Abstract
Pseudapanteles
is a moderately diverse genus of
Microgastrinae
parasitoid wasps (
Hymenoptera
:
Braconidae
), endemic to the New World and with the vast majority of its species (including many
undescribed) in the Neotropical region. We describe here 25 new species from Area
de Conservación Guanacaste (ACG), northwestern Costa Rica, based on 400 studied specimens.
A key to all 36 known species of
Pseudapanteles
is provided (except for
Pseudapanteles
brunneus
, only known from a single male), and species are placed in three newly created species-groups.
Host records are known for only 25% of the species; most are solitary parasitoids
of the caterpillars of several families of small
Lepidoptera
(
Crambidae
,
Elachistidae
,
Gelechiidae
,
Incurvariidae
,
Sesiidae
,
Tineidae
). DNA barcodes (part of the CO1 gene) were obtained for 30 species (83%), and provide
a start for future study of the genus beyond ACG. Brief descriptions (generated by
Lucid 3.5 software) and extensive illustrations are provided for all species. The
following new taxonomic and nomenclatural acts are proposed:
Pseudapanteles
moerens
(Nixon, 1965), comb. n.,
Pseudapanteles
brunneus
Ashmead, 1900, comb. rev., a lectotype is designated for
Pseudapanteles
ruficollis
(Cameron, 1911), and the following 25 species nova of
Pseudapanteles
(all authored by Fernández-Triana and Whitfield):
alfiopivai
,
alvaroumanai
,
analorenaguevarae
,
carlosespinachi
,
carlosrodriguezi
,
christianafigueresae
,
hernanbravoi
,
jorgerodriguezi
,
josefigueresi
,
laurachinchillae
,
luisguillermosolisi
,
margaritapenonae
,
mariobozai
,
mariocarvajali
,
maureenballesteroae
,
munifigueresae
,
oscarariasi
,
ottonsolisi
,
pedroleoni
,
raulsolorzanoi
,
renecastroi
,
rodrigogamezi
,
rosemarykarpinskiae
,
soniapicadoae
,
teofilodelatorrei
.