Pseudapanteles carlosespinachi Fernandez-Triana & Whitfield

Fernandez-Triana, Jose L., Janzen, Daniel H., Hallwachs, Winnie, Whitfield, James B., Smith, M. Alex & Kula, Robert, 2014, Revision of the genus Pseudapanteles (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Microgastrinae), with emphasis on the species in Area de Conservacion Guanacaste, northwestern Costa Rica, ZooKeys 446, pp. 1-82 : 13-14

Taxon classification Animalia Hymenoptera Braconidae

Pseudapanteles carlosespinachi Fernandez-Triana & Whitfield sp. n. Figs 32- 36

Holotype.

♂ in CNC. COSTA RICA, ACG, Alajuela Province, Sector San Cristobal, Rio Blanco Abajo, 500m, 10.90037, -85.37254, 11.iii.2006. ACG database code: DHJPAR0004755.

Other material examined.

1 ♀ (CNC). COSTA RICA, ACG database codes: DHJPAR0039928.

Diagnosis.

It belongs to the annulicornis species-group, and can be separated from other species within that group based on the combination of head, flagellomeres, mesosoma and metasoma mostly dark brown to black, body length and fore wing length 2.3-2.5 mm, and shape of T1 and T2.

Description.

Male. Body length 2.0-2.1 mm. Fore wing length 2.2-2.3 mm. Head color: mostly dark brown to black, except for yellow clypeus, labrum, mandibles, and spot on lower corner of gena near oral foramen. Mesosoma color: entirely dark brown to black. Metasoma color (dorsally): mostly dark brown to black, except for yellow-orange anterior 0.4-0.6 of mediotergite 1. Coxae color: pale/pale/mostly or completely dark. Metatibia color: mostly pale, with posterior 0.1-0.2 dark. Metatarsus color: dark. Pterostigma color: pale, with thin dark margins.

Female. See Comments section below.

Molecular data.

Sequences in BOLD: 3, barcode compliant sequences: 2.

Biology/ecology.

Hosts: Desmia sp. with interim name of Solis100 ( Crambidae ).

Distribution.

Costa Rica, ACG rain forest.

Etymology.

This species is named in honour of Sr. Carlos Espinach in recognition of his economic policy efforts for Costa Rica’s government since the early 1990's, all of which greatly enhanced ACG growth and survival since the mid-1980's.

Comments.

Only the holotype male was used to morphologically characterize the species. The female specimen available for study was in poor condition and entirely bleached, with a coloration that most likely does not represent the actual females of this species.