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Key to Afrotropical genera of Ophioninae

(Life: Kingdom: Metazoa (animals); Phylum: Arthropoda; Class: Hexapoda; Order: Hymenoptera;  Superfamily: Ichneumonoidea; Family: Ichneumonidae; Subfamily: Ophioninae)

ClassificationIdentification keys (modified from Gauld & Mitchell, 1978 & Gauld, 1979)


1. Mandible short and unidentate (a); vertex with vertical impression behind ocelli; hind legs strongly elongate (b) … Skiapus Morley

 

- Mandible elongate and bidentate; vertex without depression behind ocelli; hind legs moderately elongate (A) … 2


2. Posterior transverse carina of mesosternum more or less complete (Fig. a) … 3

 

 

- Posterior transverse carina of mesosternum absent in front of mid coxae (Fig. A) … 7


 

3. Distal margin of mid and hind trochantelli with a sharp, decurved tooth on anterior side (Fig.a); forewing without detached sclerites; mandibles twisted about 85° … Stauropoctonus Brauns

 

- Distal margin of mid and hind trochantelli without a sharp tooth, very rarely (in one species of Enicospilus) with a sharp decurved tooth, but in such a case the forewing bears detached sclerites (Fig. A); forewing otherwise with or without sclerites; mandible from flat to twisted about 80° … 4


 

4. Occipital carina absent except for traces laterally ; apices of mid and hind trochantelli flattened and projecting over proximal ends of the femora (Fig. a) … Lepiscelus Townes

 

- Occipital carina complete or narrowly obsolescent medio-dorsally; apices of trochantelli usually simple, never overlapping ends of femora … 5


 

5. Dorsal 0.4 of inner orbits paralleled by a sharp raised carina on frons which is dorsally curved towards the lateral ocellus (Fig. a) ; inner hind tibial spur cylindrical; posterior margin of metanotum produced opposite propodeal spiracle (Fig. b) … Dictyonotus Kriechbaumer

 

- Dorsal 0.4 of inner orbits without a carina (Fig. A); inner hind tibial spur flattened internally; posterior margin of metanotum not produced (Fig. B) … 6


 

6. Mandible somewhat twisted, conspicuously narrowed from base to apex, or if (in one species) with mandible very weakly narrowed, then with lower tooth the longer; mandibular teeth otherwise various, the lower tooth longer than, equal to or shorter than the upper (Fig. a); fore tibial spur without a trace of a membranous flange behind the macrotrichial comb (Fig. b) … Enicospilus Stephens

 

- Mandible not twisted, very weakly narrowed from base to apex, with apical teeth sub equal (Fig. A); fore tibial spur either with a vestigial membranous flange behind the macrotrichial comb, or with a scar indicating the position flange would occupy if present (Fig, B) … Dicamptus Szepligeti


 

7. Fore tibial spur with a membranous flange behind the macrotrichial comb, and extending at least 0.4 of the length of the tibial spur (Fig. a); forewing with 1m-cu usually with a discernible ramellus … 8

 

- Fore tibial spur either without a membranous flange, or with a minute flange behind macrotrichial comb that does not extend 0.1 of the length of the tibial spur (Fig. A); forewing without a ramellus … 9


 

8. Ramellus very long, reaching 0.7 of distance to Rs&M (Fig. a); notaulus absent; fore tibial spur more than 2.5 times as long as apical tibial breadth (Fig. b) … Rhopalophion Seyrig

 

- Ramellus shorter, not reaching 0.5 of distance to Rs&M (Fig, A); notaulus present on anterior 0.4 of mesoscutum; fore tibial spur less than 2.0 times as long as apical tibial breadth (Fig . B) … Afrophion Gauld


 

9. Mandibles apically strongly narrowed, with upper tooth distinctly the longer (Fig. a); pronotum mediodorsally with a raised transverse keel (Fig. b) … Orientospilus Morley

 

- Mandibles very weakly apically narrowed, subequally bidentate (Fig. A); pronotum usually without a raised transverse keel (Fig. B) … 10


 

10. Metasoma slender, tergite 2 in profile more than 3.5 times as long as deep posteriorly and with anterior margin of sternite 2 posterior to the spiracle of tergite 1 (Fig. a); clypeus, in profile , convex, with apical margin impressed … Laticoleus Townes

 

- Metasoma rather stout, tergite 2 in profile less than 3.0 times as long as deep posteriorly and with anterior margin of sternite 2 anterior to spiracle of tergite 1 (Fig. A); clypeus, in profile, flat, apical margin flat to out-turned … Euryophion Cameron


References

Gauld, I.D. 1979. An analysis of the classification of the Ophion genus group (Ichneumonidae). Systematic Entomology 5(1980): 59-82

Gauld, I.D. & Mitchell, P.A. 1978. The taxonomy, distribution and host preferences of African parasitic wasps of the subfamily Ophioninae (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae). Commonwealth Institute of Entomology, Slough, England, 287 pp.

Rousse, P. & van Noort, S. 2014. Afrotropical Ophioninae (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae): an update of Gauld & Mitchell's revision, including two new species and an interactive matrix identification key. ZooKeys 456: 59–73. doi:10.3897/zookeys.456.8140

Credits

Photographs © Pascal Rousse (Iziko South African Museum)


Web author Simon van Noort (Iziko South African Museum)

 

Citation: van Noort, S. 2024. WaspWeb: Hymenoptera of the World. URL: www.waspweb.org (accessed on <day/month/year>).

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