Opius stecki Wharton

Wharton, Robert & Norrbom, Allen L., 2013, New species and host records of New World, mostly Neotropical, opiine Braconidae (Hymenoptera) reared from flower-infesting, stem-galling, and stem-mining Tephritidae (Diptera), ZooKeys 349, pp. 11-72 : 57-59

Opius stecki Wharton sp. n. Figs 29, 79-82

Type locality.

Guatemala, Deptartamento Zacapa, Sierra de las Minas.

Type material.

Holotype. Female (FSCA), first label, first line: GUATEMALA: Dept. Zacapa second line: Sierra de las Minas, San Lorenzo rd; third line: 1600-1700m; vic 15.07329, -89.68463; fourth line: 21-24 V 2010; Sutton, Steck, Skelley, fifth line: Monzon S.; oak forest Second label, first line: reared from galls Polionota n. sp. second line: ( Diptera : Tephritidae ) ex Coreopsis third line: mutica DC. ( Compositae ) fourth line: emerged late VI–VII 2010.

Paratypes: 2 females, same data as holotype (FSCA, TAMU).

Description.

Female. Eyes in dorsal view very slightly bulging beyond temples, temples very weakly receding. Clypeus 1.9-2.1 × wider than high, very weakly punctate throughout; weakly triangular in outline; weakly bulging, nearly flat in profile, slightly protruding ventrally; ventral margin weakly concave in anterior view with dorsal margin of mandibles nearly straight, very weakly deflected, narrowly exposing part of labrum; base of mandible slightly extended ventrally, though not developed as a discrete basal tooth, malar space thus a little shorter relative to basal width of mandible compared to Opius pipitae . Malar sulcus present, weak. Antenna broken in all specimens. Mesosoma 1.45-1.55 × longer than high. Pronotum laterally with vertical groove finely sculptured dorsally and ventrally, weakly wrinkled to smooth medially posteriorad distinct vertical carina, carina weaker, evanescent dorsally and ventrally. Notaulus a short groove weakening posteriorly, not as discrete posteriorly nor as long as in Opius pipitae , widely separated from anterior margin, not margined anteriorly by carinae. Propodeum largely smooth, polished, with weak, irregular sculpturing over posterior 0.4 in one paratype. Fore wing 3RSa 1.4 × longer than 2RS; (RS+M)a very weakly sinuate. T1 1.9-2.0 × wider at apex than at base, length 0.9-1.1 × apical width; smooth, unsculptured basally and laterally, very weakly rugulose, nearly smooth (paratype) to strigose over apical 0.6-0.7 (holotype); dorsal carina distinct, elevated basally, converging, extending almost to spiracle in paratype, stronger, distinct over basal 0.7-0.8 in holotype. Ovipositor (total length) approximately 1.2 × longer than mesosoma. Color: Head almost entirely black; clypeus varying from mostly black with ventral 0.3-0.4 yellow-orange to largely yellow-orange with small black spot mid-dorsally; base of mandible yellow, narrow band on malar space between clypeus and mandible whitish yellow; palps and remaining mouthparts white. Mesosoma entirely black. Metasoma black, T3-T6 with brownish posterior margins. Legs mostly yellow, nearly white basal-ventrally, tarsi dark brown, except fore basitarsis yellow, hind tibia dark brown over basal 0.15, brown over apical 0.4 fading to yellow medially. Body length 2.7-3.3 mm; wing length 3.8 mm; mesosoma length 1.15-1.4 mm. Otherwise having all the characteristics described above for the pipitae species group.

Diagnosis.

This species is much darker in color than Opius pipitae . The head is completely dark above while the mesoscutum is extensively pale in Opius pipitae and is completely dark in Opius stecki . The ovipositor is also slightly shorter in Opius stecki and the mandibles not quite as deflected ventrally.

Biology.

The type series was reared from stem galls made by an apparently undescribed species of Polionota ( Tephritidae ) on the asteracean Coreopsis mutica DC.

Etymology.

This species is named for Gary Steck, one of the collectors of the sample that yielded the type series, for his contributions to our understanding of host relationships.

Remarks.

One of the specimens was sacrificed for sequencing; the morphological description is based on the two remaining specimens, which differed in several features. The paratype has weak sculpture on the propodeum posteriorly, unlike the holotype, though the propodeum is still largely polished and unsculptured as it is in most of the species described in this paper. Fore wing 2CUb arises more anteriorly on the distal margin of the 1st subdiscal cell in the holotype than in the paratype, though distinctly above the middle in both.