length: 2.9-3.0 mm, rarely 3.1-3.2 mm. Ocular–ocellar line/posterior ocellus diameter: 2.3-2.5. Interocellar distance/posterior ocellus diameter: 1.7-1.9. Antennal flagellomerus 2 length/width: 2.6-2.8. Antennal flagellomerus 14 length/width: 1.1-1.3. 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: 0.6-0.7. 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: 7 or 8 or 9 or 10. Maximum height of mesoscutellum lunules/maximum height of lateral face of mesoscutellum: 0.6-0.7. Propodeum areola: completely defined by carinae, including transverse carina extending to spiracle. Propodeum background sculpture: mostly sculptured. Mediotergite 1 length/width at posterior margin: 3.5-3.7. 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: 2.0-2.3. Mediotergite 2 sculpture: mostly smooth or with some sculpture, mostly near posterior margin. Outer margin of hypopygium: with a medially folded, transparent, semi–desclerotized area; with 0-3 pleats visible. Ovipositor thickness: anterior width 3.0-5.0 × posterior width (beyond ovipositor constriction). Ovipositor sheaths length/metatibial length: 0.8-0.9, rarely 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: 2.6-3.0. Point of insertion of vein r in pterostigma: clearly beyond 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: distinctly but not strongly angled.

Male. As female, but darker coloured (especially on legs), and longer, narrower mediotergite 1.

Molecular data.

Sequences in BOLD: 6, barcode compliant sequences: 4.

Biology/ecology.

Gregarious (Fig. 246). Hosts: Hesperiidae : Staphylus evemerus , Bolla zorilla DHJ02. While this wasp is unambiguously an upper elevation species parasitizing the upper elevation ACG Staphylus evemerus (800-1000 m), the single rearing from the lower elevation very similar Bolla zorilla DHJ92 (620 m), a rain forest analogue to dry forest Staphylus is the product of the intesection of these two distributions.

Distribution.

Costa Rica, ACG.

Comments.

This species is closely related to Apanteles ruthfrancoae (see below) and was originally included under that species as Apanteles Rodriguez07 ( Smith et al. 2006). However, consistent differences in morphology, elevational distribution, host records and barcodes support its status as a species on its own.

Etymology.

We dedicate this species to Dunia Garcia in recognition of her diligent efforts for the ACG Programa de Parataxónomos and Estación Biológica Cacao of ACG.