Opius albericus 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 : 74-75

Opius albericus Fischer Figs 17, 1821

Opius (Merotrachys) albericus Fischer, 1979a: 264-267 (key); 267-269 (description).Holotype female in AEIC (examined).

Opius (Merotrachys) albericus : 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

Paratypes.

Two males (not seen), same data as holotype; one male (not seen), Brazil, Mato Grosso, Sinop, 12°31'S, 55°37'W, x.1974, M. Alvarenga.

Diagnosis.

Face distinctly punctate, punctures separated by about 1 × their diameter, strongly shagreened adjacent eye margin, otherwise appearing very weakly shagreened to smooth between punctures, though difficult to see because of position on pin. Eye in lateral view about 2.0-2.5 × longer than temple; temples in dorsal view not receding. Antenna of female broken, 42 flagellomeres remaining, male with 52 flagellomeres; setae on basal flagellomeres thick, dark. Mesoscutum anteriorly on nearly same plane as pronotum, without distinct anterior declivity; notaulus extending laterally towards tegula as groove bordered by distinct supramarginal carina. Propodeum coarsely rugose, median areola absent, median trough anteriorly difficult to see but apparently weak, indistinct. Fore wing 3RSa straight, 1.4-1.5 × longer than 2RS; m-cu postfurcal. T 1 declivitous anteriorly at about a 45 degree angle, basal pit delimited posterior-medially; surface shagreened throughout; dorsal carinae sinuate, widest subapically, narrowing apically, without obvious transverse carinae between dorsal carinae. T2 uniformly, distinctly shagreened; T3 mostly weakly shagreened, smoother and very finely punctate laterally. Ovipositor short, barely protruding; ovipositor sheath roughly 0.4 × length of mesosoma. Head, mesosoma, T1, T3-T6 dark reddish brown to dark brown; T2 white with narrow, dark brown lateral margins; hind coxa white; hind femur almost completely dark reddish brown; antenna without subapical pale ring; wing lightly infumate.

Remarks.

Originally described from the female holotype and 3 male paratypes. This species, described from western Brazil, is nearly identical to Opius pilosicornis , described from Peru. Fischer (1979a) separates the two species on the basis of quantitative differences in the shape of the head and T1, shape of the T1 dorsal carinae, and leg color. Slight differences in the shape of the head (Figs 18, 20: width vs. length in dorsal view 1.8 in Opius albericus , 2.0 in Opius pilosicornis ) were the only features (of those listed in Fischer’s diagnosis) that we could confirm via side-by-side comparison of the two holotypes. Though the differences are subtle, we have chosen to accept the two as valid species pending collection and examination of more material to assess variation. Among the minor differences, the face appears to be more extensively shagreened in Opius pilosicornis but more distinctly punctate in Opius albericus and the metasoma is more densely setose posteriorly in Opius albericus . These two species are most readily separated from the others included here by the color pattern of white hind coxa, dark hind femur, and dark mesosoma.

In the original description, the locality for one of the paratypes is listed as M. Crosso but the actual locality is M. Grosso. We have seen four additional male specimens from this same locality in Mato Grosso (CNC, TAMU) but we are unable to assign them to this species with complete confidence. There are slight differences in coloration (mid and hind coxae dark brown instead of white, for example) and the propodeum of one of these specimens is distinctly granular. In one of our specimens, m-cu is postfurcal in one fore wing and weakly antefurcal in the other.