Leptodrepana lorenae Dadelahi & Shaw

Dadelahi, Samin D., Shaw, Scott R., Aguirre, Helmuth & Almeida, Luis Felipe V. de, 2018, A taxonomic study of Costa Rican Leptodrepana with the description of twenty-four new species (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Cheloninae), ZooKeys 750, pp. 59-130 : 81-84

Leptodrepana lorenae Dadelahi & Shaw sp. n. Figs 52-56

Diagnosis.

Large body size, more than 3.0 mm. In dorsal view, the carapace apex in females appears distinctly truncated; in posterior view, the points are visible; in lateral view the carapace is approximately 4.5 × as long as wide. Head yellowish white except vertex, temple, medial area of frons and apical margin of clypeus blackish brown; lateral pronotum and propleuron yellowish white; mesonotum orange; mesopleuron blackish brown except postero-ventrally yellowish white; metanotum, metapleuron and propodeum blackish brown; wings suffused with dark brown pigment; carapace mostly black with large yellowish white diamond shaped patch covering most of dorsal surface.

Holotype female.

BL 3.6 mm; FWL 3.0 mm; CL 1.84 mm; CW 0.4 mm; CL/CW 4.6.

Description.

Color. Head yellowish white except vertex, temple, medial area of frons and apical margin of clypeus blackish brown; clypeus orange medially; mandibles yellow, blackish brown apically; palpi yellowish white; antennae with scape, pedicel and flagellomeres 1-3 brownish black, flagellomeres 3-6 yellowish white and flagellomeres 7-17 brownish black; lateral pronotum and propleuron yellowish white; mesonotum orange; mesopleuron blackish brown except postero-ventrally yellowish white; metanotum, metapleuron and propodeum blackish brown; legs appear distinctly banded in yellowish white and brownish black: fore leg yellowish white with femur basally brownish black and tibia mostly brownish black except for narrow basal band of yellowish white; middle leg similar to fore leg except tibial band bordered by brownish black basally; hind leg similar to fore and middle legs except coxa brownish black dorso-laterally, femur with wide medial band of yellowish white otherwise brownish black and tibia same pattern as femur; wings suffused with dark brown pigment; venation dark brown; carapace mostly black with large yellowish white diamond shaped patch covering most of dorsal surface.

Head. HW 1.05 mm; HL 0.9 mm; HW/HL 1.16; face, genae, vertex and ocellar triangle rugulose-punctate; frons depressed with fine parallel lineation lateral to median carina; clypeus punctate and apical margin rounded; occipital carina complete.

Mesosoma. Pronotum mostly impunctate except foveolate at mesoscutal and mesopleural margins; propleuron foveate; mesoscutum medially with numerous pitted parallel grooves; median and lateral rugose-punctate; notauli shallow and visible anteriorly; scutellar sulcus with four well-defined depressions, all longer than wide; scutellar disc punctate; mesopleuron anteriorly rugose, medially shiny and impunctate, foveate at precoxal sulcus, weakly punctate postero-ventrally; propodeum coarsely areolate-rugose with distinct transverse carina raised into medial and lateral flanges, lateral flanges at least twice the size of median flanges.

Metasoma. Carapace areolate-rugose basally to rugulose-punctate at apex; in dorsal view, carapace apex appears distinctly squared or truncated; in posterior view, apex terminates in two blunt points widely separated and weakly arched between, in lateral view, carapace apex terminates in blunt point below midline.

Paratype males. No males.

Material examined.

Holotype female: ALAJUELA, Est. San Ramon, 900 m, vii-xi.1995 (P. Hanson) [UWIM].

Remarks.

Leptodrepana lorenae may be easily distinguished from other Costa Rican species because of its many unique characters. The species is large, more than 3.0 mm. In dorsal view, the carapace apex in females appears distinctly truncated (Fig. 56). The square shape is due to the presence of two blunt points widely sepa rated from one another. In posterior view, the points are visible. Additionally, in lateral view the carapace is approximately 4.5 times as long as wide (Fig. 55). On the mesosoma, the scutellar sulcus bears three well-defined depressions and the mesopleuron is medially shiny and impunctate. Coloration of the species is also quite distinct. The head yellowish white except at the vertex, temple, medial area of frons and apical margin of clypeus which are blackish brown. The antennae are brownish black but bear a yellowish white annulus at basal flagellomeres 3-6. The mesosoma is multicolored with the lateral pronotum and propleuron yellowish white. The mesonotum is orange and the remaining portions of the mesosoma are brownish black except for postero-ventrally on the mesopleuron that is yellowish white. The legs have a distinctly banded appearance, alternating sections appearing yellowish white and brownish black. The carapace mostly black with large yellowish white diamond-shaped patch.

Etymology.

This species name is a patronym in honor of the niece of SDD, Loren Paige Migrants, an incredible animated force of nature.