Apanteles carloscastilloi

General description: 

Type locality. COSTA RICA, Alajuela, ACG, Sector San Cristobal, Rio Blanco
Abajo, 500m, 10.90037, -85.37254.
Holotype. ♀ in CNC. Specimen labels: 1. Costa Rica: Alajuela, ACG, Sector
San Cristobal, Rio Blanco Abajo, 04.iv.2002, 500m, 10.90037, -85.37254, DHJPAR0002960.
Paratypes. 40 ♀, 6 ♂ (BMNH, CNC, INBIO, INHS, NMNH). COSTA RICA,
ACG database codes: See Appendix 2 for detailed label data.
Description. Female. Body color: body mostly dark except for some sternites which
may be pale. Antenna color: scape, pedicel, and flagellum dark. Coxae color (pro-, meso-
, metacoxa): dark, dark, dark. Femora color (pro-, meso-, metafemur): anteriorly dark/
posteriorly pale, dark, dark. Tibiae color (pro-, meso-, metatibia): pale, pale, anteriorly
pale/posteriorly dark. Tegula and humeral complex color: tegula pale, humeral complex
half pale/half dark. Pterostigma color: mostly pale and/or transparent, with thin dark
borders. Fore wing veins color: partially pigmented (a few veins may be dark but most
are pale). 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): 2.9–3.0 mm, 3.1–3.2 mm, rarely 2.0 mm or less or 3.3–3.4 mm. Fore
wing length: 2.9–3.0 mm, 3.1–3.2 mm, rarely 2.0 mm or less or 3.3–3.4 mm. Ocular–
ocellar line/posterior ocellus diameter: 2.3–2.5, rarely 2.0–2.2. Interocellar distance/
posterior ocellus diameter: 1.7–1.9. Antennal flagellomerus 2 length/width: 2.6–2.8.
Antennal flagellomerus 14 length/width: 1.4–1.6. Length of flagellomerus 2/length of
flagellomerus 14: 2.0–2.2. Tarsal claws: with single basal spine–like seta. Metafemur
length/width: 3.2–3.3. Metatibia inner spur length/metabasitarsus length: 0.4–0.5.
Anteromesoscutum: mostly with deep, dense punctures (separated by less than 2.0 ×
its maximum diameter). Mesoscutellar disc: with punctures near margins, central part
mostly smooth. Number of pits in scutoscutellar sulcus: 5 or 6 or 7 or 8. 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: 2.8–3.1. Mediotergite 2
sculpture: mostly smooth. 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:
1.6–1.7, rarely 1.2–1.3. Length of fore wing veins r/2RS: 1.7–1.9. Length of fore wing
veins 2RS/2M: 0.9–1.0. Length of fore wing veins 2M/(RS+M)b: 0.9–1.0. Pterostigma
length/width: 3.6 or more. 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. As in female but with darker legs and smoother mediotergite 1.
Molecular data. Sequences in BOLD: 18, barcode compliant sequences: 16.
Biology/ecology. Gregarious (Fig. 211). Host: Elachistidae, Stenoma completella.
Distribution. Costa Rica, ACG.

Scratchpads developed and conceived by (alphabetical): Ed Baker, Katherine Bouton Alice Heaton Dimitris Koureas, Laurence Livermore, Dave Roberts, Simon Rycroft, Ben Scott, Vince Smith