Heterospilus nigracapitus 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 : 383-384

Heterospilus nigracapitus Marsh sp. n. Figure 262

Female.

Body size: 2.0-2.5 mm. Color: head dark brown or black, mesosoma and metasoma yellow, mesoscutum and mesopleuron sometimes darker; scape yellow without lateral brown stripe; flagellum brown; legs yellow or light brown. Head: vertex smooth or with few weak striae behind ocelli; frons smooth; face smooth; temple in dorsal view narrow, width equal to 1/2 eye width; malar space greater than 1/4 eye height; ocell-ocular distance greater than 2.5 times diameter of lateral ocellus; 21-22 flagellomeres. Mesosoma: mesoscutal lobes granulate; notauli scrobiculate, meeting posteriorly in triangular costate area; scutellum granulate; prescutellar furrow with 1 distinct median cross carina and 2 lateral weaker carinae; mesopleuron granulate; precoxal sulcus scrobiculate, shorter than mesopleuron; venter granulate; propodeum with basal median areas margined, granulate, basal median carina present, very short, areola indistinctly margined, areolar area rugose, lateral areas entirely rugose. 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, length slightly greater than apical width; second tergum longitudinally costate; anterior transverse groove present, straight or very slightly sinuate; posterior transverse groove present; third tergum costate basally, smooth apically; terga 4-7 smooth, often costate at base; ovipositor as long as metasomal terga 1 and 2 combined.

Holotype female.

Top label (white, printed) - Costa Rica: Puntarenas [;] Peninsula Osa, Puerto [;] Jimenez, 10m [;] ii-iii.1993, P. Hanson; second label (red, partially printed and hand written) - HOLOTYPE [;] Heterospilus [;] nigracapitus [;] P. Marsh. Deposited in ESUW.

Paratypes.

1 ♀, Costa Rica, Puntarenas [;] Pen. Osa, 5km. N. [;] Puerto Jimenez, 10m [;] I-II-1993 P. Hanson (ESUW).

Comments.

The dark brown or black head and yellow mesosoma and metasoma and the presence of hind wing vein SC+R are distinctive for this species.

Etymology.

The specific name is from the Latin nigra, meaning black, and the Latin capitis, meaning head, in reference to the dark brown or black head contrasting to the yellow remainder of the body.