Metopius (Metopius) clathratus BENOIT, 1965

Riedel, Matthias, 2016, Contribution to the genus Metopius PANZER (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae, Metopiinae) from Africa South of Sahara, Linzer biologische Beiträge 48 (2), pp. 1635-1675 : 1640-1641

Metopius (Metopius) clathratus BENOIT, 1965 , new 6

P a r a t y p u s: (♀) M´fongosi Zululand (Cape Town), type studied.

F u r t h e r m a t e r i a l: Kenya, S Taita, Mwatate env., 16 30.XI.1997, leg. M. Snizek (Linz) ; Zambia, 15 km E. Lusaka, 16 22-31.I.1980 R. A. Beaver (London) .

D e s c r i p t i o n of ♀:

Body length 17 mm. Flagellum with 67 segments. Facial shield as long as wide, with dense puncture, centrally rugose-punctate ( fig. 15 ), clypeus with distinct median longitudinal carina from facial shield to apex. Temples wide, almost parallel behind eyes and moderately narrowed behind, seen from dorsal about 0.8x as long as eye (fig. 27). Frons with fine transverse striation. Distance of lateral ocelli from eyes about 2.5x its diameter.

Side of pronotum punctate, smooth anteriorly. Epicnemial carina obsolete above sternaulus. Mesoscutum impressed frontal to prescutellar groove. Scutellum with very scattered puncture. Hind femur length 3.1x height. Hind metatarsus III 0.45x as long as tibia III, inner tibial spur 0.45x as long as hind metatarsus. Areolet sessile, about 2x as wide as long, second recurrent vein with 2 bullae, reaching areolet in its middle.

First tergite with high lamelliform dorsal carina in the basal third, punctate, posterolaterally smoothened, its spiracles without distinct ventral extensions, lateral carina behind spiracles lamelliform. Second tergite about as long as wide, its posterolateral corners blunt, hind edges of following tergites rounded.

Color: Black, pale coloration in holotype yellowish, in paratype (artificially?) reddish. Reddish or yellow are palps, mandibles, labrum, clypeus, gena, face and facial shield ( fig. 15 ), frontal orbit, flagellum with scape and pedicel, upper margin of pronotum, large spot on mesopleuron, subtegular ridge, prescutellar ridge, apical 2/3 of scutellum, postscutellum, apical band on propodeum, first tergite almost entirely, wide apical bands of all tergites (on second to fourth tergite on half its length, on fifth and sixth tergites laterally half its length laterally and medially 1/3 its length). Legs reddish-brown, hind coxa at apex, and hind femur at base and apex with red spots.

D e s c r i p t i o n of6:

Large, body length 18-20 mm. Flagellum with 63-66 segments. Second segment of maxillary palps club-shaped, about 1.8-1.9x as long as wide. Facial shield very wide, 1.0-1.1x wider than long, punctate (centrally denser and almost confluent), with strong carinae, wide, pointed ventrally. Median carina on clypeus ± distinct. Interantennal lamella high, with more or less deep subdistal notch and distal tooth. Frons matt, with fine transversal striation. Apex of clypeus protruding. Temple about 0.8-0.9x as long as the eyes. Distance of lateral ocellus to eye 1.8-2.5x its diameter.

Side of pronotum punctate, smooth and strongly shining in the anterior half. Scutellum with very scattered puncture. Central area of propodeum heart-shaped, with strong lateral carinae, about as long as wide or longer than wide. Hind femur length 2.7-2.8x height. Hind metatarsus 5.3x as long as wide, 0.43-0.45x as long as the hind tibia. Outer apical spur of hind tibia about 0.4-0.45x as long as hind metatarsus. Front and middle claws with few small basal teeth. Areolet 2-2.2x wider than long, pointed. Second recurrent vein with two bullae, reaching areolet in the middle. Nervulus slightly postfurcal.

First tergite wide, 0.8x as long as wide, with dorsal carinae in the basal half. Its spiracle without distinct ventral extension, confluent with the lateral lamella which extends to the apical half of tergite. Second and third tergites 0,85-0.9x as long as wide, posterolateral edges rounded (fig. 2).

Color: Black. Flagellum brownish to blackish. Mandible reddish centrally. Yellow are palps, labrum, mandibles basally, clypeus, face and facial shield ( fig. 15 ), frontal orbit up to the anterior ocellus, scape beneath, upper margin of pronotum, subtegular ridge, large spot on the upper mesopleuron, prescutellar ridge, hind 2/3 of scutellum, large posterolateral and a smaller central spot of propodeum, hind parts of all tergites, first tergite in apical 1/2-2/3, second to fourth tergites in apical half (wider medially: fig. 2) and hind margins of following tergites, front and middle legs, apical spot of hind coxa, hind trochanter, basal and apical bands of hind femur, sometimes stripes on outer side and apical spurs of hind tibia. Pterostigma yellowish-brown. Wings slightly darkened at apex.

D i s t r i b u t i o n: Malawi, RSA, new for Kenya and Zambia.

Figures

Figs. 13-18: Face and facial shield of 66: (13) Metopius alboornatus CAMERON; (14) M. brevicornis SEYRIG; (15) M. clathratus BENOIT; (16) M. rauschi nov.sp. HT; (17) M. ethiopicus nov.sp. PT; (18) M. rufigaster ssp. zambiense nov.ssp. HT.