Enicospilus ashbyi Ashmead, 1904*

Shimizu, So, 2020, The Nepalese species of the genus Enicospilus Stephens, 1835 (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae, Ophioninae): a preliminary revision and identification key to species, Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift 67 (1), pp. 69-126 : 69

Enicospilus ashbyi Ashmead, 1904* Fig. 4

Enicospilus ashbyi Ashmead 1904: 17; holotype ♂, Philippines, USNM.

Henicospilus tainanensis Uchida 1928: 225; lectotype ♂, Taiwan, SEHU, designated by Gauld and Mitchell (1981: 446), examined; synonymised by Gauld and Mitchell (1981: 446).

Enicospilus concavus Chiu 1954: 45; holotype ♂, Taiwan, TARI, examined; synonymised by Gauld and Mitchell (1981: 446).

Material examined.

11♀♀ 4♂♂: Nepal (1♂), India (11♀♀ 1♂), Taiwan (2♂♂) .

Type series: lectotype of Henicospilus tainanensis Uchida, 1928, ♂, Tainan, Taiwan, S. Takano leg. (SEHU) ; holotype of Enicospilus concavus Chiu , 1954, ♂, Taihoku, Taiwan, 24.I.1932, J. Sonan leg. (TARI) .

Non-type series: 1♂, Kathmandu (1,350 m), Nepal, VII.1983, M.G. Allen leg. (LT) (NHMUK) (Fig. 4 ) ; 9♀♀ 1♂, Patancheru, Andhra Pradesh, India, VII (7♀♀ 1♂) and VIII (2♀♀).1980, Bhatnagar leg. (LT) (NHMUK) ; 1♀, Jeypore , Orissa, India, IX.1958, P.S. Nathan leg. (EMUS) ; 1♀, Nilgira Hills , India, V. 1953, P.S. Nathan leg. (CNC) .

Distribution.

Australasian and Oriental regions ( Yu et al. 2016). Newly recorded from Nepal.

Diagnosis.

Head (Fig. 4B-D ): GOI = 2.1-2.4; lower face 0.7-0.8 × as wide as high; clypeus flat to slightly convex in profile, its lower margin subacute; mandible rather weakly twisted by 25-30°, moderately long, evenly tapered, its outer surface without a diagonal structure; upper mandibular tooth 1.2-1.5 × as long as lower one; posterior ocellus almost touching eye; antenna with 45-56 flagellomeres and 20th flagellomere 1.6-1.9 × as long as wide.

Mesosoma (Fig. 4E ): mesopleuron longitudinally punctostriate to striate; scutellum with lateral longitudinal carinae reaching posterior end and convergent posteriorly; metapleuron punctostriate; propodeum declivous, its posterior area moderately reticulate, outer margin of propodeal spiracle not joining pleural carina by a ridge.

Wings (Fig. 4F ): fore wing with AI = 0.7-1.2, CI = 0.2-0.3, ICI = 0.5-0.7, SDI = 1.2-1.3; fore wing vein 1m-cu&M evenly curved, 2r&RS almost straight; fenestra and sclerites of discosubmarginal cell of fore wing as in Figure 4F ; fenestra of fore wing not very long and its anterodistal corner distinctly separated from proximal end of vein RS; proximal sclerite triangular, confluent with distal one, strongly pigmented; central sclerite usually partially strongly pigmented and sclerotised, strongly pigmented part linear and parallel to vein 2r&RS, positioned in anterodistal part of fenestra; distal sclerite present proximally and vestigial distally; proximal corner of marginal cell of fore wing uniformly setose; vein 1cu-a antefurcal to subinterstitial to M&RS by less than 0.1 × 1cu-a length.

Colour (Fig. 4 ): body including interocellar area entirely testaceous; wings hyaline.

Differential diagnosis.

Enicospilus ashbyi is similar to E. pallidus (Taschenberg, 1875) and separated from it by a few characters of the central sclerite (pigmented part of central sclerite narrower in E. ashbyi and wider in E. pallidus ). However, the sclerite characters (e.g. the shape and degree of sclerotisation of the central sclerite) exhibit a wide range of variation within both species, suggesting that there are cryptic species and that integrative taxonomy is needed to define species limits in this complex.

Figures

Figure 4. Enicospilus ashbyi Ashmead, 1904, ♂. A. Habitus; B. Head, frontal view; C. Head, lateral view; D. Head, dorsal view; E. Mesosoma, lateral view; F. Central part of fore wing.