Opius matthaei 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 : 85

Opius matthaei Fischer Figs 13034

Opius matthaei Fischer, 1968a: 77-78 (key); 90-92 (description). Holotype female in AEIC (examined).

Opius matthaei : Fischer 1971: 86 (catalog).

Opius (Merotrachys) matthaei : Fischer 1977: 655-656, 685-687 (key, redescription); Fischer 1979a: 264 (key); Yu et al. 2005, 2012 (electronic catalogs).

Type locality.

Brazil, Campina Grande, near Curitiba.

Type material.

Holotype. Female (AEIC), first label, first line: Campina Grande second line: nr. Curitiba third line: II–17– 66 Brazil fourth line: H.&M. Townes

Diagnosis.

Face finely granular or coarsely shagreened throughout. Eye in lateral view 2.4-2.7 × longer than temple; temples in dorsal view not receding. Female antenna with 57 flagellomeres; setae on basal flagellomeres thin, pale. Mesoscutum anteriorly on nearly same plane as pronotum, without distinct anterior declivity; notaulus extending laterally towards tegula as groove bordered by distinct supramarginal carina, base of notaulus weakly rugulose, thus appearing to extend to anterior margin of mesoscutum. Propodeum rugulose to finely granular with shallow median trough anteriorly, areola obscured by sculpture posteriorly. Fore wing 3RSa weakly curved, 1.3 × longer than 2RS; m-cu weakly antefurcal. T1 sharply declivitous anteriorly, pit delimited posterior-medially; surface rugulose between dorsal carinae, shagreened laterally; dorsal carinae weakly sinuate, broadening subapically, narrowing apically. T2 distinctly shagreened, T3 more weakly so, becoming smooth, polished laterally. Ovipositor short; ovipositor sheath about 0.3-0.4 × length of mesosoma. Head, propodeum, T1, T4-T6 dark reddish brown to dark brown; mesosoma mottled dark orange to dark reddish brown; T2+T3 reddish brown; hind coxa and femur dark yellow; antenna without subapical pale ring; wing lightly infumate, nearly hyaline.

Remarks.

This species is known only from the female holotype. It is a relatively dark species, most closely resembling Opius albericus and Opius pilosicornis in that regard, but the legs are more uniformly yellow in Opius matthaei (Figs 17, 19, 34). In keys to species of the subgenus Merotrachys ( Fischer 1977, 1979a), Opius matthaei is widely separated from Opius albericus and Opius pilosicornis because of slight differences in the position of fore wing m-cu (antefurcal as in Fig. 30, but only weakly so). Opius matthaei is most readily characterized by the densely granular facial sculpture (Fig. 1).