Opius godfrayi 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 : 42-43

Opius godfrayi Wharton sp. n. Figs 3, 23, 55-58

Type locality.

Mexico, Morelos, Lago de Zempoala.

Type material.

Holotype. Male (UNAM), first label, first line: MEXICO: Morelos second line: Lago de Zempoala third line: 23-25.ix.1991 fourth line: A. L. Norrbom, # 50 Second label, first line: reared ex. stem gall second line: Dahlia imperialis third line: Roezl. (91M16A) Third label, first line: reared ex. puparium second line: Eutreta christophe third line: ( Tephritidae ).

Paratypes: 6 males, same data as holotype (TAMU, USNM).

Description.

Male. Eyes in dorsal view slightly bulging beyond temples, temples not or only very weakly receding. Clypeus 1.6-1.75 × wider than high, weakly punctate throughout; hemispherical or nearly so with epistomal sulcus even rounded; nearly flat in profile, very weakly protruding ventrally; ventral margin very weakly convex, nearly truncate in anterior view with mandibles weakly deflected, exposing very small portion of labrum. Antenna with 41-43 flagellomeres. Malar sulcus distinctly impressed throughout, deeper near eye. Mesosoma 1.3-1.4 × longer than high. Pronotum laterally crenulate along most or all of posterior side of distinctly elevated vertical carina, sculpture weaker, occasionally evanescent medially; carina extending full length of sclerite in lateral view. Notaulus comma-shaped: a short, curved groove extending posteriorly from a rounded pit, deep anteriorly, increasingly shallow posteriorly, not margined anteriorly by carinae. Setae scattered along traces of notaulus very short and widely spaced, mostly absent over posterior 0.5 of mesoscutum. Metapleuron with median pit adjacent anterior margin not directly connected to dorsal pit at posterior margin by a sulcus; ventral margin without well-developed spine anteriorly, at most with ventral carina weakly, unobtrusively expanded anteriorly. Propodeum with rugulose area mesal-ventrally of spiracle and weakly punctate to rugulose anteriorad ends of short but distinct lateral-median carinae, otherwise mostly smooth and polished. 3RSa 1.45-1.65 × longer than sinuate to strongly sinuate 2RS; (RS+M)a usually weakly sinuate, rarely strongly so. T1 1.9-2.1 × wider at apex than at base, 0.9-1.05 × as long as apical width; smooth, unsculptured basally, striate to strigose over weakly elevated apical 0.6-0.7, more finely and irregularly sculptured apical-laterally; dorsal carina distinct basally, extending to apex but largely obscured by sculpture posteriorly, indicated only as lateral margin of weakly elevated median area. Color: Head mostly yellow, including face, broad orbital band extending from level of antenna through upper gena; lower orbit, lower gena, malar space, clypeus, and mouthparts (except apical teeth of mandible) whitish; frons medially, continuing as a broad band through ocellar field, adjacent portion of vertex, and dorsal half of occiput dark brown to black. Mesosoma black to dark red-brown except yellow as follows: propleuron, pronotum dorsally, anterior polished band of pronotum laterally, much of mesoscutum, at least lateral margin of scutellar triangle and posterior polished band, a pair of spots on either side of metanotal midline and entire posterior margin of metanotum, subalar elevation, somewhat rectangular spot on mesopleuron immediately dorsad mid coxa, ventral midline of mesothorax, and at least ventral part of metapleuron; scutellum medially, at least part of axilla, scuto-scutellar sulcus, and metapleuron dorsally usually light brown, rarely entirely yellow; mesoscutum variable: from mostly yellow with narrow dark brown to black streak along posterior-lateral margin extending from tegula to axilla and faintly infumate medially (Fig. 58) to much darker with three large dark markings anterior-medially and posterior-laterally (about as in Fig. 45); tegula and basal wing sclerite white. T1 black; T2 with median 0.6-0.7 black, lateral margin including spiracle pale yellow; T3-T6 transversely banded black anteriorly, brown medially, white to hyaline posteriorly, median white band usually visible along anterior margin; T7 mostly white, usually weakly spotted with brown medially. Fore and mid tibiae and femora pale yellow; hind femur with pale brown subapical spot on anterior and posterior face, otherwise pale yellow; hind tibia brown with basal 0.2 dark brown. Body length 3.6-4.2 mm; wing length 4.25-4.65 mm; mesosoma length 1.35-1.5 mm. Otherwise having all the characteristics described above for the godfrayi species group.

Diagnosis. Of those opiines in which the occipital and hypostomal carinae are united before reaching the mandible, this species is most readily characterized by the relatively concealed labrum, with only a small portion exposed between the ventral margin of the clypeus and the dorsal margin of the mandibles. Opius godfrayi also has a darker mesopleuron than both Opius marshi and Opius nablus , the only other members of this species group described here. Opius godfrayi could key to Opius (Pendopius) vinoanus Fischer in Fischer (1977, 1983), but the latter has a darker mesoscutum and a sculptured propodeum.

Biology.

All members of the type series were reared from puparia of Eutreta christophe that were reared from stem galls of Dahlia imperialis . Three flies emerged from this sample, resulting in 70% parasitism by Opius godfrayi . Three other opiine species were reared from flower heads of this plant at the same locality. Details are given under the biology section of Opius danielsae above. This is a new host plant record for the fly.

Etymology.

This species is named for Charles Godfray for his many contributions to parasitoid ecology and especially for improving our understanding of host relationships in leaf miner parasitoids.

Remarks.

This species is known only from males. The color pattern on the mesoscutum is remarkably variable. On the head, the broad band on the frons extending through the ocellar field and half way down the occiput is only slightly variable, with the band narrowed on the vertex in one specimen and extending variously to or be tween the antennae. The propodeum shows more evidence of sculpture in this species than other species of either the baderae or the godfrayi groups, but is unusually variable in extent. The propodeum is largely smooth and polished even in the most heavily sculptured specimen, where rugulose lines separate the large, median polished area from a narrower lateral polished area.