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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Systematic Entomology Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #307063
Title: The genus Pseudapanteles (Hymenoptera: Braconidae, Microgastrinae), with an emphasis on the species in Area de Conservación Guanacaste in Costa Rica

Author
item FERNANDEZ-TRIANA, J. - Canadian National Collection Of Insects & Ottawa Plant Laboratory, Entomology
item JANZEN, D. - University Of Pennsylvania
item HALLWACHS, W. - University Of Pennsylvania
item WHITFIELD, J. - University Of Illinois
item SMITH, M. - University Of Guelph
item Kula, Robert

Submitted to: ZooKeys
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/15/2014
Publication Date: 10/14/2014
Publication URL: http://zookeys.pensoft.net/articles.php?id=4157
Citation: Fernandez-Triana, J.L., Janzen, D.H., Hallwachs, W., Whitfield, J.B., Smith, M.A., Kula, R.R. 2014. The genus Pseudapanteles (Hymenoptera: Braconidae, Microgastrinae), with an emphasis on the species in Area de Conservación Guanacaste in Costa Rica. ZooKeys. 446:1-82.

Interpretive Summary: Parasitic wasps attack crop, forest, and horticultural pests that cause billions of dollars of damage to agricultural commodities and natural resources annually. The parasitic wasps treated in this paper attack caterpillars, including pests of tomato, potato, peppers, maple, and dogwood. Increased knowledge of these wasps can help determine their impact as natural enemies of pest and potential pest caterpillars. Twenty-five species from Costa Rica new to science are described, and a key to 35 species from the Western Hemisphere is provided. The taxonomic placement of one species is revised. Sequences from the DNA barcoding region are provided facilitate identification of 30 species. This paper will be useful to scientists conducting research on caterpillars in the Western Hemisphere, as well as personnel responsible for controlling and regulating the distribution of pest and potential pest caterpillars.

Technical 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 (northwestern Costa Rica) based on 400 studied specimens, provide a key to all known Pseudapanteles (35 species), and place them in three newly created species-groups. Host records are known for only 25% of the species; all 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. nov., Pseudapanteles brunneus Ashmead, 1900 comb. rev., and the following 25 species nova of Pseudapanteles (all authored by Fernández-Triana and Whitfield): alfiopivai, alvaroumani, analorenaguevarae, carlosespinachi, carlosrodriguezi, christianafigueresae, hernanbravoi, jorgerodriguezi, josefigueresi, laurachinchillae, luisguillermosolisi, margaritapenonae, mariobozai, mariocarvajali, maureenballesteroae, munifigueresae, oscarariasi, ottonsolisi, pedroleoni, raulsolorzanoi, renecastroi, rodrigogamezi, rosemarykarpinskiae, soniapicadoae, teofilodelatorrei.