Heterospilus whartoni 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 : 180-182

Heterospilus whartoni Marsh sp. n. Figure 124

Female.

Body size: 3.5-4.5 mm. Color: head dark brown; scape honey yellow without lateral brown stripe, flagellum brown with apical 10-12 flagellomeres white; mesosoma dark brown, occasionally mesoscutum lighter brown medially; metasoma usually dark brown, occasionally terga 4-7 lighter; wing veins brown, stigma honey yellow; legs yellow. Head: vertex and frons strongly circularly costate around ocelli; face granulate; temple in dorsal view narrow, width less than 1/2 eye width; malar space greater than 1/4 eye height; ocell-ocular distance usually 2.5 times diameter of lateral ocellus, occasionally greater; 26-30 flagellomeres. Mesosoma: mesoscutal lobes granulate, median lobe usually with median longitudinal shallow groove; notauli scrobiculate, meeting at scutellum in triangular rugose area; scutellum smooth; prescutellar furrow with 3 cross carinae; mesopleuron weakly granular, often nearly smooth just above precoxal sulcus; precoxal sulcus scrobiculate, shorter than mesopleuron; venter granulate; propodeum with basal median areas margined, granulate, basal median carina present, areola not distinctly margined, areolar area rugose, lateral areas rugose posteriorly, granulate anteriorly. 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 costate at base, smooth apically; terga 4-7 smooth; ovipositor equal to 1/2 length of metasoma.

Holotype female.

Top label (white, printed) - Costa Rica: Puntarenas [;] San Vito, Estac. Biol. [;] Las Alturas, 1500m [;] xi.1991, Paul Hanson; second label (red, partially printed and hand written) - HOLOTYPE [;] Heterospilus [;] whartoni [;] P. Marsh. Deposited in ESUW.

Paratypes.

4 ♀♀, same data as holotype with additional dates of i.1992 and 15-31 Oct. 1991 (ESUW). 11 ♀♀, Costa Rica: Puntarenas [;] San Vito, Estac. Biol. [;] Las Alturas, 1500m [;] iv.1992, v.1992 and vi.1992, Forest border and in the forest [;] Malaise, Paul Hanson (ESUW, TAMU). 2 ♀♀, Costa Rica: Puntarenas [;] San Vito, Estac. Biol. [;] Las Alturas, 1500m [;] vi.1992, traps #1 + #2, [;] Malaise, Paul Hanson (ESUW). 1 ♀, Costa Rica: Puntarenas [;] San Vito, Las Cruces [;] Wilson Botanical Gardens [;] 18-22.iii.1990, 1150m [;] J.S. Noyes (ESUW). 2 ♀♀, Costa Rica: Puntarenas [;] Zona Protectora Las Tablas [;] 1Km NE de Sitio Portones [;] Camino a Tables, 1530m [;] 30. viii– 5.ix.1995, M. Chinchilla [;] L.S. 320100-596800 #7458 [;] Malaise trap (ESUW). 1 ♀, Costa Rica: Puntarenas [;] Send. ac. Pittier, 1800-2000m [;] 1Km N. de la Est. Malaise [;] 13. ix– 13.x.1996. A.M. Maroto [;] L.S. 331800-577400 #44868 (ESUW). 2 ♀♀, top label - Costa Rica: Guanacaste [;] W. side Volcan Orosi [;] Estac. Maritza, 600m; second label - GHP Biodiversity Survey [;] 1989, Malaise trap [;] L-N-326900-373000 #6834 (ESUW). 1 ♀, top label - Costa Rica: Puntarenas [;] Buenos Aires [;] Sendero Los Gigantes [;] Est. Altamira, 1450m; second label - 3-22 February 2000 [;] D. Rubi, Amarilla [;] LS 331700-572200 [;] # 54808 (ESUW). 1 ♀, Costa Rica: Guanacaste [;] Est. Cacao, 1000-1150m [;] ix.1996, I. Villegas, Malaise [;] L.N. 323150-375500 #47559 (ESUW). 2 ♀♀, top label - COSTA RICA, Heredia [;] Est. Biol. La Selva. 50- [;] 150m, 10°26'N, 84°01'W [;] Mar and May 1993, INBio-OET; second label - 15 Marzo and 18 Mayo 1993 [;] Bosque primario and secundario [;] M/05/100 and M/11/026 (ESUW). 1 ♀, COSTA RICA: La Selva [;] 2.ii.1994 [;] J. Longino [;] (M.14.344) (ESUW). 1 ♀, COSTA RICA, Alajuela [;] Finca San Gabriel [;] 2 0 Dos Rios, 400m [;] VIII/88, Col. Hanson (ESUW). 2 ♀♀, COSTA RICA: Punt- [;] arenas, Las Alturas, [;] 1600m, 10-13[0].vi.1998 [;] Brown & Berezovskiy: [;] Mal. Trp. #2: for. Edge (AEIC). 1 ♀, Est. Altamira, Buenos Aires, Prov. Punta. [;] COSTA RICA. 15 Set– 14 Oct 1993. R. [;] Delgado, L S 572100_331700 #2370 (INBC). 1 ♀, MUSEO DE INSECTOS UNIVERSIDAD DE COSTA RICA [;] COSTA RICA PROV: Alajuela [;] Faldas Volcan [;] Tenorio. [;] 700m, 17.iv.1988 [;] Gonzales - Soto (MICR).

Comments.

The circularly costate vertex, the dark brown vertex and the smooth scutellum are distinctive for this species.

Etymology.

Named for my long time friend and fellow braconidologist, Robert Wharton.