Heterospilus zitaniae 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 : 301-302

Heterospilus zitaniae Marsh sp. n. Figure 205

Female.

Body size: 3.0 mm. Color: head, mesosoma and metasomal terga 1 and 2 dark brown, metasomal terga 3-7 slightly lighter brown; scape yellow without lateral brown stripe, flagellum brown with apical 3-5 flagellomeres white; wing veins including stigma brown; legs yellow. Head: vertex granulate, nearly smooth near eyes; frons granulate; face weakly granulate; temple in dorsal view narrow, sloping behind eye, width less than 1/2 eye width; malar space greater than 1/4 eye height; ocell-ocular distance at least 2.5 times diameter of lateral ocellus; 24 flagellomeres. Mesosoma: mesoscutal lobes granulate; notauli scrobiculate, meeting at scutellum in triangular costate area; scutellum granulate; prescutellar furrow with 3 cross carinae; mesopleuron granulate; precoxal sulcus granulate, extending to posterior edge of mesopleuron by distinct groove or carinae; venter granulate; propodeum with basal median areas margined, granulate, basal median carina present, areola not distinctly margined, areolar area rugose, lateral areas entirely rugose. Wings: fore wing vein r nearly as long as 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, length longer than apical width; second tergum longitudinally costate; anterior transverse groove present, straight; posterior transverse groove present; third tergum smooth except for posterior transverse groove; terga 4-7 smooth; ovipositor equal to length of metasomal terga 1 and 2 combined.

Holotype female.

Top label (white, printed) - Costa Rica: Alajuela Prov. [;] Area de Conservation Arenal [;] R. San Ramon, 8-10.vi.1998 [;] N. side San Lorencito near [;] station, ex Malaise trap [;] N. Zitani, S. Dadelahi, [;] R. Fenoff, K. Krenzalok; second label (red, partially printed and hand written) - HOLOTYPE [;] Heterospilus [;] zitaniae [;] P. Marsh. Deposited in ESUW.

Paratypes.

Known only from the holotype.

Comments.

The long fore wing vein r (nearly as long as vein 3RSa) and the small ocelli are distinctive for this species.

Etymology.

Named for Nina Zitani, who helped collect this species and in honor of her interest in the braconid fauna of Costa Rica.