Heterospilus xerxes 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 : 431-432

Heterospilus xerxes Marsh sp. n. Figure 299

Female.

Body size: 2.0-2.5 mm. Color: body brown to dark brown, metasomal tergum 2 honey yellow, terga 3-5 brown, tergum 6 yellow; scape yellow without lateral brown stripe; flagellum brown with basal flagellomeres yellow, apical 3-5 flagellomeres white; wing veins including stigma brown; legs yellow. Head: vertex smooth; frons smooth; face smooth; temple in dorsal view narrow, sloping behind eye, width about equal to 1/2 eye width; malar space greater than 1/4 eye height; ocell-ocular distance slightly greater than 2.5 times diameter of lateral ocellus; 14-21 flagellomeres. Mesosoma: mesoscutal lobes granulate; notauli scrobiculate, meeting posteriorly in triangular costate area; scutellum smooth; prescutellar furrow with 3 cross carinae; mesopleuron smooth; precoxal sulcus weakly scrobiculate or smooth, shorter than mesopleuron; venter smooth; propodeum with basal median areas margined, weakly granulate or partially smooth, basal median carina present, areola distinctly margined, areolar area rugose, lateral areas entirely rugose. Wings: fore wing vein r shorter than vein 3RSa, vein 1cu-a slightly beyond vein 1M or rarely interstitial; hind wing vein SC+R present, vein M+CU shorter than vein 1M. Metasoma: first tergum longitudinally costate, length greater than apical width; second tergum longitudinally costate; anterior transverse groove weak or nearly absent; posterior transverse groove weak or absent; third tergum entirely smooth; terga 4-7 smooth; ovipositor half as long as metasoma.

Holotype female.

Top label (white, printed) - Costa Rica: Cartago [;] La Cangreja, 1950m [;] ix-xii.1992 [;] P. Hanson; second label (red, partially printed and hand written) - HOLOTYPE [;] Heterospilus [;] xerxes [;] P. Marsh. Deposited in ESUW.

Paratypes.

3 ♀♀, Costa Rica: Puntarenas [;] San Vito, Estac. Biol. [;] Las Alturas, 1500m [;] xii.1991, ii.1992 and iii.1992, Paul Hanson (ESUW). 1 ♀, Costa Rica: Guanacaste [;] Est. Cacao, 1000-1150m [;] viii.1996, M. Pereira [;] L.N. 323150-375500 #47561 [;] Malaise trap (ESUW). 1 ♀, Costa Rica: Guanacaste, ACT [;] Bagaces, P.N. Palo Verde [;] Sec. P. Verde, 0-50m, Amarilla [;] 200m N de Estacion [;] 4-11.xi.1999, J. Jimenez [;] L.N. 323150-38020 #54000 (ESUW). 1 ♀, top label - Costa Rica: Guanacaste [;] Santa Rosa Natl. Park [;] 300m, ex Malaise trap [;] Site #: (blank) [;] Dates: 18. x– 8.xi.1986 [;] I.D. Gauld & D. Janzen; second label - [H] open regenerating [;] woodland <10 years old [;] [C] more or less fully [;] shaded as possible (ESUW).

Comments.

The flagellum with apical white flagellomeres, the granulate mesoscutum and the smooth metasomal tergum 3 are distinctive for this species.

Etymology.

Named for Xerxes, a king of ancient Persia.