The Wharton Lab

Opius raphaeli Fischer, 1968: 77–78 (key); 98–101 (description). Holotype female in AEIC (examined).
Opius raphaeli: Fischer 1971: 104 (catalog).
Opius (Merotrachys) raphaeli: Fischer 1977: 655–657, 702–704 (key, redescription); Fischer 1979: 264–266 (key); Yu et al. 2005, 2012 (electronic catalogs).

This species is known only from the female holotype.

Face (Figs 3, 4) very deeply, distinctly punctate, punctures separated by 1–2 x their diameter, strongly shagreened adjacent eye margin, otherwise very weakly shagreened to smooth between punctures. Eye in lateral view (Fig. 5) about 1.5–1.7 x longer than temple; temples in dorsal view receding (Fig. 6). Female antenna with 53 flagellomeres; setae on basal flagellomeres thin, pale. Mesoscutum anteriorly (Fig. 2) on nearly same plane as pronotum, without distinct anterior declivity; notaulus (Figs 7, 8) appears longer than in other species with supramarginal carina barely indicated: appearance of both may have been altered by the pin through the mesoscutum. Propodeum (Figs 10-12) rugose with sculptured median trough anteriorly separated by carina posteriorly from irregularly pentagonal areola. Fore wing (Fig. 14) with 3RSa weakly curved, about 1.25–1.35 x longer than 2RS; m-cu postfurcal. T1 sharply declivitous anteriorly (Fig. 10), pit delimited posterior-medially; surface largely smooth; dorsal carinae (Fig. 11) weakly sinuate, nearly parallel-sided, broadening subapically, narrowing apically, with a few, weak transverse carinae between dorsal carinae. T2 very faintly shagreened, T3 smooth, polished. Ovipositor short; ovipositor sheath about 0.3–0.4 x length of mesosoma. Color as in Figs 2, 3, 13: head, posterior margin of T3, and all of T4–6 dark brown to black. Mesosoma, hind coxa, and hind femur orange; T1, T2, most of T3 a little darker: reddish orange; antenna without subapical pale ring; wing lightly infumate.

The granular-punctate sculpture of the clypeus (Fig. 3) in combination with the deeply punctate face is distinctive relative to other species of the ingenticornis species group. The color pattern (Figs 2, 3, 13) is also unique for members of this species group.

Additionally, as in all other members of the ingenticornis species group, this species can be further characterized as follows: Mandible short, broadly triangular, dorsal margin strongly angled ventrally, broadly exposing labrum. Clypeus shaped as a broad crescent, nearly hemispherical, flat to weakly protruding ventrally, ventral margin shallowly concave, rarely appearing truncate. Malar sulcus distinct, complete. Antenna unusually long, approximately twice longer than body; first flagellomere slender, longer than second, with long, narrow plate sensilla. Occipital carina broadly absent dorsally, the gap in dorsal view at least as wide as distance between eyes; carina well developed laterally and ventrally, widely separated from hypostomal carina ventrally. Pronope deep, wide, posterior margin at least weakly overlapping base of mesoscutum, thus obliterating posterior transverse sulcus medially; vertical carina absent on pronotum laterally. Mesoscutum without midpit; notaulus short, curved, pit-like anteriorly, narrowing and evanescent posteriorly. Propodeum with median depression at least anteriorly, never with median longitudinal carina. Mesopleuron without sternaulus, precoxal sulcus unsculptured, absent or very faintly indicated; hind margin of mesopleuron not obviously crenulate on dorsal 0.5. Fore wing 2CUb arising from or near middle of first subdiscal cell. Hind wing with RS distinctly infumate; m-cu absent. T1 with dorsal carinae parallel or nearly so, extending from base to apex; laterope large, deep; dorsope absent.

Argentina, Horco Molle, near Tucumán.

Labels attached to the holotype are shown in Figs 1 and 2.

This page was assembled largely by Bob Wharton. It is part of a revision of the Opius ingenticornis species group conducted by Sophia Daniels, Xanthe Shirley, Danielle Restuccia and Bob Wharton, published by Wharton et al. (2013). We thank David Wahl (American Entomological Institute, Gainesville, FL) for loans and general assistance associated with examination of holotypes, as well as Max Fischer and Dominique Zimmermann (NHMW), Henri Goulet (CNC) and Paul Marsh (formerly USDA, Washington, D. C.) for facilitating other loans and work with material in their care. We are also sincerely grateful to Jim Woolley and Aaron Tarone for making available their imaging systems when ours crashed. Matt Yoder provided guidance on databasing issues associated with our use of mx. This work was conducted at Texas A&M University and was supported in part by NSF DEB 0949027, with REU supplement 1213790. Page last updated May, 2013.

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant Number DEB 0949027 and associated REU supplement 1213790.
Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.