Enicospilus antefurcalis (Szepligeti, 1908)

Shimizu, So, 2017, Description of a new species and revised key to species of the Enicospilus antefurcalis species-group from Japan (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae: Ophioninae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 57 (1), pp. 183-194 : 186

Enicospilus antefurcalis species-group

Diagnosis. This group is characterized and distinguished from the other groups by the following combination of character states: interocellar area generally yellowish brown; outer surface of mandible with a diagonal hirsute groove between upper proximal corner and base of teeth ( Figs 2, 3 ); mandible evenly narrowed ( Figs 2, 3 ); mesopleuron more or less punctostriate or roughly and strongly striate ( Fig. 6 ); metapleuron usually diagonally punctostriate to striate ( Figs 6, 7 ); fenestra of fore wing usually with the central, distal, and proximal sclerites ( Fig. 5 ); central sclerite of fenestra usually strongly pigmented and positioned in middle to distal part of fenestra and rarely completely lacking ( Fig. 5 ); proximal sclerite of fenestra distinct and large ( Fig. 5 ); Rs+2r straight to slightly sinuate ( Fig. 5 ); and fore wing with ICI = 0.4–0.8, CI = 0.2–0.5, SDI = 1.1–1.5 ( Fig. 5 ).

Differential diagnosis. The group considerably resembles the E. ramidulus species-group, and these groups share the following characteristics: interocellar area generally yellowish brown; outer surface of mandible with a diagonal hirsute groove between upper proximal corner and base of teeth ( Figs 2, 3 ); proximal sclerite of fore wing distinct and large ( Figs 2, 3 ); Rs+2r straight to slightly sinuate, not strongly sinuate or arcuate ( Fig. 5 ). However, when focusing only on Japanese species of both of the E. antefurcalis and E. ramidulus speciesgroups, species of the E. antefurcalis species-group are distinguishable from the E. ramidulus species-group by the following combination of character states: characteristic mandible, i.e., mandible evenly narrowed and its profile usually moderately long ( Figs 2, 3 ), but mandible proximally narrowed and distally parallel-sided or cylindrical, and its profile usually long and slender in the E. ramidulus species-group; at least part of the mesopleuron and/or metapleuron punctostriate to striate ( Figs 6, 7 ), but mesopleuron and metapleuron regularly punctate, i.e., mesopleuron punctate to punctostriate and metapleuron usually punctate in the E. ramidulus species-group.

Remarks. Most of the species-groups of Enicospilus , including the E. antefurcalis species-group, were defined by Gauld (e.g., GAULD 1988, GAULD & MITCHELL 1981), but these species-groups are merely hypotheses that have not actually been phylogenetically tested; thus, there is no particular evidence that the Enicospilus species-groups are monophyletic, although they are often readily recognizable. Nevertheless, a comprehensive phylogenetic research is strongly necessary to reveal the relationships between species within the genus. The group previously comprised 14 described species: E. aciculatus (Taschenberg, 1875) and E. melanocarpus Cameron, 1905 from the Australasian, Eastern Palaearctic, Oceanic, and Oriental Regions; E. antefurcalis (Szépligeti, 1908) , E. bicoloratus Cameron, 1912 , E. polemus Gauld, 1982 , and E. watshami Gauld, 1982 only from the Afrotropical Region; E. laqueatus (Enderlein, 1921) from the Afrotropical and Oriental Regions; E. marathwadensis Nikam, 1980 only from the Oriental Region; E. ruscus Gauld & Mitchell, 1978 from the Afrotropical and Oceanic Regions; E. sauteri (Enderlein, 1921) from the Eastern Palaearctic and Oriental Regions; E. xaivus Gauld & Mitchell, 1981 , E. xuthus Gauld & Mitchell, 1981 , and E. ypsilon Gauld & Mitchell, 1981 only from the Australasian Region; E. kalveus Gauld & Mitchell, 1981 only from Oceanic Region ( GAULD & MITCHELL 1981, GAULD 1982, YU et al. 2012).

Figures

Figs 2–5. Partial views of Enicospilus kikuchii sp. nov. (holotype). 2–4 – head in frontal (2), lateral (3), and dorsal views (4); 5 – part of fore wing.

Figs 6–11. SEM images of Enicospilus kikuchii sp. nov. (holotype). 6 – mesosoma in lateral view; 7 – propodeum in dorso-lateral view; 8 – fore tibia in lateral view; 9 – anterior part of T2 in lateral view.