Utetes Foerster, 1862

Li, Xi-Ying, Achterberg, Cornelis van & Tan, Ji-Cai, 2013, Revision of the subfamily Opiinae (Hymenoptera, Braconidae) from Hunan (China), including thirty-six new species and two new genera, ZooKeys 268, pp. 1-186 : 116-117

Utetes Foerster, 1862 Figs 374-383

Utetes Foerster, 1862: 261. Type species (by original designation): Opius testaceus Wesmael, 1838 [examined].

Therobolus Foerster, 1862: 260. Type species (by original designation): Opius ruficeps Wesmael, 1835 [examined].

Frekius Fischer, 1972a: 389 (nom. nud.), 1972b: 78; Wharton, 2006: 341 (as subgenus of Utetes Foerster).Type species (by original designation): Opius castaneus Granger, 1949 [examined].

Diagnosis.

Hind tibia with an oblique carina basally (Fig. 378) or with series of fine oblique striae; face without tubercles; in front of anterior ocellus with a distinct semi-circular or triangular depression, rarely absent; frons with pair of distinct depressions above antennal sockets (Fig. 381); occipital carina present laterally not or slightly curved ventrally and remaining removed from hypostomal carina, near level of middle of eye straight or nearly so, without transverse carina or crest, or completely absent; clypeus more or less convex and high or usually narrow, or longer, not impressed; labrum normal, without emargination ventrally; hypoclypeal depression distinct; scapus, fore coxa and trochanter at most weakly compressed; epistomal suture without large depressions (Fig. 379); mandible usually shorter and wider, slender basally and twisted apically, with protruding carina (Fig. 380) or distinctly widened to a baso-ventral tooth or lobe; medio-posterior depression of mesoscutum usually present (Fig. 376); pro-nope slit-like or elliptical, very large to large and deep (Fig. 381) or absent; scutellar sulcus usually rather wide; propodeum coarsely (reticulate-)rugose (Fig. 376); precoxal sulcus usually distinctly sculptured; postpectal carina completely absent; vein 2-SR of fore wing present, rarely absent; first subdiscal cell of fore wing at least partly closed by vein 3-CU1 postero-apically (Fig. 375); vein 1-M of fore wing more or less curved and in part of species vein 1-SR comparatively long; vein cu-a of hind wing nearly always present; vein 3-SR of fore wing distinctly longer than vein 2-SR; if subequal then vein m-cu of hind wing or precoxal sulcus (almost) absent; length of fore wing usually more than 3.5 mm; second and basal half of third tergite without sharp lateral crease, if sometimes weakly developed then second tergite smooth; length of second and third tergites combined less than 0.7 times length of metasoma behind first tergite; fourth and following tergites (at least partly) exposed; ovipositor sheath more or less setose basally, its length 0.1-0.7 times fore wing.

Biology.

Parasitoids of fruit infesting Tephritidae and to a lesser degree of Agromyzidae and Anthomyiidae ; at least part of the records of latter families may be the result of misidentification of the hosts.

Distribution.

Cosmopolitan.