The Wharton Lab

Opius baeblus Wharton, 2013 ZooKeys 349: 16-18, 31-33.

Despite the fact that this species is known from a single male, it is described here to emphasize the diversity of color patterns and host relationships of the members of this distinctive species group of tephritid parasitoids. 3RSa is longer in the right wing than in the left wing.

Holotype: Male, deposited in UNAM.

Members of the Opius baderae species group (to which this species belongs) will key to Opius (Opius) in the subgeneric keys of Fischer (1972), 1977, (1999) because of the completely concealed labrum, unsculptured precoxal sulcus, and absence of a midpit on the mesoscutum. They differ from the type species of Opius (i.e., Opius s.s.) in lacking a basal lobe ventrally on the mandible, and thus would key to Phaedrotoma Foerster in the classification of van Achterberg and Salvo (1997) and Li et al. (2013) and the key to genera in Fischer (1999). In members of the baderae group the propodeum is also almost completely unsculptured. Within the baderae species group, this species is most readily recognized by the pale mesosoma (Figs 1-2 in section above). All other members of the baderae species group treated here have the mesosoma extensively dark, at least laterally. Opius baeblus is most similar to Opius baderae based on the color pattern of the head, most notably the gena, face and clypeus, and differs primarily in body color, larger body size, and in having the anal vein of the fore wing more distant from the wing margin.

Head (Figs. 1-7): Eyes in dorsal view slightly bulging beyond temples, temples weakly receding (Fig. 4). Clypeus (Fig. 7) 1.6 x wider than high, weakly rugulose dorsal-medially adjacent epistomal sulcus, weakly punctate elsewhere; completely concealing labrum when mandible closed, ventral margin of clypeus evenly convex, slightly overlapping dorsal margin of mandible when mandible closed. Antennae broken, right antenna with 36 flagellomeres remaining. Malar sulcus broad, weak, deeper adjacent eye, becoming shallower towards mandible. Mesosoma 1.35 x longer than high. Pronotum laterally with complete vertical carina, carina weaker medially, distinctly crenulate along posterior margin of carina in ventral 0.3, smooth medially, weakly crenulate dorsally. Propodeum (Figs 8, 10, 11) largely unsculptured, with a few weak carinulae along posterior margin. Fore wing (Fig. 9) 3RSa 1.75 x longer than strongly sinuate 2RS; (RS+M)a very weakly sinuate. T1 (Figs. 8, 10, 11) 2.1 x wider at apex than at base, 0.9 x as long as apical width; strigose over apical 0.7, smooth basally; dorsal carina arising at 45 degree angle alongside basal depression, absent over apical 0.7. Head entirely black to dark red-brown above, ventral 0.7 of clypeus, nearly entire malar space, base of mandible, and all remaining mouthparts white. Mesosoma almost completely yellow-orange except pronotum laterally with dark spot medially and propodeum dark medially and anteriorly. Color as in Figs 1-3); metasomal terga dark brown to black; T3–T6 with narrow white or hyaline margin posteriorly, band broader on T7; T4–T6 also with narrow median white band anteriorly. Fore and mid tibiae and all femora white; hind tibia brown dorsally and posteriorly over apical 0.3, variegated brown over basal 0.25, white medially. Body length 5.15 mm; wing length 5.1 mm; mesosoma length 1.7 mm.

Type locality: Mexico, Morelos, Route 142, Km 48–50, 5 km N El Vigia.

A parasitoid of Eutreta apicata (Tephritidae) and an undescribed species of Eutreta Loew reared from stem galls of Ageratina mairetiana (DC.) R.M. King & H. Rob. Nine tephritids emerged from these stem galls within two months of their collection. Seven of these tephritids are Eutreta apicata and two represent an undescribed species of Eutreta. For this sample, the rate of parasitism on Eutreta spp. by opiine braconids was 10%. The host plant, Ageratina mairetiana (DC.) R.M. King & H. Rob., is a member of the Asteraceae.

The holotype was reared from a stem gall that was kept in the laboratory over the winter, with the wasp emerging the following summer.

Holotype labels:
MEXICO: Morelos, Rt.
142, Km 48–50, 5 km N
El Vigia, 28.ix–1.×.1991
A. L. Norrbom # 51

Second label:
reared ex. spherical stem
gall, Ageratina mairetiana
(DC) K & R. (91M27)

Third label:
host is Eutreta sp.
apicata Hering or n. sp.
Tephritidae)

Fourth label:
reared ex. pupae
ex. galls 91M27
emg. 1.vii.1992

This page was assembled largely by Bob Wharton and Andrew Ly. It is part of a revision of New World, mostly neotropical, opiines reared from non-frugivorous Tephritidae conducted by Wharton and Norrbom (2013). We are particularly grateful to Danielle Restuccia, Patricia Mullins, Trent Hawkins, Lauren Ward, and Gabriella Vasquez, who did all of the imaging and especially Danielle for preparing the plates. Paul Marsh initially made much of this material available to the senior author. Matt Yoder and Istvan Miko provided guidance on databasing issues associated with our use of mx and HAO respectively. We thank David Wahl (AEIC), Norm Penny and Bob Zuparko (CAS), Andrew Bennett and Henri Goulet (CNC), Max Fischer and Dominique Zimmermann (NHMW), and Paul Marsh and Robert Kula (Systematic Research Laboratory, USDA; USNM) for facilitating loans and general assistance associated with examination of holotypes and other material in their care. This work was supported largely by NSF DEB 0949027, with REU supplement 1313933 (to Wharton) and partly by NSF/PEET DEB 0328922 (also to Wharton). Page last updated January, 2014.

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant Numbers DEB 0949027 and DEB 0328922 with REU supplement 1313933.
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.