Apanteles leucostigmus (Ashmead, 1900)

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 : 203-204

Apanteles leucostigmus (Ashmead, 1900) Fig. 188

Urogaster leucostigmus Ashmead, 1900: 289.

Apanteles leucostigmus (Ashmead). Transferred by Szépligeti (1904: 110).

Apanteles leucostigmus (Ashmead). Misidentification of the species by Smith et al. (2008).

Type locality.

ST. VINCENT, Lesser Antilles.

Holotype.

♀, BMNH (examined).

Material examined.

1 ♀, United States: Florida, Belle Glade; v.1941; D. J. Taylor coll.; ex: Urbanus proteus (CNC); 3 ♀, St Vincent Is. (CNC).

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): dark, dark, dark. Femora color (pro-, meso-, metafemur): pale, dark, dark. Tibiae color (pro-, meso-, metatibia): pale, pale, anteriorly pale/posteriorly dark. Tegula and humeral complex color: both pale. Pterostigma color: mostly pale and/or transparent, with thin dark borders. Fore wing veins color: mostly white or entirely transparent. Antenna length/body length: antenna about as long as body (head to apex of metasoma); if slightly shorter, at least extending beyond anterior 0.7 metasoma length (?). Body in lateral view: not distinctly flattened dorso–ventrally. Body length (head to apex of metasoma): 2.1-2.2 mm. Fore wing length: 2.3-2.4 mm. Ocular–ocellar line/posterior ocellus diameter: 2.3-2.5. Interocellar distance/posterior ocellus diameter: 2.0-2.2. Tarsal claws: simple (?). Metafemur length/width: 2.8-2.9. Anteromesoscutum: mostly with deep, dense punctures (separated by less than 2.0 × its maximum diameter). Mesoscutellar disc: mostly smooth. Number of pits in scutoscutellar sulcus: 9 or 10. Maximum height of mesoscutellum lunules/maximum height of lateral face of mesoscutellum: 0.8 or more. Propodeum areola: completely defined by carinae, including transverse carina extending to spiracle. Propodeum background sculpture: partly sculptured, especially on anterior 0.5. Mediotergite 1 length/width at posterior margin: 1.7-1.9. Mediotergite 1 shape: slightly widening from anterior margin to 0.7-0.8 mediotergite length (where maximum width is reached), then narrowing towards posterior margin. Mediotergite 1 sculpture: with some sculpture near lateral margins and/or posterior 0.2-0.4 of mediotergite. Mediotergite 2 width at posterior margin/length: 4.0-4.3. Mediotergite 2 sculpture: mostly smooth. Outer margin of hypopygium: with a wide, medially folded, transparent, semi–desclerotized area; usually with 4 or more pleats (?). Ovipositor thickness: anterior width 3.0-5.0 × posterior width (beyond ovipositor constriction) (?). Ovipositor sheaths length/metatibial length: 0.6-0.7. Length of fore wing veins r/2RS: 1.7-1.9. Length of fore wing veins 2RS/2M: 1.1-1.3. Length of fore wing veins 2M/(RS+M)b: 0.7-0.8. Pterostigma length/width: 3.1-3.5. Point of insertion of vein r in pterostigma: about half way point length of pterostigma. Angle of vein r with fore wing anterior margin: clearly inwards, inclined towards fore wing base. Shape of junction of veins r and 2RS in fore wing: distinctly but not strongly angled.

Molecular data.

No molecular data available for this species.

Biology/ecology.

Gregarious. Hosts: Hesperiidae , Urbanus proteus (of specimens identified as this species in United States, FL).

Distribution.

Cuba, Grenada, Puerto Rico, St. Vincent, United States (FL). There is no suggestion that this species occurs in ACG or Costa Rica.

Comments.

The holotype is missing the antennae, one forewing and some legs - but it is possible to see a full set of legs, except for the sole hind leg remaining where some tarsal segments are missing. The name Apanteles leucostigmus was applied by Smith et al. (2008) to a complex of around 40 species reared from hesperiids in ACG. At that time it was thought that one of those species might correspond to the actual Apanteles leucostigmus . After examining the holotype of Apanteles leucostigmus , it is clear, however, that none of the ACG species correspond to it. However, all are related and belong to the same species-group. Thus, the name of Apanteles leucostigmus , as used as the base for an interim name in Smith et al. (2008), should be considered as a misidentification, as well as was the case when applied to members of this group before it was realized that it is a speciose group composed of morphologically similar species. We examined a specimen from Peru, deposited in the CNC and labelled as " Apanteles leucostigmus ", and believe is not that species either, but just another member of the leucostigmus group.