Opius bicarinifer 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 : 93-94

Opius bicarinifer Fischer Figs 1023

Opius (Merotrachys) bicarinifer Fischer, 1979a: 264-265 (key); 269-271 (description). Holotype male in AEIC (examined).

Opius (Merotrachys) bicarinifer : Yu et al. 2005, 2012 (electronic catalogs).

Type locality.

Brazil, Rondonia, Vilhena.

Type material.

Holotype. Female (AEIC), first label, first line: Vilhena, Rond. second line: XI. '73 Brazil third line: M. Alvarenga

Diagnosis.

Face polished throughout, faintly punctate, nearly smooth. Eye in lateral view 4.0-4.5 × longer than temple; temples in dorsal view distinctly receding. Antenna broken; setae on basal flagellomeres thick, dark. Mesoscutum anteriorly with weak but distinct declivity; notaulus shallowly curving laterally towards tegula, supramarginal carina weak, barely distinguishable. Propodeum largely smooth, with deep median trough from base to apex, not broadened posteriorly into distinct areola. Fore wing 3RSa straight, 1.5-1.6 × longer than 2RS; m-cu antefurcal. T1 evenly curving into basal pit anteriorly, not distinctly declivitous, pit not delimited posterior-medially; surface weakly shagreened, nearly smooth throughout; dorsal carinae weakly sinuate, parallel-sided for most of their length, weakly broadening subapically, abruptly converging near posterior margin, not transversely carinate between dorsal carinae. T2 uniformly, distinctly shagreened, T3 more weakly so, especially laterally. Ovipositor short; ovipositor sheath 0.4 × length of mesosoma. Head, body, hind coxa and femur light orange; wing darkly infumate.

Remarks.

Known only from the female holotype. This species is tentatively excluded from the ingenticornis species group primarily because of the evenly curved anterior slope of T1 (Fig. 10) and the poorly developed malar sulcus. Since the antenna is broken, length cannot be used to assist in placement of this species. Opius bicarinifer is most similar to Opius curiosicornis because of similarities in the propodeal sculpture and both have the same color pattern. They differ primarily in shape of the head and the anterior slope of T1. The temples in dorsal view are noticeably receding in Opius bicarinifer , another feature not found in typical members of the ingenticornis species group.