Minimalist revision and description of 411 new species in 11 subfamilies of Costa Rican braconid parasitic wasps, including host records

Authors: SHARKEY, M. - University Of Kentucky; JANZEN, D. - University Of Pennsylvania; HALLWACHS, W. - University Of Pennsylvania; CHAPMAN, ERIC - University Of Kentucky; SMITH, M. - University Of Guelph; DAPKEY, TANYA - University Of Pennsylvania; BROWN, ALLISON - University Of Guelph; RATNASUNGHAM, SUJEEVAN - University Of Guelph; NAIK, SURESH - University Of Guelph; MANJUNATH, RAMYA - University Of Guelph; PEREZ, KATE - University Of Guelph; MILTON, MEGAN - University Of Guelph; HEBERT, P.D.N. - University Of Wyoming; SHAW, S.R. - University Of Wyoming; KITTEL, REBECCA - Regional Study Center For The Improvement Of Adaptation To Drought; Solis, M Alma; Metz, Mark; Goldstein, Paul; BROWN, J. - Retired ARS Employee; QUICKE, DONALD L.J. - Chulalongkorn University; VAN ACHTERBERG, C. - Naturalis Biodiversity Center; BROWN, BRIAN - Natural History Museum Of Los Angeles County; BURNS, J. - Smithsonian Institute

Submitted to: ZooKeys
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/7/2020
Publication Date: 8/7/2020
Citation: Sharkey, M.J., Janzen, D.H., Hallwachs, W., Chapman, E., Smith, M.A., Dapkey, T., Brown, A., Ratnasungham, S., Naik, S., Manjunath, R., Perez, K., Milton, M., Hebert, P., Shaw, S., Kittel, R.N., Solis, M.A., Metz, M., Goldstein, P.Z., Brown, J.W., Quicke, D., Van Achterberg, C., Brown, B.V., Burns, J. 2020. Minimalist revision and description of 411 new species in 11 subfamilies of Costa Rican braconid parasitic wasps, including host records. ZooKeys. 4810(1):45-64. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4810.1.2.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4810.1.2

Interpretive Summary: Wasps in the family Braconidae are parasitoids of moth eggs and larvae and some species have been utilized in biological control programs of moth larval pests. This paper treats 421 species in 11 subfamilies of Braconidae from Costa Rica including many species reared from moth larvae collected in the Area de Conservación Guanacaste. All but 10 of the wasps treated are new to science and are described. This study employed a novel DNA-barcode approach to species delimitation in an attempt to expedite availability of the scientific information. Each species is documented with photographs of specimens and a diagnostic DNA sequence. This information will be useful to researchers studying braconid wasps and biologists working on the biological control of moth pests.

Technical Abstract: Three new genera are described: Michener (Proteropinae), Bioalpha (Rogadinae) and Hermosomastax (Rogadinae). Keys are given for the New World genera of the following braconid subfamilies: Agathidinae, Braconinae, Cheloninae, Homolobinae, Hormiinae, Ichneutinae,... Three new genera are described: Michener (Proteropinae), Bioalpha (Rogadinae) and Hermosomastax (Rogadinae). Keys are given for the New World genera of the following braconid subfamilies: Agathidinae, Braconinae, Cheloninae, Homolobinae, Hormiinae, Ichneutinae, Macrocentrinae, Orgilinae, Proteropinae, Rhysipolinae, and Rogadinae. We describe or redescribe 421 species in these subfamilies. Most of the species have been reared and all but 10 are new to science. We employ a barcode and Barcode Index Number (BIN) approach to diagnosing the species, and justify this approach in the introduction. Each description con sists of a lateral or dorsal image of the specimen, a COI barcode diagnosis, a BIN code, and the holotype specimen information required by the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature. The following species are treated and those lacking a stated authorship are newly described here with authorship attributable to Sharkey: AGATHIDINAE: Aerophilus paulmarshi, Mesocoelus davidsmithi, Neothlipsis bobkulai, Plesiocoelus vanachterbergi, Pneumagathis erythrogastra (Cameron, 1905), Therophilus belokobylskiji, T. bobwhartoni, T. donaldquickei, T. gracewoodae, T. maetoi, T. montywoodi, Zacremnops brianbrowni, Z. coatlicue Sharkey, 1990, Zacremnops cressoni (Cameron, 1887), Z. ekchuah Sharkey, 1990, Z. josefernandezi, Zelomorpha sarahmeierottoae. BRACONINAE: Bracon alejandromarini, B. alejandromasisi, B. alexamasisae, B. andresmarini, B. andrewwalshi, B. anniapicadoae, B. anniemoriceae, B. barryhammeli, B. chanchini, B. christophervallei, B. bernardoespinozai, B. carlos sanabriai, B. erasmocorondadoi, B. eugeniaphillipsae, B. federicoma arritai, B. frankjoycei, B. gerardovegai, B. germanvegai, B. isidrochaconi, B. jimlewisi, B. josejaramilloi, B. juanjoseoviedoi, B. juliodiazi, B. luzmariaromeroae, B. manuelzumbadoi, B. marialuisariasae, B. mariamartachavarriae, B. mariorivasi, B. melissaespinozae, B. nelsonzamorai, B. nicklaphami, B. ninamasisae, B. oliverwalshi, B. paulamarinae, B. rafamoralesi, B. robertofernandezi, B. rogerblancoi, B. ronaldzunigai, B. sigifredomarini, B. tihisiaboshartae, B. wilberthbrizuelai, Digonogastra montylloydi, D. montywoodi, D. motohasegawai, D. natwheelwrighti, D. nickgrishini. CHELONINAE: Adelius adrianguadamuzi, A. gauldi Shimbori and Shaw, 2019, A. janzeni Shimbori and Shaw, 2019, Ascogaster gloriasihezarae, A. grettelvegae, A. guillermopereirai, A. gustavoecheverriai, A. katyvanduzenae, A. luisdiegogomezi, Chelonus alejandrozaldivari, C. gustavogutierrezi, C. gustavoinduni, C. harryramirezi, C. hartmanguidoi, C. hazelcambroneroae, C. iangauldi, C. isidrochaconi, C. jan echeverriae, C. jeffmilleri, C. jennyphillipsae, C. jeremydewaardi, C. jessiehillae, C. jesusugaldei, C. jimlewisi, C. jimmilleri, C. jimwhitfieldi, C. johanvalerioi, C. johnburnsi, C. johnnoyesi, C. jorgebaltodanoi, C. jorgehernandezi, C. josealfredohernandezi, C. josefernandeztrianai, C. josehernandezcortesi, C. josemanuelperezi, C. josephinerodriguezae, C. juanmatai, C. junkoshimurae, C. kateperezae, C. luciariosae, C. luzmariaromeroae, C. manuelpereirai, C. manuelzumbadoi, C. marianopereirai, C. maribellealvarezae, C. markmetzi, C. markshawi, C. martajimenezae, C. mayrabonillae, C. meganmiltonae, C. melaniamunozae, C. michaelstroudi, C. michellevanderbankae, C. mingfangi, C. minorcarmonai, C. monikaspringerae, C. moniquegilbertae, C. motohasegawai, C. nataliaivanovae, C. nelsonzamorai, C. normwoodleyi, C. osvaldoespinozai, C. pamelacastilloae, C. paulgoldsteini, C. paulhansoni, C. paulheberti, C. petronariosae, C. ramyamanjunathae, C. randallgarciai, C. rebeccakitt