Bracon andreamezae 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

? Bracon andreamezae Sharkey sp. nov.

Diagnostics.

Figures 12 , 13 .

BOLD data.

BIN: BOLD:AAJ8891; nearest neighbor: Bracon franklinpaniaguai BOLD:ACK6897; distance to nearest neighbor is 5.64%. Consensus barcode: TATATTATATTTTATACTTGGTATTTGATCTGGTATAATTGGTTTATCAATAAGTTTAATTATTCGGTTAGAATTAAGAATACCAGGAAGTTTATTAAGTAATGATCAAATTTATAATAGAATAGTTACAGCACATGCTTTTGTAATAATTTTTTTTATAGTTATACCAGTGATATTAGGAGGGTTTGGTAATTGATTAATCCCTTTAATATTGGGATCTCCTGATATAGCTTTTCCTCGAATAAATAATATAAGATTTTGATTATTAATTCCTTCATTAATTTTATTATTATTAAGAAGAATATTAAATGTAGGAGTGGGTACTGGTTGAACTATTTATCCTCCATTATCTTCTAACTTAGGGCATAGAGGTGTATCTGTTGATTTAGCTATTTTTTCTTTACATTTAGCTGGTATTTCATCTATTATAGGTTCAATTAATTTTATTTCTACAATTTTAAATATACATTTATTAATATTAAAATTAGATCAATTAACTTTATTTATTTGATCAATTTTTATTACAACTATTTTATTATTATTATCTTTACCTGTTTTAGCAGGAGCTATTACTATATTATTAACTGATCGAAATTTAAATACTTCATTTTTTGATTTTTCTGGAGGAGGGGATCCAATTTTATTTCAACATTTATTT

Morphological data.

This species can be morphologically distinguished from its nearest neighbor by having the metasoma dorsally entirely yellow and the mesepisternum dorsally black (Fig. 12 ) compared to the metasoma dorsally black and the mesepisternum entirely yellow-orange in B. franklinpaniaguai (Fig. 14 ).

Holotype?: Costa Rica: Guanacaste, Area de Conservación Guanacaste, Sector Pitilla, Sendero Laguna, 680 m, 10.9888 -85.42336; host caterpillar collection date: 02/i/2007, parasitoid eclosion: 20/i/2007; depository CNC, holotype voucher code: DHJPAR0031182.

Holotype host data.

07-SRNP-30348 Yanguna cosyra ( Hesperiidae ) feeding on Chrysochlamys glauca ( Clusiaceae ). The species is a gregarious parasitoid; the holotype is one of 56 specimens that emerged from the host, caterpillar voucher code: 07-SRNP-30348.

Paratype.

Ten specimens, reared from the same caterpillar as the holotype, were mounted and designated as paratypes (DHJPAR0066400 to DHJPAR0066409), depository CNC.

Etymology.

Bracon andreamezae is named in honor of Ministra Andrea Meza Murillo of the Ministerio de Recursos Naturales y Energía de Costa Rica (MINAE) in recognition of her taking on this difficult ministerial task mid-government.

Figures

Figure 12. Bracon andreamezae, holotype.

Figure 13. Communal and jointly constructed cocoon of at least 56 sibling larvae of Bracon andreamezae, one of which is DHJPAR 0031182, displaying adult exit holes through the tough silk roof of the same consistency as the floor of the chamber; multiple wasps exited through a single hole. This species of wasp has been reared only twice among 1,391 rearings of solitary Yanguna cosyra caterpillars for more than 34 years.

Figure 14. Bracon franklinpaniaguai, holotype.