Cryptic biodiversity of tropical hesperiid caterpillar-attacking parasitoid wasps: three new species of Townes (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae, Cremastinae) from Costa Rica and Perú.

Background: We describe three new species of the previously monotypic genus Townes from Central and South America: and from Costa Rica and from Peru, all of which emphasise the unknown parasitoid insect diversity yet to be revealed in the tropics.

New Information: Host relationships of the two Costa Rican species are described in detail. In addition, it is inferred that the wasps find and oviposit in the caterpillar when it is exposed at night, rather than when it is concealed during daylight hours.