Metopius (Metopius) alboornatus CAMERON , 1906: 135

Riedel, Matthias, 2016, Contribution to the genus Metopius PANZER (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae, Metopiinae) from Africa South of Sahara, Linzer biologische Beiträge 48 (2), pp. 1635-1675 : 1637-1638

Metopius (Metopius) alboornatus CAMERON, 1906: 135 , rev.stat.

H o l o t y p u s: (6) Escourt 1/97, Metopius alboornatus Cam Type Cape (Cape Town), type studied.

F u r t h e r m a t e r i a l: RSA, Itala Game Res., 2730´S 3120´E, 16 28.I.1991, leg. Koch (Berlin).

T a c o n o m i c a l r e m a r k: This taxon has usually been synonymized with Metopius discolor TOSQUINET (BENOIT 1965, TOWNES & TOWNES 1973). In the present study, I found some constant differences (form of temple, and color of mesopleuron and hind coxa: see key below) that convinced me to re-establish M. alboornatus CAMERON as a good species.

D e s c r i p t i o n of 6:

Body length 16 mm. Temple roundly narrowed, seen from dorsal about 0.9x as long as eye (fig. 25). Interantennal lamella high, with strong subdistal indentation and small distal tooth. Eyes and facial shield narrowed ventrally, facial shield pointed ventrally, densely punctate, length 1.0-1.1x width. Second maxillary palpomere club-shaped, about 2x as long as wide. Frons finely rugose. Distance of lateral ocellus to eye 1.3x its diameter.

Side of pronotum punctate, with coarse striation anteriorly (as fig. 41). Area centralis of propodeum about as long as wide or slightly longer (1.2x), lateral carina obsolete apically. Hind femur length 2.8x height, hind metatarsus 0.5x as long as hind tibia, outer tibial spur 0.42x as long as hind metatarsus. Areolet ± stalked, 2.2-2.3x wider than long, second recurrent vein lateral its middle and with one bulla.

First tergite with tooth-shaped extension ventrally to spiracle, dorsal carina in the basal 0.5-0.7, apically with coarse puncture, slightly smoothened. Second tergite about 0.9x as long as wide and with bluntly extended posterolateral edges, following tergites with rounded edges.

Color: Black. Flagellum reddish. Cream-yellow to yellow are palps, mandible except tooth, labrum, face including facial shield (clypeus blackish), frontal orbit up to anterior ocellus, scape and pedicel beneath, upper margin of pronotum, spot on tegula, subtegular ridge, large spot on upper mesopleuron, prescutellar ridge, apical half of scutellum, posterolateral spot on propodeum, narrow apical bands of all tergites narrowed medially (fig. 1), hind margin of hypopygium and clasper. Front and middle legs yellow, front and middle coxae and femora reddish posteriorly, hind coxa black, with large ventral creamyellow stripe. Hind leg otherwise red, hind femur with basal and apical cream-yellow spots, hind tibia with apical yellowish spot. Pterostigma yellowish, wings not distinctly darkened apically.

♀ unknown.

D i s t r i b u t i o n: RSA.