Ophion pusillus, Johansson, 2021

Johansson, Niklas, 2021, Contribution to the subfamily Ophioninae (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) of Southern Europe with the description of one new genus and 15 new species, Zootaxa 5023 (3), pp. 301-334 : 323-324

Ophion pusillus sp. nov.

Figs 15A–E urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:C2B8B6DC-4758-4C68-9621-8E8CDB987551

Holotype: TURKEY: 1♀, 15 km N Mardin, 37˚22’N, 40˚53’E, 9 May 2007, Hajdaj leg. ( OÖLM).

Paratypes: TURKEY: 1♀, 15 km N Mardin, 37˚22’N, 40˚53’E, 9 May 2007, Hajdaj leg. ( OÖLM) ; 1♀, Mar- din Province , 10 km E Miadat, 800 m . a. s., 37˚22’N, 42˚09’E, 10 May 2007, Hajdaj leg. ( OÖLM) . JORDAN: 1♀, Petra , 14 Mar. 1923, H. St. J. Philby, “Brit. Mus. 1923-457”, ( NHMUK) .

Etymology: The name pusillus refers to the unusually small size of the species.

Diagnosis: A small member of the Ophion minutus aggregate. Distinguished by the almost absent pleurosternal angles and the sclerotised part of first sternite ending distinctly posterior to the spiracle, the relatively narrow clypeus with the anterior margin distinctly convex and the shape of the face with the inner orbits converging ventrally.

Description: Male unknown. Fore wing length 7‒8 mm. Body length 8‒9 mm. Antenna with 46‒52 flagello- meres. Head narrowed behind compound eyes, temple in lateral view 0.3 × as long as compound eye. Malar space narrow, about 0.1 × the width of mandibular base. Ocelli large, touching inner margin of compound eye ( Fig. 15C ). Inner orbits converging downwards ( Fig. 15E ). Occipital carina centrally slightly angulate or evenly rounded. Face below antennal sockets shagreened with rather dense punctures. The interstices between punctures about equal to their diameter. Malar space absent. Mandibular gape right angled, with weak internal angles. First flagellomere 4.0 × as long as wide. Central flagellomeres slender, about 2.0 × as long as wide. Apical flagellomeres approximately 1.8 × as long as wide. Mesoscutum polished with distinct punctuation. Mesopleuron in both sexes polished with very large dense punctures, interstices between punctures about 1.0 × their diameter, but frequently merging centrally. Epicnemial carina, in antero-ventral view, with pleurosternal angles obtuse, almost absent, distinctly anterior to sternal angles ( Fig. 15B ). Scutellum without lateral carinae. Propodeum opaque, with weak rugulose sculpture and carinae entirely absent apart from the posterior transverse carina. Sclerotised part of first sternite ending distinctly posterior to spiracle (almost as in Ophion dispar Brauns ) ( Fig. 15D ). First tergite with distinct dorsal undulation. Hind trochantellus shorter than wide in dorsal view. Hind femur slender, about 7.0–8.0 × as long as wide. Inner spur of hind tibia long, about 0.4 × as long as hind metatarsus. Wing membrane clear. Ramellus absent or only indicated by a small denticle. Radius very weakly sinuous, conspicuously bent and widened before junction with pterostigma. Nervellus almost straight broken distinctly below the middle by the discoidella.

Colouration: Body red brownish, with the following paler whitish: head, apart from a small spot in front of anterior ocellus, a small stripe below the antennal scrobes; four longitudinal stripes on mesoscutum; subalar prominence; spots on mesopleuron; a spot in the lower posterior part of mesoscutum and one larger spot corresponding on metapleuron. Propodeum basally. Coxae with paler marks on the outer side. Metasoma with pale transverse stripes on the posterior segments, which appear to be very typical. Mandibular teeth black. Ovipositor sheath testaceous, concolorous with posterior metasomal segments. The yellow markings are probably variable in this species.

DNA Barcode: The DNA barcode sequences of two specimens of Ophion pusillus sp. nov. are available at the BOLD systems database: sample id. NJP735/736, sequence id. LNU2571-21/2572-21.

Figures

FIGURE 15. Ophion pusillus sp. nov., holotype female (OÖLM). A) Habitus, lateral view; B) epicnemial carina, ventrolateral view; C) head, dorsal view; D) petiolus, lateral view; E) head, anterior view.