Enicospilus abdominalis ( Szepligeti , 1906)

Shimizu, So, Broad, Gavin R. & Maeto, Kaoru, 2020, Integrative taxonomy and analysis of species richness patterns of nocturnal Darwin wasps of the genus Enicospilus Stephens (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae, Ophioninae) in Japan, ZooKeys 990, pp. 1-144 : 1

Enicospilus abdominalis ( Szepligeti, 1906) Figure 9

Henicospilus abdominalis Szépligeti, 1906: 138; HT ♀ from Sri Lanka, TM, not examined.

Ophion semiopacus Matsumura, 1912: 114; HT ♀ from Taiwan, SEHU, examined; synonymised by Gauld and Mitchell (1981: 429).

Specimens examined.

Total of 19 specimens (all ♀♀): Japan (1♀), Nepal (1♀), Sri Lanka (2♀♀), Taiwan (15♀♀).

Type series: HT ♀ of Ophion semiopacus Matsumura, 1912, Gyochi, TAIWAN, Matsumura leg. (SEHU).

Distribution.

Australasian, Eastern Palaearctic, and Oriental regions ( Yu et al. 2016); this is a predominantly Oriental species.

Newly recorded from Nepal.

JAPAN: [ Ryûkyûs] Okinawa ( Shimizu and Maeto 2016; present study). This species is abundant in Taiwan and in other mountainous areas of the Oriental region, but only one Japanese specimen has been collected from Okinawa-hontô of the Ryûkyûs. This single Japanese individual could have been a wanderer from Taiwan or other southern areas.

Bionomics.

Unknown.

Differential diagnosis.

The characteristic striking colour pattern of this species (i.e., T1-4 each anteriorly yellow-brown and posteriorly dark brown, as in Fig. 9A ) is the most useful diagnostic character among the Japanese species of Enicospilus . Some non-Japanese species, such as E. zebrus Gauld & Mitchell, 1981, have a similar colour pattern, but E. abdominalis is distinguishable by many characters, such as shape and size of fore wing fenestra and sclerites.

This species has been confused with E. nigropectus by many authors (cf. Gauld and Mitchell (1981)) but is easily distinguished from E. nigropectus by presence of central sclerite of fore wing fenestra, as in Fig. 9F (central sclerite absent in E. nigropectus , as in Fig. 33F ), larger value of SDI (1.3-1.4 in this species, as in Fig. 9F , but 0.9-1.1 in E. nigropectus , as in Fig. 33F ), yellowish interocellar area (Fig. 9B, C ) (interocellar area usually blackish in E. nigropectus , as in Fig. 33B, C ), etc. Enicospilus abdominalis is also morphologically similar to E. signativentris but can be distinguished by striking colour pattern and absence of distinct posterior transverse carina of propodeum.

Figures

Figure 9. Enicospilus abdominalis (Szepligeti, 1906) ♀ from Japan A habitus B head, frontal view C head, dorsal view D head, lateral view E mesosoma, lateral view F central part of fore wing.

Figure 33. Enicospilus nigropectus Cameron, 1905 ♀ from Japan A habitus B head, frontal view C head, dorsal view D head, lateral view E mesosoma, lateral view F central part of fore wing.