Revision of the genus Promicrogaster (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Microgastrinae) from Area de Conservacion Guanacaste, Costa Rica, with a key to all species previously described from Mesoamerica Author Fernandez-Triana, Jose Canadian National Collection of Insects, 960 Carling Ave., Ottawa, ON K 1 A 0 C 6 Canada Author Boudreault, Caroline https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4511-2626 Canadian National Collection of Insects, 960 Carling Ave., Ottawa, ON K 1 A 0 C 6 Canada Author Dapkey, Tanya Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104 - 6018 USA Author Smith, M. Alex https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8650-2575 Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N 1 G 2 W 1 Canada Author Rodriguez, J. Dept. of Natural Sciences, University of Virginia's College at Wise, Wise, VA 24293 USA Author Hallwachs, Winnie Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104 - 6018 USA Author Janzen, Daniel H. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7335-5107 Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104 - 6018 USA text Journal of Hymenoptera Research 2016 2016-06-27 50 25 79 http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/JHR.50.8220 journal article http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/JHR.50.8220 1314-2607-50-25 8899289F770746669D57068469D75918 3037FFE8FF9F4238FFD37D19D80B417B 125226 Promicrogaster Brues & Richardson, 1913 Promicrogaster : Brues and Richardson 1913 : 499. Diagnosis. Glossa elongate and bilobate (Figs 4 , 10 , 16 , 22 , 28 , 34 , 40 , 46 , 70 , 76 , 82 , 101 , 107 , 118 , 130 , 149 ). Lateral face of scutellum with polished area (=lunules) occupying most of the lateral face (Figs 12 , 18 , 24 , 32 , 36 , 42 , 62 , 66 , 72 , 78 , 84 , 110 , 114 , 120 , 126 , 138 , 147 , 151 ). Propodeum clearly sculptured and usually with some carination (Figs 12 , 18 , 36 , 42 , 66 , 90 , 99 , 114 , 120 , 132 , 133 , 157 ). Metacoxa very long, 0.8-1.0 x metafemur length and 0.6-0.8 x metatibia length (Figs 7 , 15 , 38 , 45 , 51 , 57 , 63 , 74 , 87 , 106 , 117 , 129 , 135 , 146 , 148 , 154 ). Mediotergite 1 parallel-sided (Figs 8 , 13 , 19 , 32 , 60 , 140 ) to slightly narrowing towards posterior margin (Figs 38 , 44 , 55 , 67 , 73 , 85 , 91 , 105 , 127 , 132 , 147 ). Mediotergite 2 transverse, its width at posterior margin 3.0-4.5 x (rarely 2.0 x ) its length medially. Ovipositor very long for a microgastrine wasp (approximately two times longer than metatibia length), strongly curved and with its apex sinuate (Figs 1 , 5 , 14 , 15 , 20 , 26 , 30 , 37 , 43 , 50 , 51 , 56 , 61 , 63 , 68 , 69 , 74 , 86 , 87 , 92 , 98 , 104 , 108 , 116 , 121 , 123 , 128 , 139 , 140 , 144 , 148 , 154 , 159 ). Fore wing usually with a small areolet, which is sometimes poorly defined (Figs 3 , 17 , 23 , 29 , 35 , 47 , 59 , 65 , 71 , 77 , 83 , 89 , 95 , 108 , 113 , 119 , 131 , 137 , 156 ); but some small species have no trace of areolet whatsoever (Figs 41 , 102 , 125 , 150 ). Body and fore wing lengths ranging from 1.8-2.0 mm in the smallest species up to 4.9-5.3 mm in the largest species. Body length varying from slightly longer to slightly shorter than fore wing length. Figures 1-8. Promicrogaster alexmartinezi sp. n. holotype. Figures 9-14. Promicrogaster andreyvallejosi sp. n. holotype. Figures 15-20. Promicrogaster brandondinartei sp. n. holotype. Figures 21-26. Promicrogaster brandondinartei sp. n. paratype. Figures 27-32. Promicrogaster daniellopezi sp. n. holotype. Figures 33-38. Promicrogaster daretrizoi sp. n. holotype. Figures 39-44. Promicrogaster eddycastroi sp. n. holotype. Figures 45-50. Promicrogaster eimyobandoae sp. n. holotype. Figures 51-56. Promicrogaster fabiancastroi sp. n. holotype. Figures 57-62. Promicrogaster fabriciocambroneroi sp. n. holotype. Figures 63-68. Promicrogaster hillaryvillafuerteae sp. n. holotype. Figures 69-74. Promicrogaster kevinmartinezi sp. n. holotype. Figures 75-80. Promicrogaster kevinmartinezi sp. n. male paratype. Figures 81-86. Promicrogaster kiralycastilloae sp. n. holotype. Figures 87-92. Promicrogaster leilycastilloae sp. n. holotype. Figures 93-99. Promicrogaster liagrantae sp. n. holotype. Figures 100-105. Promicrogaster luismendezi sp. n. holotype. Figures 106-110. Promicrogaster miranda . Figures 111-116. Promicrogaster monteverdensis sp. n. holotype. Figures 117-122. Promicrogaster munda . Figures 123-128. Promicrogaster naomiduarteae sp. n. holotype. Figures 129-134. Promicrogaster pablouzagai sp. n. holotype. Figures 135-140. Promicrogaster polyporicola . Figures 141-147. Promicrogaster ronycastilloi sp. n. holotype. Figures 148-153. Promicrogaster sebastiancambroneroi sp. n. holotype. Figures 154-159. Promicrogaster tracyvindasae sp. n. holotype. Figure 160. Neighbor-Joining (NJ - Saitou and Nei 1987) tree based on Kimura 2-parameter distances (K2P - Kimura 1980) made using MEGA6 (Tamura et al. 2013) for all currently barcode specimens of Promicrogaster in ACG. Tip labels include species name and specimen accession number. Panel on the right contains a single lateral image of each species. The order of the photographs within this panel from top to bottom corresponds to the order of the species within the tree from top to bottom. Promicrogaster is a very distinctive genus as defined by the combination of elongate and bilobate glossa, large polished areas on lateral face of scutellum, and ovipositor shape and length. Within Microgastrinae , it can only be confused with Sendaphne , but the later has a much less transverse mediotergite 2, the apex of ovipositor is not sinuate, the propodeum is entirely or mostly smooth, and the first discal cell is much wider (e.g., Fernandez-Triana et al. 2014d ). We consider the described ' Promicrogaster ' from India as incertae sedis (see below for a detailed discussion on that species). Thus, Promicrogaster as defined here is restricted to the New World, with the vast majority of the species found in the Neotropics and a few extending north to the Nearctic ( Mason 1981 , and unpublished data from the CNC collection). This pattern of distribution is remarkably similar to that found in other genera recently revised in the New World, such as Pseudapanteles and Venanus ( Fernandez-Triana et al. 2013 , 2014b , 2014c ). A total of 21 new species are described below, increasing the total known Mesoamerican species from 4 to 25, and the total number of described species for the genus from 11 to 32 (Table 1 ). We are aware of many additional undescribed species in collections, from North America (Canada/US) and South America, which will be dealt with in future papers. Table 1. Mesoamerican species of Promicrogaster . The presence of species in Area de Conservacion Guanacaste is indicated below by adding 'ACG' after 'Costa Rica' . New country records for species previously described are marked with an asterisk (*).
Species Distribution
Promicrogaster alexmartinezi Fernandez-Triana & Boudreault, sp. n. Costa Rica, ACG
Promicrogaster andreyvallejosi Fernandez-Triana & Boudreault, sp. n. Costa Rica, ACG
Promicrogaster apharea Nixon, 1965 Brazil, Mexico
Promicrogaster brandondinartei Fernandez-Triana & Boudreault, sp. n. Costa Rica, ACG
Promicrogaster daniellopezi Fernandez-Triana & Boudreault, sp. n. Costa Rica, ACG
Promicrogaster daretrizoi Fernandez-Triana & Boudreault, sp. n. Costa Rica, ACG
Promicrogaster eddycastroi Fernandez-Triana & Boudreault, sp. n. Costa Rica, ACG
Promicrogaster eimyobandoae Fernandez-Triana & Boudreault, sp. n. Costa Rica, ACG
Promicrogaster fabiancastroi Fernandez-Triana & Boudreault, sp. n. Costa Rica, ACG
Promicrogaster fabriciocambroneroi Fernandez-Triana & Boudreault, sp. n. Costa Rica, ACG
Promicrogaster hillaryvillafuerteae Fernandez-Triana & Boudreault, sp. n. Costa Rica, ACG
Promicrogaster kevinmartinezi Fernandez-Triana & Boudreault, sp. n. Costa Rica, ACG
Promicrogaster kiralycastilloae Fernandez-Triana & Boudreault, sp. n. Costa Rica, ACG
Promicrogaster leilycastilloae Fernandez-Triana & Boudreault, sp. n. Costa Rica, ACG
Promicrogaster liagrantae Fernandez-Triana & Boudreault, sp. n. Costa Rica, ACG
Promicrogaster luismendezi Fernandez-Triana & Boudreault, sp. n. Costa Rica, ACG
Promicrogaster miranda Muesebeck, 1958 Panama, Trinidad (*)
Promicrogaster monteverdensis Fernandez-Triana & Boudreault, sp. n. Costa Rica, ACG and other localities
Promicrogaster munda Muesebeck, 1958 Costa Rica, Honduras, Mexico, Panama (*)
Promicrogaster naomiduarteae Fernandez-Triana & Boudreault, sp. n. Costa Rica, ACG
Promicrogaster pablouzagai Fernandez-Triana & Boudreault, sp. n. Costa Rica, ACG
Promicrogaster polyporicola Muesebeck, 1958 Panama
Promicrogaster ronycastilloi Fernandez-Triana & Boudreault, sp. n. Costa Rica, ACG
Promicrogaster sebastiancambroneroi Fernandez-Triana & Boudreault, sp. n. Costa Rica, ACG
Promicrogaster tracyvindasae Fernandez-Triana & Boudreault, sp. n. Costa Rica, ACG and other localities
As for habitat preference, 82% of the ACG species were collected in rain forests and cloud forests (with almost 60% restricted to cloud forests), while only 18% were found in dry forests. Around 40% of the species were found at low-mid elevation (0-500 m) whereas almost 60% of the species were collected at altitudes over 1,000 m. This strongly contrasts with the closely related genus Sendaphne , which has been mostly found at altitudes between 100-900 m with just a few species found in cloud forests ( Fernandez-Triana et al. 2014d ). All of the verified and authenticated host records for Promicrogaster are from caterpillars living more deeply inside more or less woody plant material than simply in rolled leaf structures. It is possible that the sinuate ovipositor tip in all known species of Promicrogaster is an adaptation allowing the ovipositor to be steered through fissures in harder/more woody structures than mere leaf rolls (e.g., Quicke 2015 ). Muesebeck (1958) described Promicrogaster polyporicola as reared from unidentified Lepidoptera larvae infesting a bracket fungus ( Fomes sp.) in Panama. Davis (1996) reared an unidentified species of Promicrogaster from caterpillars of Prosetomorpha falcata ( Tineidae ) in Colombia; the larvae of this small moth are scavengers feeding on frass within the burrows made by larval Curculionidae in the stems of Solanum quitoensis ( Solanaceae : 'Naranjilla' ). Garcia and Montilla (2010) reared Promicrogaster as a parasitoid of cocoa fruit borers, Carmenta spp. ( Sessidae ) in Venezuela; Carmenta larvae mine through the pericarp of cocoa ( Malvaceae : Theobroma cacao ) fruit, and their damage leads to secondary phytopathogenic fungal infections (such as Phytophthora sp.) that cause the fruit to rot (e.g., Morrilo et al. 2009). The 21 species of Promicrogaster found in ACG have only been collected in Malaise traps. It is likely that those wasp species have not been reared yet because they are parasitizing small moth larvae concealed inside more or less woody plant or fungal tissues - the ACG inventory, while being the most comprehensive effort ever done to rear tropical caterpillars, has only focused on exposed feeders and rollers of green leaves.