Heterospilus xanthus 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 : 185-186

Heterospilus xanthus Marsh sp. n. Figures 127, 128

Female.

Body size: 2.5-3.0 mm. Color: body entirely yellow or honey yellow; scape yellow without lateral brown stripe, flagellum yellow basally to brown apically; wing veins light brown to yellow, stigma yellow; legs yellow. Head: vertex transversely costate; frons transversely costate; face rugose; temple in dorsal view narrow, width less than 1/2 eye width; malar space less than 1/4 eye height; ocell-ocular distance equal to diameter of lateral ocellus; 17-22 flagellomeres. Mesosoma: mesoscutal lobes granulate; notauli scrobiculate, meeting at scutellum in triangular rugose area; scutellum granulate; prescutellar furrow with 3 cross carinae; mesopleuron granulate; precoxal sulcus scrobiculate, shorter than mesopleuron; venter granulate; propodeum with basal median areas margined, granulate, basal median carina absent, areola distinctly margined, areolar area rugose, lateral areas entirely rugose. Wings: fore wing vein r equal in length to 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, median raised area with distinct lateral carinae; second tergum longitudinally costate; anterior transverse groove present, straight; posterior transverse groove present; third tergum costate basally, smooth apically; terga 4-7 smooth; ovipositor equal to length of metasomal terga 1 and 2 combined.

Holotype female.

Top label (white, partially printed and hand written) - Costa Rica: Guanacaste [;] Santa Rosa Natl. Park [;] 300m, ex. Malaise trap [;] Site #: 8 [;] Dates: 23. iii– 13.iv.1986 [;] I.D. Gauld & D. Janzen; second label (white, printed) - [SE] Bosque San Emilio [;] 50yr old deciduous forest [;] [C] more or less fully [;] shaded as possible; third label (red, partially printed and hand written) - HOLOTYPE [;] Heterospilus [;] xanthus [;] P. Marsh. Deposited in ESUW.

Paratypes.

4 ♀♀, same data as holotype except: dates of 13. iv– 4.v.1986, 10-31.i.1987, 2-23.iii.1986; second label, [H] open regenerating [;] woodland <10 year old [;] [C] more or less fully [;] shaded as possible (ESUW). 1 ♀, Costa Rica, San Jose Pr. [;] San Pedro, university [;] sportfield, 1200m [;] lighttrap 17+20 1997 [;] L.J. van der Ent (ESUW). 1 ♀, Costa Rica, Guanacaste Pr. [;] Guan. Conservation Area [;] Santa Rosa hdq. 200m [;] lighttrap, 7-VII-1997 [;] L.J. van der Ent (ESUW). 3 ♀♀, Costa Rica: Guanacaste [;] PN Guanacaste, 7km E HQ [;] near "small house" [;] 9.iii.1990, J.S. Noyes (ESUW). 1 ♀, Costa Rica: Guanacaste Pr. [;] Guanacaste National Park [;] near Playa Naranja [;] 11 March 1990, J.S. Noyes (ESUW). 1 ♀, S.RosaPark, Guan. [;] C. Rica 27 Mar 78 [;] D. H. Janzen [;] Dry Hill (AEIC).

Comments.

The yellow body color and the large ocelli are distinctive for this species.

Etymology.

The specific name is from the Greek xanthos, meaning yellow, in reference to the entirely yellow body.