Opius baderae Wharton

Wharton, Robert & Norrbom, Allen L., 2013, New species and host records of New World, mostly Neotropical, opiine Braconidae (Hymenoptera) reared from flower-infesting, stem-galling, and stem-mining Tephritidae (Diptera), ZooKeys 349, pp. 11-72 : 28-30

Opius baderae Wharton sp. n. Figs 17, 33-36

Type locality.

Mexico, Chiapas, Chiquihuites, 15°05'N, 92°06'W.

Type material.

Holotype. Female (UNAM), first label, first line: MEXICO: Chiapas second line: Chiquihuites, -15°05'N third line: 92°06'W, Union Juarez, Second label, first line: S slope Volcan Tacaná second line: 1800-2000m, 31.x.1993 third line: A.L. Norrbom & C. Estrada Third label, first line: reared ex. stem galls second line: Lippia substrigosa third line: Turcz (93M7) Fourth label, first line: reared ex. puparium second line: Eutreta xanthochaeta third line: ( Tephritidae ).

Paratypes: 2 males, 1 female, same data as holotype (USNM, TAMU).

Other specimens examined

(not paratypes): 1 female, Mexico, Durango, 10 miles W El Salto, 9000 ft, 5.vii.1964, W.R.M. Mason (CNC); 1 male, Guatemala, Quiche, 2 km S Chichicastenango, on Rio Tesoro, 11.ix.1987, M. Sharkey (CNC).

Description.

Eyes in dorsal view not or only slightly bulging beyond temples, temples not receding. Clypeus 1.5-1.6 × wider than high, weakly punctate throughout; completely concealing labrum when mandible closed, ventral margin of clypeus evenly convex, slightly overlapping dorsal margin of mandible when mandible closed. Antenna with 39-43 (male) and 44-45 (female) flagellomeres. Malar sulcus weak, deeper adjacent eye, becoming shallower towards mandible. Mesosoma 1.25-1.3 (male) and 1.2 (female) × longer than high. Pronotum laterally with vertical groove varying from almost completely smooth and unsculptured to crenulate throughout, margined an teriorly by carina dorsally and ventrally in some specimens, distinct carina absent in others. Propodeum largely unsculptured, with a few weak carinulae along posterior margin, especially medially. Fore wing 3RSa 1.75-1.95 × longer than sinuate 2RS; (RS+M)a very weakly sinuate. T1 2.2-2.35 × wider at apex than at base, 0.95-1.1 × as long as apical width; finely striate over apical 0.7, smooth basally; dorsal carina extending to apical margin of T1 but low and weakly differentiated over posterior 0.5-0.7, not strongly elevated basally. Ovipositor (total length) 2.0 × longer than mesosoma; ovipositor sheath 1.5-1.6 × longer than mesosoma. Head entirely black to dark red-brown above, usually with small, light brown spot between base of antenna and eye, entirely white below horizontal line extending laterally from dorsal margin of clypeus through ventral margin of eye to occipital carina, base of mandible and all remaining mouthparts also white. Mesosoma black except propleuron pale to dark yellow, tegula and basal wing sclerite pale yellow, axillae and lateral 0.2-0.3 of metanotum yellow to dark yellow, and mesoscutum variegated: yellow with dark brown to black median band over anterior 0.75 and a dark blotch covering most of lateral lobe on each side. Metasomal terga dark brown to black; T3-T7 with narrow hyaline margin posteriorly, T7 band broader in female; T4-T6 also with median white band anteriorly. Fore and mid tibiae and all femora white, hind femur usually with pale brown subapical spot; hind tibia dark brown over basal 0.2, brown posteriorly over at least apical 0.5, otherwise variegated: usually paler subbasally, dorsally, and anteriorly, varying from whitish or dark yellow to brown. Body length 3.2-3.8 mm; wing length 3.8-4.85 mm; mesosoma length 1.2-1.5 mm. Otherwise having all the characteristics described above for the baderae species group.

Diagnosis.

This species is nearly identical to Opius cablus sp. n., described below, but the ovipositor is slightly shorter in relation to body size. Opius baderae attacks a larger host tephritid and is consequently distinctly larger than Opius cablus .

Biology.

Lippia substrigosa is a new host plant record for Eutreta xanthochaeta . The fly is best known as the lantana gall fly for its use in Hawaii and Australia, where it was purposefully introduced early in the 1900s as a biological control agent for the introduced weed Lantana camara L. Both Lippia substrigosa and Lantana camara are members of the Verbenaceae . For this sample of stem galls, the rate of parasitism was 29.4%.

Etymology.

This species is named for Amy Bader, who assisted with preliminary work on this species group.

Remarks.

One of the three males is considerably smaller than the other four specimens, with wing length 0.4 mm less than the next largest specimen, but otherwise matches the remainder of the reared series. The two non-paratypes vary slightly in the color of the mesoscutum and since they are also unassociated with hosts, they have been excluded from the paratype series.

For all specimens, the apparent color pattern on the metasoma varies with preservation. The anterior median white patches are not fully visible when the terga are in their normally retracted position. Similarly, the hyaline posterior margins are not readily visible in normally retracted position because they lie over the dark part of the tergite.