Opius petri Fischer

Wharton, Robert, Daniels, Sophia, Shirley, Xanthe & Restuccia, Danielle, 2013, An opiine Braconidae (Hymenoptera) reared from Richardiidae (Diptera) and recognition of a new species group of Opius s. l., ZooKeys 289, pp. 65-101 : 89-91

Opius petri Fischer Fig. 35

Opius petri Fischer, 1968a: 77 (key); 95-98 (description). Holotype female in AEIC (examined).

Opius petri : Fischer 1971: 98 (catalog).

Opius (Merotrachys) petri : Fischer 1977: 655-656, 698-700 (key, redescription); Fischer 1979a: 264-266 (key); Yu et al. 2005, 2012 (electronic catalogs).

Type locality.

Suriname, near Paramaribo.

Type material.

Holotype. Female (AEIC), first label, first line: nr. Paramaribo second line: Surinam second label, first line: XII.7-13.63 second line: D.C. Geijskes

Diagnosis.

Face weakly shagreened medially, strongly shagreened adjacent eye margin, with scattered large punctures. Eye in lateral view 2.0-2.5 × longer than temple; temples in dorsal view not receding. Female antenna broken; setae on basal flagellomeres thin, pale. Mesoscutum anteriorly gradually merging with plane of pronotum, with weakly elevated, indistinct anterior declivity; notaulus extending laterally towards tegula as groove bordered by distinct supramarginal carina. Propodeum rugose with heavily sculptured median trough anteriorly, areola obscured by sculpture posteriorly. Fore wing 3RSa weakly curved, about 1.2 × longer than 2RS; m-cu postfurcal. T1 sharply declivitous anteriorly, pit delimited posterior-medially; surface weakly rugulose and shagreened; dorsal carinae irregularly sinuate, broadest posteriorly; weakly transversely carinate between dorsal carinae. T2 and T3 shagreened. Ovipositor short; ovipositor sheath about 0.3-0.4 × length of mesosoma. Head, prothorax, tegula, most of propodeum, T1, T3-T6, hind coxa and femur dark reddish brown; mesosoma otherwise mostly dark orange, T2 medially orange-brown with narrow, dark brown lateral margins; wing lightly infumate.

Remarks.

This species is known only from the female holotype and is readily recognizable by the distinctive color pattern of dark head and legs and mostly dark orange mesosoma (Fig. 35). T1 is also a bit shorter than in other dark species such as Opius albericus and Opius pilosicornis .

In the original description, the collector’s name is incorrectly spelled Geijkes.