Venanus Mason, 1981: 94.

The genus Venanus can be recognized by the following combination of features: Body shape shape relatively slender, often somewhat dorsoventrally flattened. Body color typically black nearly throughout, legs variable in color. Fore wing with closed areolet (r-m present). Metacoxae relatively small (as in Microplitis). Propodeum rugose, with medial carina present, at least for some portion of length. First metasomal tergite relatively elongate, of somewhat variable shape and degree of sculpturing. Second metasomal tergum with median raised area that is narrower than first tergite, at least at their junction. Ovipositor sheath distally with setae highly reduced in size (as in Distatrix, and Venanides). The genus is restricted to the New World, from as north as Canada (Yukon Territory) to Chile in South America (Mason 1981, Fernandez-Triana 2010, Whitfield et al. 2011). It is a relatively small genus, with nine species previoulsy described and a few other apparent new species found in collections (Whitfield et al. 2011). Leafmining and needle mining caterpillars were believed to be the main hosts (Mason 1981), however recently collecting and rearing of caterpiilas in South America suggests that other hosts such as Pyralidae might also be common (Whitfield et al. 2011).

Female. Body length: 2.3 mm. Fore wing length: 2.2 mm. Flagellomere 2 length/width: 0.11 mm/0.05 mm. Flagellomere 14 length/width: 0.08 mm/0.06 mm. Oculo-ocellar distance: 0.14 mm. Distance between posterior ocelli: 0.08 mm. Diameter of posterior ocellus: 0.05 mm. Metafemur length/width: 0.52 mm/0.20 mm. Metatibia length: 0.62 mm. Mediotergite 1 length/maximum width/minimum width: 0.30/0.15/0.08 mm. Mediotergite 2 length/width at posterior margin: 0.13/0.08 mm. Figs 1, 2.

Figure 1.  

Venanus johnnyrosalesi. Yellow arrow shows the sculpture on metapleuron.

Figure 2.  

Venanus johnnyrosalesi. Yellow arrow shows the sculpture on metapleuron.

Male: As female, but metafemur thinner and antenna longer.

The mediotergite 1 is relatively long and with a slight constriction near anterior end (Fig. 2). That character is also shared with other three species of Venanus. However, V. johnnyrosalesi can be separated from V. helavai by its much smaller size (2.3 mm vs 2.8–3.0 mm) and less sculptured propodeum, from V. yanayacuensis by its wider discal cell in fore wing (1.0 × vs 1.2 × as wide as high), metasoma color (brown vs black)  and fore wing vein 2RS significanly longer than vein r (shorter than r in yanayacuensis), and from V. randallgarciai by proportion of veins 2RS and r (1.4 × vs 2.0 ×), sculpture of metapleuron and mediotergite 2, and less narrow mediotergite 1 (narrowest width 0.8 × width at posterior margin vs 0.6 × in randallgarciai).

Venanus johnnyrosalesi is named in honor of Sr. Johnny Rosales, currently of San Jose, Costa Rica, but also a major user, appreciator and former director of ACG.

Only know from Volcán Cacao, ACG, Costa Rica.

A total of 60 specimens (some of them not examined for this paper) were sampled for DNA, and 50 rendered full barcode sequences of 658 base pairs (see also Suppl. material 1).  These sequences were characterised by very limited variation (a single synonymous, third base G/A transition). The holotype specimen (DHJPAR0031445) has the sequence accession ASHYG706-10 in BOLD (www.boldsystems.org) and the nucleotide sequence is reproduced below:

AATATTATACTTTATTTTTGGGTTATGAGCTGGTATAGTAGGATTTTCTATAAGAATAATCATTCGCTTAGAATTAGGAATACCTGGAAATTTAATTGGAAATGACCAAATTTATAATAGAATTGTTACTTCTCATGCTTTTATTATAATTTTTTTCATAGTTATACCAATCATAATTGGTGGATTTGGTAACTGATTAATTCCTTTAATATTAGGTACTCCAGATATAGCATTCCCTCGAATAAATAATATAAGATTTTGGTTACTTCTACCTTCATTATTTTTATTAATTTTAAGTAGATTTATTAATACAGGGGTAGGAACGGGATGAACAGTATACCCTCCTTTGTCATTAATTTTAGGCCATGGGGGAATATCAGTAGACCTGGGTATTTTTTCTCTTCATTTAGCAGGAATATCTTCAATTATAGGGGCTATTAATTTTATTTCCACAATTATAAATATACGAACAAATTTTTTAATAATAGACAAAATCTCTTTATTTTCATGATCTGTTTTAATTACAGCTATTTTATTACTTCTATCTTTACCAGTTTTAGCTGGAGCAATTACTATACTACTGACAGATCGAAATTTAAATACAAGATTTTTTGATCCAAGTGGAGGTGGAGATCCAATTCTTTATCAACATTTATTT

Female. Body length: 2.2 mm. Fore wing length: 2.2 mm. Flagellomere 2 length/width: 0.11 mm/0.06 mm. Flagellomere 14: missing. Oculo-ocellar distance: 0.15 mm. Distance between posterior ocelli: 0.08 mm. Diameter of posterior ocellus: 0.05 mm. Metafemur length/width: 0.53 mm/0.18 mm. Metatibia length: 0.66 mm. Mediotergite 1 length/maximum width/minimum width: 0.30/0.15/0.09 mm. Mediotergite 2 length/width at posterior margin: 0.12/0.10 mm. Figs 3, 4.

Figure 3.  

Venanus randallgarciai. Yellow arrow shows the sculpture on metapleuron.

Figure 4.  

Venanus randallgarciai. Black arrows show length and width of first discal cell.

Male. Unknown.

The mediotergite 1 is relatively long and with a slight constriction near anterior end (Fig. 4). That character is also shared with other three species of Venanus. However, V. johnnyrosalesi can be separated from V. helavai by its much smaller size (2.2 mm vs 2.8–3.0 mm) and less sculptured propodeum, from V. yanayacuensis by its wider discal cell in fore wing (1.0 × vs 1.2 × as wide as high), metasoma color (brown vs black)  and fore wing vein 2RS significanly longer than vein r (shorter than r in yanayacuensis), and from V. johnnyrosalesi by proportion of veins 2RS and r (2.0 × vs 1.4 ×), sculpture of metapleuron and mediotergite 2, and narrower mediotergite 1 (narrowest width 0.6 × width at posterior margin vs 0.8 × in johnnyrosalesi).

Venanus randallgarciai is named in honor of Sr. Randall Garcia, currently of San Jose, Costa Rica, but also the first director of ACG and the current Executive Director of the Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad (INBio), and therefore a major facilitator of ACG biodiversity inventory.

Only known from a single locality in Area de Conservación Cordillera Volcanica Central, Alajuela, Costa Rica.

We obtained a partial sequence (164 bp) of the DNA barcoding region for the holotype (see also Suppl. material 1). It has the sequence accesion HYCNF533-11 in BOLD (www.boldsystems.org), and the nucleotide sequence is reproduced below:

TTATACCAATTATAATTGGAGGATTTGGAAATTGATTGGTGCCATTAATATTAGGGACTCCAGATATAGCTTTCCCTCGTATAAATAATATAAGATTTTGATTACTTATTCCTTCATTAT TTATATTAATTTTAAGAAGATTCATTAATACAGGCGCAGGTACG