Body length 7.0 – 8.3 mm. Ovipositor length 7.2 – 7.7 mm. Gena rounded or with an obtuse angle posterolaterally. Longitudinal groove on interantennal prominence absent. Protuberances on occiput absent. Propodeum with carinae forming areolae, median areola rounded anteriorly. Notauli well-impressed, smooth without crenulae, or with one or two crenulae restricted to extreme anterior apex along border of mesoscutum. Posterior margin of syntergum 2+3 convex, covering most of terminal terga. Median syntergite 2 + 3 longitudinally striate except apical transverse lobe rugose. Forewing mostly or entirely infuscate. Color as in Figs 14, 15. Color variation: Most commonly the mesosoma varies from completely black, to black except for the propodeum and mesothorax which are yellow or orange in whole or in part. Rarely, two specimens, the mesosoma is almost entirely pale. The hind femur varies from entirely melanic to mostly pale. Pale parts of the body vary from yellow to orange.

BOLD process ID/Janzen parasitoid voucher/GenBank accession:

ASAG139-07/DHJPAR0015453/JN034705

ASHYE376-08/DHJPAR0028139/JN034704

ASAG138-07/DHJPAR0015452/JN034704

ASHYF079-09/DHJPAR0028317/JN034702

ASHYE1603-09/DHJPAR0036692/JN034701

ASHYE1631-09/DHJPAR0036720/JN34700

ASHYF080-09/DHJPAR0028318/JN034699

ASHYF019-09/DHJPAR0028257/JN034698

ASHYF078-09/DHJPAR0028316/JN034697

ASHYF017-09/DHJPAR0028255/JN034696

ASHYF018-09/DHJPAR0028256/JN034695

ASHYF081-09/DHJPAR0028319/JN034694

ASHYF068-09/DHJPAR0028306/JN034693

Guanacaste Province and Heredia Province, Costa Rica. Click here for a distribution map.

This wasp is the only species of Lytopylus found to date using Dysodia (Thyrididae) as its host caterpillar (22 wasp rearings from 3,500+ rearings of about 20 Dysodia species). These wasp rearings are almost entirely from three species of rain forest Dysodia (89 Dysodia Janzen12 feeding exclusively on Hieronyma oblonga; 1,241 Dysodia Janzen06 feeding on many plant families; 182 Dysodia Janzen35 feeding on Annonaceae) in dry forest and dry-rain forest intergrades. Additionally, a single Lytopylus jessiehillae has been reared from Collinsa ferreiceps (Thyrididae) feeding on the rain forest tree Sloanea faginea (Elaeocarpaceae; 73 rearings); the adult of this moth is very similar in body size and wing shape to Zeuzerodes caenosa (and very different from Dysodia) but the caterpillar is very similar to that of Dysodia in body size and leaf roll type. Furthermore, it is the only agathidine reared from the 73 rearings of Collinsa on Sloanea, and I (DHJ) feel that it is very likely to be an “abnormal” host record.

Only one other agathidine has been reared from the 3,500+ rearings of Dysodia, a single specimen of Amputoearinus niger from the rain forest Heisteria concinna (Olacaceae) being fed on by Dysodia Janzen06. Dysodia in ACG is, however, also used by at least 7 species of Tachinidae and Microgastrinae braconids.

Dysodia caterpillars construct a close-fitting conical-tubular shelter by cutting a lengthy curved slit in the food plant leaf and rolling that partly detached segment up around its base. The caterpillar then eats the inner parts of the leaf roll. The ovipositing wasp must then penetrate 1–3 layers of leaf and the caterpillar can only move forward and backward to escape. The caterpillar remains in one leaf roll for many days, pushing or ejecting fecal pellets out the “front door”. The distinctive leaf rolls are easily recognized by the researcher, and presumably by a searching wasp as well, but many are empty because the caterpillar has moved on or been taken by a predator. The prepupal caterpillar (Fig. 16) spins a tough silk cocoon between two overlapping leaves (or in the leaf roll). At this time the wasp larva feeds heavily and within 2–3 days has consumed the caterpillar innards and ruptures the caterpillar cuticle to emerge into the pupal chamber and spin a tough white cocoon with the caterpillar head capsule and remaining pelt scrunched onto one end (Fig. 17).

Named in honor of Jessie Hill of Hawaii, who has enthusiastically supported the conservation and biodiversity inventory of the ACG forest occupied by this parasitoid wasp.

Holotype: ♀, H7093 (DHJPAR0028316 – this is a short sequence ) Costa Rica: Guanacaste: Area de Conservación Guanacaste: Sector Pitilla: Loaiciga, 7.ix.2008, 11.019N, 85.4134W, 445m [AEI].

Paratypes [AEI, HIC, INBio]: Costa Rica: Guanacaste: Area de Conservación Guanacaste:Sector Pitilla: Loaiciga, 11.019N, 85.4134W, 445m: ♀ H7090 (DHJPAR0028305) 7.ix.2008, ♀ H7091 (DHJPAR0028257) 5.ix.2008, ♀ H7098 (DHJPAR0028319) 4.ix.2008, ♀ H7063 (DHJPAR0028306) 4.ix.2008, ♀ H7083 (DHJPAR0028309) 9.iv.2008. ♂ H7085 (DHJPAR0028313) 6.ix.2008, ♂ H7096 (DHJPAR0028255) 4.ix.2008, ♂ H7089 (DHJPAR0028256) 28.viii.2008. Sendero Cuestona, 10.9945N, 85.4146W, 640m: ♀ H8398 (DHJPAR0015455) 9.iv.2004, ♂ H8399 (DHJPAR0015454) 7.iv.2004. Sector Cacao: Sendero Toma Agua, 10.928N, 85.4668W, 1140m: ♀ 4.iv.2001: H7088 (DHJPAR0015453), ♀ H7086 (DHJPAR0015452), ♂ H8396 (DHJPAR0015451). Sector Del Oro: Guacimos, 11.014N, 85.4749W, 380m: ♂ H7087 (DHJPAR0036692) 3.viii.2009. Sector Mundo Nuevo: Vado Ocotea, 10.7638N, 85.3784W, 565m: ♀ H7095 (DHJPAR0028139) 30.vii.2008. Vado Zanja Tapada, 10.7648N, 85.3845W, 550m: ♀ H7094 (DHJPAR0040216) 4.vii.2010, ♀ H7099 (DHJPAR0040224) 3.vii.2010. Porton Rivas, 10.7586N, 85.3727W, 570m: ♀ H6410 (DHJPAR0028318) 9.vii.2008, ♂ H7092 (DHJPAR0028317) 6.vii.2008. Punta Plancha, 10.7416N, 85.4273W, 420m: ♀ H7097 (DHJPAR0040226) 1.vii.2010. Area de Conservación Guanacaste: Sector Rincon Rain Forest: Camino Albergue Oscar, 10.8774N, 85.3236W, 560m: ♀ H7084 (DHJPAR0036720) 1.ix.2009.

Costa Rica: Heredia: Est. Biol. La Selva, 10.433N, 84.017W, 150m: ♀ H8397 vii.1993.