Ophion persicus Johansson, 2021

Johansson, Niklas, Ameri, Ali, Riedel, Matthias, Talebi, Ali Asghar & Ebrahimi, Ebrahim, 2021, Contribution to the Ophioninae (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) of Iran with the description of 16 new species and an illustrated key to the Eremotylus of the Western Palaearctic, Zootaxa 5023 (2), pp. 151-206 : 180-182

Ophion persicus Johansson sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:C2BCF256-EC85-4B87-BC27-74C60524FE48

Figs 14A‒D

Holotype: IRAN: ♀, Hormozgan Province, Geno Mt. 1550 m. a. s., 18 Apr. 1994, Parch / Ebra. leg. ( HMIM).

Paratypes: IRAN: 1♀, 1♂, Hormozgan Province, Geno Mt. 1550 m. a. s., 18 Apr. 1994, Parch / Ebra. leg. ( HMIM) ; 1♀, Fars Province, Shiraz, Mahalu lake , 1500 m. a. s., 23 Apr. 1992, Badii / Mirz leg. ( HMIM) ; 1♂, Lorestan province, 20 km N Pol-e-Dokhtar, Baba Zeyd , 4 May 1997, Klimenko leg. ( MR) .

Type depositories: Holotype and one male and one female paratype in HMIM. One female paratype in NHRS and one male paratype in ZSM.

Etymology: The name refers to the so far only known region of occurrence.

Diagnosis: Ophion persicus Johansson sp. nov. ( Fig. 14A ) is a member of the O. minutus aggregate. Most similar to Ophion schmidti Johansson sp. nov. but distinguished by the narrower face and temples and the angulate discocubitus. The pale markings on the body is bright yellow and the general colour is orange, contrasting with the white markings on a brownish-red background in O. schmidti Johansson sp. nov. and O. sistanicus Johansson sp. nov.

Description: Fore wing length 8‒9 mm. Body length 8‒11 mm. Antenna with 47‒51 flagellomeres. Temple narrowed behind compound eyes, in lateral view about 0.2 × as long as compound eye in female ( Fig. 14D ) and 0.4 × male. Ocelli large, touching compound eye. Face very narrow ( Fig. 14C ). Occipital carina centrally flattened. Face below antennal sockets with dense distinct punctures, the interstices between punctures about 0.2‒0.5 × the diameter of punctures. Malar space absent to about 0.1 × as long as mandibular base in female and male. Mandibular gape slightly acute, with indistinct internal angles. First flagellomere 4.0 × as long as wide. Central flagellomeres slender, about 1.7‒1.8 × as long as wide. Apical flagellomeres approximately 1.8 × as long as wide. Mesoscutum polished with punctures very shallow and irregular, indistinctly delimited. Mesopleuron weakly shagreened with distinct punctures, interstices between punctures about equal to 0.1‒0.5 × their diameter Epicnemial carina, in antero-ventral view, with pleurosternal angles obtuse, distinctly anterior to sternal angles. Scutellum without lateral carinae. Propodeum opaque, with weak rugulose sculpture. Propodeum with carinae entirely absent. Sclerotised part of first sternite ending distinctly posterior to spiracle. Hind trochantellus shorter than wide in dorsal view. Hind femur slender, about 7.0‒8.0 × as long as wide. Inner spur of hind tibia long, about 0.4‒0.5 × as long as hind metatarsus. Wing membrane clear. Ramellus absent or very short reaching 0.1‒0.2 of the width of the discosubmarginal cell. Radius very weakly sinuous, conspicuously bent and widened before junction with pterostigma. Nervellus broken slightly below the middle by the discoidella.

Colouration: Body yellow reddish, with the following paler yellowish: head apart, from a small spot in front of anterior ocellus, a small triangular area below the antennal scrobes and anterior margin of clypeus; four longitudinal stripes on mesoscutum; subalar prominence; spots on mesopleuron; a small spot in the lower posterior part of mesoscutum and one larger spot corresponding on metapleuron. Coxae with paler marks on the outer side. Metasoma with irregular pale markings on the posterior segments. The pale markings are variable and more distinct in the known males. Mandibular teeth black. Ovipositor sheath testaceous, concolourous with posterior metasomal segments.

Figures

FIGURE 14. Ophion persicus Johansson sp. nov., holotype ♀ (HMIM). A) Habitus, lateral view; B) mandibles; C) head, anterior view; D) head, lateral view. Photos: Niklas Johansson.