Heterospilus variabilis Marsh

Marsh, Paul M., Wild, Alexander L. & Whitfield, James B., 2013, The Doryctinae (Braconidae) of Costa Rica: genera and species of the tribe Heterospilini, ZooKeys 347, pp. 1-474 : 175-176

Heterospilus variabilis Marsh sp. n. Figure 120

Female.

Body size: 3.5-4.0 mm. Color: head dark brown, eye orbits lighter; scape honey yellow with lateral longitudinal brown stripe, flagellum brown, apical flagellomeres white with apical 3-5 brown; mesosoma dark brown, rarely mesopleuron lighter; metasoma dark brown, apical terga sometimes lighter brown; legs bicolored with apex of femora and tarsi entirely brown; wing veins brown, stigma bicolored brown with yellow at base. Head: vertex weakly striate, often smooth; frons weakly striate, often smooth; face smooth, sometimes weakly striate below antennae; temple in dorsal view narrow, sloping behind eye, less than 1/2 eye width; malar space equal to 1/4 eye height; ocell-ocular distance about twice diameter of lateral ocellus; 23-28 flagellomeres. Mesosoma: mesoscutal lobes smooth; notauli scrobiculate, meeting at scutellum in triangular costate area; scutellum smooth; prescutellar furrow with 3 cross carinae; mesopleuron smooth; precoxal sulcus smooth, shorter than mesopleuron; venter smooth; propodeum with basal median areas distinctly margined and smooth, basal median carina absent, areola not margined, areolar area rugose, lateral areas rugose posteriorly, smooth anteriorly, area just above hind coxa with small but distinct pointed tubercle. Wings: fore wing vein r shorter than vein 3RSa, vein 1cu-a beyond vein 1M; hind wing vein SC+R present, vein M+CU shorter than vein 1M. Metasoma: first tergum longitudinally costate, apical width equal to length; second tergum longitudinally costate; anterior transverse groove present, straight; posterior transverse groove present; third tergum smooth except for costate transverse groove; terga 4-7 smooth; ovipositor equal to length of metasoma.

Holotype female.

Top label (white, printed) - Costa Rica: Limon [;] 30km N Cariari, 100m [;] Sector Cocori, Malaise [;] iii.1995, E. Rojas #4524 [;] L.N. 286000-567500; second label (red, partially printed and hand written) - HOLOTYPE [;] Heterospilus [;] variabilis [;] P. Marsh. Deposited in ESUW.

Paratypes.

1 ♀, COSTA RICA, Limon [;] 16Km W Guápiles [;] 400m, III/1989 [;] col. Paul Hanson (ESUW). 1 ♀, Costa Rica: Puntarenas [;] R.F. Golfo Dulce, [;] 3km. SW. Rincon, 10m [;] Oct. 1991, Paul Hanson (ESUW). 1 ♀, COSTA RICA: Puntar [;] Golfo Dulce, 3km [;] S.W. Rincon, 10m [;] IX-XI 1989, Hanson (ESUW). 1 ♀, Costa Rica: Puntarenas [;] ACO, Golfito, PN Corcovado [;] Est. Agujas, Charcos, 600m [;] 17. iv– 16.v.1999, J. Azofeifa [;] L.S. 276350-523500 #52776 (ESUW). 1 ♀, COSTA RICA: Puntarenas [;] San Vito, Estac. Biol. [;] Los Altures 1500m [;] iv.1992 P. Hanson (TAMU).

Comments.

This species is distinguished by the bicolored stigma and the white band on the apical flagellomeres.

Etymology.

The specific name is from the Latin variabilis in reference to the vertex sculpture being weakly striate or smooth.