Opius raphaeli 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 : 92-93

Opius raphaeli Fischer Figs 21136

Opius raphaeli Fischer, 1968a: 77-78 (key); 98-101 (description). Holotype female in AEIC (examined).

Opius raphaeli : Fischer 1971: 104 (catalog).

Opius (Merotrachys) raphaeli : Fischer 1977: 655-657, 702-704 (key, redescription); Fischer 1979a: 264-266 (key); Yu et al. 2005, 2012 (electronic catalogs).

Type locality.

Argentina, Horco Molle, near Tucumán.

Type material.

Holotype. Female (AEIC), first label, first line: Horco Molle second line: nr. Tucumán third line: I–18– 66 Arg. fourth line: H. & M. Townes

Diagnosis.

Face very deeply, distinctly punctate, punctures separated by 1-2 × their diameter, strongly shagreened adjacent eye margin, otherwise very weakly shagreened to smooth between punctures. Eye in lateral view about 1.5-1.7 × longer than temple; temples in dorsal view receding. Female antenna with 53 flagellomeres; setae on basal flagellomeres thin, pale. Mesoscutum anteriorly on nearly same plane as pronotum, without distinct anterior declivity; notaulus appears longer than in other species with supramarginal carina barely indicated: appearance of both may have been altered by the pin through the mesoscutum. Propodeum rugose with sculptured median trough anteriorly separated by carina posteriorly from irregularly pentagonal areola. Fore wing 3RSa weakly curved, about 1.25-1.35 × longer than 2RS; m-cu postfurcal. T1 sharply declivitous anteriorly, pit delimited posterior-medially; surface largely smooth; dorsal carinae weakly sinuate, nearly parallel-sided, broadening subapically, narrowing apically, with a few, weak transverse carinae between dorsal carinae. T2 very faintly shagreened, T3 smooth, polished. Ovipositor short; ovipositor sheath about 0.3-0.4 × length of mesosoma. Head, posterior margin of T3, and all of T4-6 dark brown to black. Mesosoma, hind coxa, and hind femur orange; T1, T2, most of T3 a little darker: reddish orange; antenna without subapical pale ring; wing lightly infumate.

Remarks.

Known only from the female holotype. The granular-punctate sculpture of the clypeus (Fig. 2) is distinctive relative to other species treated here. The color pattern (Fig. 36) is also unique.