Aerophilus nicklaphami Sharkey, 2021

Sharkey, Michael J., Baker, Austin, McCluskey, Kathryn, Smith, Alex, Naik, Suresh, Ratnasingham, Sujeevan, Manjunath, Ramya, Perez, Kate, Sones, Jayme, D'Souza, Michelle, Jacques, Brianne St., Hebert, Paul, Hallwachs, Winnie & Janzen, Daniel, 2021, ? Addendum to a minimalist revision of Costa Rican Braconidae: 28 new species and 23 host records, ZooKeys 1075, pp. 77-136 : 77

? Aerophilus nicklaphami Sharkey sp. nov.

Diagnostics.

Figure 7 .

BOLD data.

BIN: BOLD:ACT7814; nearest neighbor: Aerophilus colleenhitchcockae BOLD:ACA4890; distance to nearest neighbor is 5.16%. Consensus barcode: AATTTTATATTTTATTTTTGGAATTTGATCTGGAATTTTAGGATTATCAATAAGAATAATTATTCGTATAGAATTAAGATTAAGGGGCAATTTAATTGGAAATGATCAAATTTATAATAGAGTTGTT-CTGCTCATGCTTTTGTTATAATTTTTTTTATAGTTATACCAATTATGATTGGGGGTTTTGGTAATTGATTAATTCCTTTAATATTAGGAGGTCCAGATATAGCATTTCCTCGTATAAATAATATAAGATTTTGATTATTAATTCCTTCTTTATTTTTATTAATTTTAAGTTCAATATTAAATATTGGAGTAGGTACAGGATGAACTGTTTATCCTCCTTTATCATTAAATATAAGACACAGAGGAATATCTGTAGATTTAGCAATTTTTTCTTTACATATTGCTGGAATTTCTTCTATTATAGGGGCAATAAATTTTATTACTACAATTATTAATATATGAATAATAAACGTAAAAATTGATAAAATACCTTTATTAGTATGATCCATTTTTATT-CTGCTATTTTATTATTATTATCTTTACCAGTATTGGCTGGAGCTATT-CTATATTATTAACAGATCGAAATTTAAAT-CTAGATTCTTTGATCCTTCAGGGGGAGGAGATCCTATTTTATATCAACATTTATTT

Morphological data.

This species keys to A. jessicadimauroae in Sharkey et al. (2011), but A. nicklaphami differs in many ways. Two of the most obvious are the wide sharply angled median propodeal areola and the sharp lateral longitudinal carinae on the first metasomal median tergite. In A. jessicadimauroae the areola is gradually narrowed anteriorly and the carinae are not sharp.

This species can be morphologically distinguished from its nearest neighbor, Aerophilus colleenhitchcockae , by having the hind coxa and femur entirely brown (Fig. 7 ) compared to mostly black ( Sharkey et al. 2011: figs 5, 6).

Holotype?: Costa Rica: Alajuela, Area de Conservación Guanacaste, Sector Rincon Rain Forest Sendero Anonas, 405 m, 10.90527 -85.27881; host caterpillar collection date: 18/iii/2014, parasitoid eclosion: 02/v/2014; depository CNC, holotype voucher code: DHJPAR0055983.

Holotype host data.

Tebenna Janzen02 ( Choreutidae ) feeding on Ficus citrifolia ( Moraceae ), caterpillar voucher code: 14-SRNP-41346.

Etymology.

Aerophilus nicklaphami is named in honor of Nick Lapham of the BAND Foundation of the USA, in recognition of his decades of support for growth and development of Costa Rica’s Área de Conservación Guanacaste, Costa Rica, and most recently adding 85 more hectares to ACG of original forest, Bosque Transición, lying on the nearly extinct fusion of dry forest with rain forest (http://www.gdfcf.org/content/ introducing-bosque-transición).

Figures

Figure 7. Aerophilus nicklaphami, holotype.