The Doryctinae of Costa Rica (excluding the genus Heterospilus)

A comprehensive taxonomic study is presented for the 63 genera and 172 species of braconid wasp subfamily Doryctine occurring in Costa Rica. Of these, 12 genera and 119 species are described as new to science. The speciose genus Heterospilus is excluded from this study. Keys for identification of the genera and species are provided and each genus and species is described and illustrated. Several genera previously describe from South America or other parts of Central America are recorded for the first time from Costa Rica. One new synonymy is proposed: the genus Achterbergia Marsh is considered a junior synonym of the genus Aivalykus Nixon (n.syn.). Two new combinations are proposed: Achterbergia arawak Marsh is transferred to Aivalykus (n. comb.); Platydoryctes amazonensis Barbalho and Penteado-Dias is transferred to the new genus Angelica (n.comb.). Very little is known about the biology of doryctine wasps,but where host records are available most species appear to be idiobiont ectoparasitoids of wood boring beetle larvae. However, three genera in Costa Rica depart remarkably from this biology: several species of Allorhogas and Labania have been reared from leaf and seed galls on various plant, and species of Psenobolus develop as inquilines in figs. A checklist of the Costa Rican Doryctinae is provided. A Spanish translation of the key to genera is included as an appendix.