Opius rugicoxis Fischer

Wharton, Robert, Ward, Lauren & Miko, Istvan, 2012, New neotropical species of Opiinae (Hymenoptera, Braconidae) reared from fruit-infesting and leaf-mining Tephritidae (Diptera) with comments on the Diachasmimorpha mexicana species group and the genera Lorenzopius and Tubiformopius, ZooKeys 243, pp. 27-82 : 67-68

Opius rugicoxis Fischer Figs 78-8082, 83

Opius rugicoxis Fischer, 1969: 251-254. Holotype female in AEIC (examined).

Opius (Stomosema) rugicoxis : Fischer 1977: 223, 248-249 (key, redescription); Yu et al. 2005, 2012 (electronic catalogs).

Type locality.

Ecuador, Troya, 2900 m.

Type material.

Holotype. Female (AEIC), first label, first line: Troya, Ecuador second line: VI. 10-13. 65 2900m. third line: Luis Pena second label [purple]: Holotype third label, first line: Opius [female symbol] second line: rugicoxis third line: det Fischer sp. n. fourth label, first line: Type no. second line: 659

Diagnosis.

Holotype female. Labrum completely concealed by mandibles (Fig. 78); clypeus tall, flat, not protruding, ventral margin truncate. Mandible with broad, discrete basal lobe, apical half narrow, nearly parallel-sided. Malar space distinct; malar sulcus weak but present. Antenna with 25 flagellomeres. Pronotum not visible dorsally. Disc of mesoscutum (Figs 79, 80) bare, midpit small, round; notauli weak, present as very short, weakly sculptured grooves directed posterior-medially from and along edge of anterior declivity, not extending posteriorly onto disc of mesoscutum; weak supra-marginal carina extending laterally from base of notaulus nearly to tegula. Scuto-scutellar sulcus narrow (5-6 × wider than long), crenulate throughout. Precoxal sulcus absent, thus unsculptured (Fig. 83). Propodeum (Fig. 80) completely granular rugose, without carinae, very sparsely setose. Fore wing (Fig. 82) with stigma folded, shape not readily discernible; r1 shorter than stigma width; second submarginal cell long, distinctly narrowing distally; m-cu distinctly postfurcal; 2CUb arising below middle of first subdiscal cell. Hind coxa granular-rugose, hence the species name; hind femur slender, distinctly bilobed. T1 (Figs 79, 80) completely striate, the striae curving medially from basal-lateral area adjacent dorsal tendon attachment, obscuring dorsal and lateral carinae; dorsope absent, laterope not apparent; T1 spiracle indistinct, situated posteriad midlength of T1; T1 nearly parallel-sided, 2.25 × longer than apical width; S1 appears fused to T1; S1 0.3 × length of T1.

Remarks.

Fischer (1977) placed this species in his subgenus Opius ( Stomosema ), which he earlier ( Fischer 1972) characterized on the basis of three features: a concealed labrum, absence of a mesoscutal midpit, and presence of sculpture in the precoxal sulcus. Unfortunately, the holotype has a small, shallow, but distinct mid pit (Figs 79, 80) and lacks a precoxal sulcus (Fig. 83). This species would therefore key to Opius ( Nosopaeopius ) in Fischer (1972) and Fischer (1999). Regardless of subgeneric assignment, this species falls within Opius in the classifications of Fischer (1977, 1999), van Achterberg and Salvo (1997), and Wharton (1997). The shape and sculpture of the first metasomal segment and the relatively long S1 suggest a relationship to Tubiformopius , but I exlude this species from Tubiformopius for the present time primarily on the basis of wing venation and from Lorenzopius on the basis of the form of the mandible.

The hind coxa is smooth to weakly punctate in other species treated here.