Opius sp.

Gadallah, Neveen S., Edmardash, Yusuf A., Mansour, Amany N. & Imam, Ahmed I., 2023, Parasitoid wasps (Ichneumonoidea) collected from faba bean fields, Kharga Oasis, New Valley, Egypt, with new records and the description of a new species, Zootaxa 5389 (5), pp. 501-544 : 522-524

Opius sp.

Fig. 13 (A–C)

Material examined: 1♀, 1♂, Kharga Oasis (New Valley) [25°33’41.9”N 30°37’41.9”E], May, 2022, blue pan trap in V. faba intercropped with B. napus ; 1♀, Kharga Oasis (New Valley) [25°14’02.8”N 30°31’32.2”E], May, 2022, yellow pan trap in V. faba ; 1♀, Kharga Oasis (New Valley) [25°14’02.8”N 30°31’32.2”E], May, 2022, blue pan trap in V. faba ; 1♀, Kharga Oasis (New Valley) [25°33’41.9”N 30°37’41.9”E], May, 2022, white pan trap in V. faba ; 2♀, Kharga Oasis (New Valley) [25°14’02.8”N 30°31’32.2”E], May, 2022, yellow pan trap in V. faba intercropped with B. napus ; 2♀, Kharga Oasis (New Valley) [25°33’41.9”N 30°37’41.9”E], May, 2022, yellow pan trap in V. faba ; 1♀; Kharga Oasis (New Valley) [25°33’41.9”N 30°37’41.9”E], May, 2022, white pan trap in V. faba ; 2♀, Kharga Oasis (New Valley) [25°14’02.8”N 30°31’32.2”E], May, 2022, white pan trap in V. faba intercropped with B. napus ; 1♀, Kharga Oasis (New Valley) [25°33’41.9”N 30°37’41.9”E], May, 2022, yellow pan trap in V. faba ; 1♀, Kharga Oasis (New Valley) [25°31’34.0”N 30°37’19.9”E], May, 2022, yellow pan trap in V. faba ; 1♀, Kharga Oasis (New Valley) [25°14’02.8”N 30°31’32.2”E], May, 2022, yellow pan trap in V. faba ; 1♀, Kharga Oasis (New Valley) [25°14’02.8”N 30°31’32.2”E], May, 2022, white pan trap in V. faba ; 1♀, Kharga Oasis (New Valley) [25°14’02.8”N 30°31’32.2”E], May, 2022, yellow pan trap in V. faba intercropped with B. napus ; 3♀, Kharga Oasis (New Valley) [25°14’02.8”N 30°31’32.2”E], May, 2022, blue pan trap in V. faba intercropped with B. napus ; 1♀, Kharga Oasis (New Valley) [25°31’34.0”N 30°37’19.9”E], May, 2022, blue pan trap in V. faba intercropped with B. napus ; 1♀, Kharga Oasis (New Valley) [25°31’34.0”N 30°37’19.9”E], May, 2022, white pan trap in V. faba ; 1♀, Kharga Oasis (New Valley) [25°31’34.0”N 30°37’19.9”E], May, 2022, yellow pan trap in V. faba intercropped with B. napus ; 1♂, Kharga Oasis (New Valley) [25°31’34.0”N 30°37’19.9”E], May, 2022, blue pan trap in V. faba ; 1♀, Kharga Oasis (New Valley) [25°31’34.0”N 30°37’19.9”E], May, 2022, white pan trap in V. faba intercropped with B. napus ; 1♀, Kharga Oasis (New Valley) [25°33’41.9”N 30°37’41.9”E], May, 2022, yellow pan trap in V. faba ; 1♀, Kharga Oasis (New Valley) [25°33’41.9”N 30°37’41.9”E], May, 2022, blue pan trap in V. faba intercropped with B. napus ; 1♀, Kharga Oasis (New Valley) [25°31’34.0”N 30°37’19.9”E], May, 2022, yellow pan trap in V. faba .

Diagnosis. Body length 1.65 mm. Head and mesosoma shiny black; metasoma dark honey brown, shiny, pale ventrally; legs yellowish to brownish; antenna with scape and pedicel brownish, flagellum dark brown to black; clypeus and mandible (except black tip) yellowish; ovipositor sheath dark brown, pale ventrally. Lower face slightly but distinctly swollen medially, smooth and shiny; occipital carina absent; antenna about as long as body, with 21 antennomeres; mandible distinctly broadened at base (steplike); mesosoma 1.4× as long as its height; propodeum smooth without median carina or longitudinal wrinkling; fore wing with thin elongated pterostigma, distinctly shorter than vein

1-R1; vein SR1 nearly straight, reaching wing margin slightly before wing apex; metasomal tergites smooth and shiny; ovipositor slightly exserted from tip of metasoma.

Comments: Characters of this species greatly agree with Opius pallipes Wesmael in Fischer’s key (1989: 79, couple 14), the only difference is the pale metasoma ventrally in our specimens. It also agrees with that in Tobias’s et al. key (1986: 122, couplet 533), however, it differs from that of Tobias et al. (1986) in having antenna with 21 antennomeres (in Opius pallipes with 25–30 antennomeres). It also agrees with O. osogovoensis Fischer in Tobias et al. ’s key (1986) in having the following: antenna with 21 antennomeres (in O. osogovoensis antenna with 19–22 antennomeres); T 1 smooth; ovipositor slightly exserted from tip of metasoma. However, it differs from O. osogovoensis in general body color, especially, metasoma which is dark honey brown and pale ventrally, coxae dark brown (in O. osogovoensis metasoma and coxae are black).

Because of the relatively large difference regarding the number of antennomeres with Opius pallipes in Tobias et al. ’s key (1986: 118, couplet 518 as O. piceus ), as well as the difference in body colour with O. osogovoensis (based on Tobias et al. ’s key (1986: p. 118, couplet 517), we were treated it as being Opius sp. until further investigation can be undertaken.

Figures

FIGURE 13. Opius sp. (♀): A, lateral habitus; B, dorsal habitus; C, fore and hind wings.