Apanteles rogerblancoi Fernandez-Triana

Fernandez-Triana, Jose L., Whitfield, James B., Rodriguez, Josephine J., Smith, M. Alex, Janzen, Daniel H., Hallwachs, Winnie D., Hajibabaei, Mehrdad, Burns, John M., Solis, M. Alma, Brown, John, Cardinal, Sophie, Goulet, Henri & Hebert, Paul D. N., 2014, Review of Apantelessensu stricto (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Microgastrinae) from Area de Conservacion Guanacaste, northwestern Costa Rica, with keys to all described species from Mesoamerica, ZooKeys 383, pp. 1-565 : 267-268

Apanteles rogerblancoi Fernandez-Triana sp. n. Fig. 155

Type locality.

COSTA RICA, Guanacaste, ACG, Sector Santa Rosa, Bosque San Emilio, 300m, 10.84389, -85.61384.

Holotype.

♀ in CNC. Specimen labels: 1. DHJPAR0024724.

Description.

Female. Body color: body mostly dark except for some sternites which may be pale. Antenna color: scape and/or pedicel pale, flagellum dark. Coxae color (pro-, meso-, metacoxa): pale, pale, dark. Femora color (pro-, meso-, metafemur): pale, pale, mostly pale but posterior 0.2 or less dark. Tibiae color (pro-, meso-, metatibia): pale, pale, mostly pale but with posterior 0.2 or less dark. Tegula and humeral complex color: both pale. Pterostigma color: dark with pale spot at base. Fore wing veins color: mostly dark (a few veins may be unpigmented). Antenna length/body length: antenna about as long as body (head to apex of metasoma); if slightly shorter, at least extending beyond anterior 0.7 metasoma length. Body in lateral view: not distinctly flattened dorso–ventrally. Body length (head to apex of metasoma): 2.7-2.8 mm. Fore wing length: 2.9-3.0 mm. Ocular–ocellar line/posterior ocellus diameter: 1.7-1.9. Interocellar distance/posterior ocellus diameter: 2.0-2.2. Antennal flagellomerus 2 length/width: 2.3-2.5. Antennal flagellomerus 14 length/width: 1.1-1.3. Length of flagellomerus 2/length of flagellomerus 14: 2.6-2.8. Tarsal claws: with single basal spine–like seta (?). Metafemur length/width: 3.0-3.1. Metatibia inner spur length/metabasitarsus length: 0.6-0.7. Anteromesoscutum: mostly with deep, dense punctures (separated by less than 2.0 × its maximum diameter). Mesoscutellar disc: mostly punctured. Number of pits in scutoscutellar sulcus: 9 or 10. Maximum height of mesoscutellum lunules/maximum height of lateral face of mesoscutellum: 0.4-0.5. Propodeum areola: completely defined by carinae, including transverse carina extending to spiracle. Propodeum background sculpture: mostly sculptured. Mediotergite 1 length/width at posterior margin: 2.0-2.2. Mediotergite 1 shape: mostly parallel–sided for 0.5-0.7 of its length, then narrowing posteriorly so mediotergite anterior width>1.1 × posterior width. Mediotergite 1 sculpture: mostly sculptured, excavated area centrally with transverse striation inside and/or a polished knob centrally on posterior margin of mediotergite. Mediotergite 2 width at posterior margin/length: 4.8 or more. Mediotergite 2 sculpture: with some sculpture, mostly near posterior margin. Outer margin of hypopygium: with a wide, medially folded, transparent, semi–desclerotized area; usually with 4 or more pleats. Ovipositor thickness: about same width throughout its length. Ovipositor sheaths length/metatibial length: 1.0-1.1. Length of fore wing veins r/2RS: 2.0-2.2. Length of fore wing veins 2RS/2M: 1.4-1.6. Length of fore wing veins 2M/(RS+M)b: 0.5-0.6. Pterostigma length/width: 2.6-3.0. Point of insertion of vein r in pterostigma: clearly beyond half way point length of pterostigma. Angle of vein r with fore wing anterior margin: clearly outwards, inclined towards fore wing apex. Shape of junction of veins r and 2RS in fore wing: distinctly but not strongly angled.

Male. Unknown.

Molecular data.

Sequences in BOLD: 6, barcode compliant sequences: 6.

Biology/ecology.

Malaise-trapped.

Distribution.

Costa Rica, ACG.

Comments.

This species is characterized by head fully black except for gena partially white, a unique feature among all known species of Apanteles worldwide. Molecular data also supports the species as divergent (Fig. 1).

Etymology.

We dedicate this species to Roger Blanco in recognition of his diligent efforts for the ACG Programa de Investigacion and ACG administration.