Enicospilus flavocephalus (Kirby, 1900)*

Shimizu, So, 2020, The Nepalese species of the genus Enicospilus Stephens, 1835 (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae, Ophioninae): a preliminary revision and identification key to species, Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift 67 (1), pp. 69-126 : 69

Enicospilus flavocephalus (Kirby, 1900)* Fig. 9

Ophion flavocephalus Kirby 1900: 82; lectotype ♂, Christmas Island, NHMUK, examined, designated by Gauld (1977: 79).

Henicospilus lunulatus Szépligeti 1906: 143; holotype ♂, Bismarck Island, TM; synonymised by Gauld and Mitchell (1981: 416).

Henicospilus albicaput Morley 1912: 50; holotype ♂, Australia, NHMUK, examined; synonymised by Townes et al. (1961: 275).

Henicospilus similis Matsumura and Uchida 1926: 221; holotype ♂, Ryûkyû Island, SEHU, examined; synonymised by Uchida (1928: 221).

Material examined.

13♀♀ 11♂♂ and 1 unsexed: Nepal (2♀♀ 1♂) , Australia (5♀♀ 2♂♂ and 1 unsexed), Brunei (2♀♀ 1♂) , Japan (1♂) , Singapore (1♀) , Taiwan (3♀♀ 6♂♂) .

Type series: lectotype of Ophion flavocephalus Kirby, 1900, ♂, Flying Fish Cove , Christmas Island, Australia, C.W. Andrews leg. (NHMUK, Type 3b.1273) ; holotype of Henicospilus albicaput Morley, 1912, ♂, Mackay , Queensland, Australia (NHMUK, Type 3b.1254) ; holotype of Henicospilus similis Matsumura & Uchida, 1926, ♂, Okinawa, Ryûkyûs, Japan, S. Sakaguchi leg. (SEHU) .

Non-type series: 1♀, Kathmandu (1,350 m), Nepal, VII.1983, M.G. Allen leg. (LT) (Fig. 9 ) ; 1♀, Kathmandu (1,300 m), Nepal, XI.1982, M.G. Allen leg. (LT) ; 1♂, Pokhara , Nepal, VIII.1982, M.G. Allen leg. (LT) ; 5♀♀, Christmas Island, Australia, 1939; 1 unsexed, Christmas Island, Australia, 1898, C.W. Andrews leg. ; 1♂, Ulu Temburong (300 m), Base camp hut, Brunei, 16.II-9.III.1982, M.C. Day leg. ; 1♀, Pagon , Pagon Ridge, Brunei, II.1982, M.G. Allen leg. ; 1♀, Bukit Retak (1,618 m), Montane forest, Brunei, IX.1979, I.D. Gauld leg. ; 1♀, Singapore, 1908, H.N. Ridley leg. (all NHMUK) ; 1♀, Wanfeng Hill , Taichung, Taiwan, VII.1984, K.S. Lin & K.C. Chou leg. (MsT) ; 1♂, Kukuan (730 m), Taichung, Taiwan, 14-17.X.1980, K.S. Lin & C.H. Wang leg ,; 1♀ 1♂, Pingtung, Taiwan, IV.1961, K.S. Lin leg. (LT) ; 1♀ 1♂, Silo , Yunlin, Taiwan, V.1961, K.S. Lin leg. (LT) ; 1♂, Lishan , Taichung, Taiwan, 14.IX.1978 ; 2♂♂, Chung-ying , Taiwan, III.1961, S.C. Chiu leg. (all TARI).

Distribution.

Australasian, Oceanic, and Oriental regions ( Yu et al. 2016). Newly recorded from Nepal.

Diagnosis.

Head (Fig. 9B-D ): GOI = 2.5-2.9; lower face 0.5-0.7 × as wide as high; clypeus very slightly convex in profile, its lower margin subacute to blunt; mandible moderately twisted by 25-35°, moderately long, more or less evenly tapered, its outer surface without a diagonal structure; upper mandibular tooth 1.1-1.2 × as long as lower one; posterior ocellus almost touching eye; antenna with 45-51 flagellomeres and 20th flagellomere 1.8-2.3 × as long as wide.

Mesosoma (Fig. 9E ): mesopleuron punctate to longitudinally punctostriate; scutellum with lateral longitudinal carinae reaching posterior end and convergent posteriorly; metapleuron moderately strigose to striate; propodeum evenly rounded, its posterior area rather finely reticulate, outer margin of propodeal spiracle joining pleural carina by a ridge.

Wings (Fig. 9F ): fore wing with AI = 0.4-1.5, CI = 0.6-0.8, ICI = 0.4-0.6, SDI = 1.1-1.2; fore wing vein 1m-cu&M centrally strongly angulated and broadened, 2r&RS almost straight; fenestra and sclerites of discosubmarginal cell of fore wing as in Figure 9F ; fenestra of fore wing not very long and its anterodistal corner distinctly separated from proximal end of vein RS; proximal sclerite almost oval, isolated and not touching margin of fenestra, strongly pigmented; central sclerite strongly pigmented and sclerotised, linear and parallel to distal margin of the fenestra, positioned in mediodistal part of the fenestra; distal sclerite absent; proximal corner of marginal cell of fore wing almost uniformly setose; vein 1cu-a subinterstitial to antefurcal to M&RS by less than 0.2 × 1cu-a length.

Colour (Fig. 9 ): body including interocellar area entirely pale yellow with pale brown posterior segments of metasoma; wings hyaline.

Differential diagnosis.

Enicospilus flavocephalus is a very distinctive species, but its body size, colour pattern, and profile are very similar to E. xanthocephalus . Enicospilus flavocephalus is easily distinguished from E. xanthocephalus by many characters, such as the pale yellow interocellar area (Fig. 9B, D ) (black in E. xanthocephalus ) and centrally abruptly angled and broadened fore wing vein 1m-cu&M (Fig. 9F ) (evenly curved in E. xanthocephalus ).

Figures

Figure 9. Enicospilus flavocephalus (Kirby, 1900), ♀. A. Habitus; B. Head, frontal view; C. Head, lateral view; D. Head, dorsal view; E. Mesosoma, lateral view; F. Central part of fore wing.