Ophion aureus Schwarzfeld

Schwarzfeld, Marla D. & Sperling, Felix A. H., 2014, Species delimitation using morphology, morphometrics, and molecules: definition of the Ophionscutellaris Thomson species group, with descriptions of six new species (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae), ZooKeys 462, pp. 59-114 : 88

Taxon classification Animalia Hymenoptera Ichneumonidae

Ophion aureus Schwarzfeld sp. n. Figures 10e, 11e; Plate 5

Type material.

Holotype ♀ (MS7632, DNA3970, GenBank KF615968) CAN: AB: Machesis Lk Forest Prov. Rec. Area, 32 km W Fort Vermilion, 318m, Jack pine forest, 58.325 -116.578, 10 vi 2008, UV trap, D.&S. Macaulay (CNC).

Paratypes 9 ♂♂ (MS2318, DNA3961, GenBank KF594535, KF645966; MS2324, DNA3911, GenBank KF594487, KF615965; MS2310, DNA3975, GenBank KF615969; MS2311, MS2313-16, MS2320) nr. Tangent Park Campgrnd, 23km S of Peace River, meadow in spruce/aspen, 56.092 -117.542; 7 v 2008, UV trap, D.Macaulay (CNC).

Etymology.

The name aureus is the Latin word for golden, referring to the golden-orange colour of this species.

Diagnosis.

Wing L: 14.3-17.1 mm, Flag: 65-69. Largest species in subgroup B; stemmaticum raised with sulci complete; reduced propodeal carinae with posterior area strongly wrinkled; more golden-orange (less reddish) than the other species in this species group.

Description.

Head: Eyes weakly convergent in frontal view; stemmaticum distinctly raised, sulci surrounding stemmaticum complete and deeply impressed; IOD/OL: 0.65-0.80, OOD/OL 0.26-0.33; occipital carina rounded, OC/OL: 0.73-1.00; temple receding, approximately equal to width of eye in lateral view; clypeus moderately convex in lateral view and weakly separated from face, slightly more convex in males, coriaceous, sparsely punctate in males, very sparsely punctate in female, with irregularly sized (minute to coarse) punctures, punctures denser basally and especially laterally, CH/CAW: 0.0.53-0.64; face coriaceous with small punctures separated by slightly more than their diameter, smaller and denser on orbits than in centre, FW/FH: 1.25-1.41; antennae with 65-69 flagellomeres, F1: 3.25-4.00; F20: 1.47-2.38; MS/MW: 0.52-0.76; GI/MW: 0.32-0.66.

Mesosoma: Mesoscutum densely evenly punctate, subpolished with minute punctures in males, weakly coriaceous with slightly larger punctures in female; mesopleuron coriaceous with strong punctures separated by approximately their diameter in female, punctures smaller and separated by approximately 2 × their diameter in males, subpolished with smaller sparser punctures above mesopleural fovea, epicnemial carina with pleurosternal angle 90° to slightly obtuse, rounded (occasionally somewhat sharp); scutellum with lateral carina strong at base, present along basal third to half; SL/SW: 1.13-1.38; metapleuron coriaceous (strongly coriaceous in female), punctures smaller and sparser than on mesopleuron.

Propodeum:Female: ATC strong along ASu, strongly arched (so anterior margin of ASu is highly convex), otherwise absent; PTC present along ASu, raised into crests where intersects with MLC, absent along APE, extremely strong (raised as a flange) along AJC; MLC very weak and slightly convergent along ASu, stronger and nearly parallel along AP; LLC absent; two strong longitudinal wrinkles in AJC, one of which probably represents remnant of LLC; PC strong, not connected to spiracle; propodeum short, spiracular area sloping, punctate, strongly coriaceous, posterior area rugose; Male: similar, but with all carinae much less developed: ATC present as vestige in centre; PTC present only as slight crests where intersects with MLC and as a flange along AJC, but much less raised than in female; MLC convergent, weak to obsolete, often reduced to longitudinal wrinkles; punctures on spiracular area very shallow.

Wings: Wing L: 14.3-17.1 mm, CI: 0.41-0.60, AI: 1.57-2.36, SDI: 1.17-1.31, ICI: 0.70-1.00; veins brown to dark brown, stigma light brown with an apical white spot, fenestra mostly confined to area below stigma, in several specimens indistinctly extending below prestigma; trichiae more or less sparse along Rs+M; ramellus long

Legs:Female: CL/CW: 1.67, FL/FW: 7.95; MT1/MT2: 1.22; MTS: 0.86; Male: CL/CW: 1.69-2.08; FL/FW: 8.11-9.63; MT1/MT2: 1.22-2.19; MTS: 0.70-0.90.

Metasoma: Sides of petiole gently divergent from spiracles to apex, some males with more abrupt expansion at spiracles

Colour: Uniformly golden-orange, males less reddish than other members of the species group, female distinctly less reddish. Orbits narrowly and indistinctly yellow, more yellow posterior to eye; tegula and extreme dorsal part of mesepimeron yellowish.

Seasonality.

This species had been collected in only two collection events, the males in mid-May and the one female in mid-June.