Minimalist revision of Mesochorus Gravenhorst, 1829 (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae: Mesochorinae) from Área de Conservación Guanacaste, Costa Rica, with 158 new species and host records for 129 species
Michael J. Sharkey, Austin Baker, Kathryn McCluskey, M. Alex Smith, Suresh Naik, Sujeevan Ratnasingham, Ramya Manjunath, Kate Perez, Jayme E Sones, Michelle D’Souza, Brianne St. Jacques, Mehrdad Hajibabaei, Jim Whitfield, Diana Arias, Alma Solis, Mark A. Metz, John M. Burns, Ronald Zuñiga, Eugenie Phillips-Rodríguez, Bernardo Espinoza, Isidro Chacón, Paul D. N. Hebert, Winnie Hallwachs, Daniel H. Janzen
Abstract
Introduction: Species of Mesochorus are found worldwide and members of this genus are primarily hyperparasitoids of Ichneumonoidea and Tachinidae. Objectives: To describe species of Costa Rican Mesochorus reared from caterpillars and to a lesser extent Malaise-trapped. Methods: The species are diagnosed by COI mtDNA barcodes, morphological inspection, and host data. A suite of images and host data (plant, caterpillar, and primary parasitoid) are provided for each species. Results: A total of 158 new species of Mesochorus. Sharkey is the taxonomic authority for all. Conclusions: This demonstrates a practical application of DNA barcoding that can be applied to the masses of undescribed neotropical insect species in hyperdiverse groups.