Hyperparasitoid wasps (Hymenoptera, Trigonalidae) reared from dry forest and rain forest caterpillars of Area de Conservación Guanacaste, Costa Rica

A study of hyperparasitoid wasps (Hymenoptera, Trigonalidae) in Area de Conservación Guanacaste, Costa Rica, identified five species associated with dry and rain forests. These generalist hyperparasitoids, including Lycogaster apicipennis, Taeniogonalos woodorum sp. n., Taeniogonalos fasciatipennis, Trigonalys championi, and Trigonalys maculifrons, were reared from caterpillars parasitized by Ichneumonidae and Tachinidae. Morphological and DNA barcoding data confirmed species separation, while Taeniogonalos gundlachii was found to be restricted to eastern North America, with the Costa Rican population reclassified as T. fasciatipennis. The research clarifies taxonomic confusion and highlights habitat-specific distributions of these hyperparasitoids in ACG's diverse ecosystems.

Smith, D., Janzen, D., Hallwachs, W., & Smith, M. A. (2012). Hyperparasitoid wasps (Hymenoptera, Trigonalidae) reared from dry forest and rain forest caterpillars of Area de Conservación Guanacaste, Costa Rica. Journal of Hymenoptera Research, 29, 119–144. https://doi.org/10.3897/jhr.29.3233