Ophion variegatus Johansson & Cederberg 2019, stat. rev.
Creators: name: Johansson, Niklas
name: Cederberg, Björn
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2019
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Ichneumonidae
Ophion
Ophion variegatus

description: Ophion variegatus Rudow, 1883 stat. rev.
Figs 7M, O, 11 A–B, 17A, 50A–D
Material examined
> 500 ♀♀,>200 ♂♂ (Sweden); 6 ♀♀, 2 ♂♂ (Finland); 5 ♀♀, 1 ♂ (Great Britain); 1 ♀, 1 ♂ (Germany); 2 ♀♀ (France); 5 ♀♀, 13 ♂♂ (Estonia); 1 ♂ (Bulgaria); 5 ♀♀, 16 ♂♂ (Norway).
Neotype FRANCE • Grand Est (prev. Alsace), Haut-Rhin, Mulhouse, Chalampé; 10 May 1931; A. Seyrig leg.; MNHN.
Redescription
Fore wing length 14–16 mm. Antenna with 53–62 flagellomeres. First flagellomere about 3.0–3.5 times as long as wide. Central flagellomeres in male usually longer than in O. obscuratus, about 1.6 times as long as wide (Fig. 7O). Subapical flagellomeres approximately 1.5–1.6 times as long as wide. Temples slightly buccate. Head in lateral view temple 0.7–0.8 times as long as compound eye in females and 0.5–0.6 times in males. Face wide in anterior view (Fig. 17A). Gap between compound eye and lateral ocellus usually distinct, about 0.3 times the diameter of ocellus. Occipital carina usually curved before junction with hypostomal carina, junction usually with an angle of 70–90 degrees (Figs 7M, 50C). Malar space about 0.2 times as long as mandibular base in female and male. Mandibular gape right-angled, with internal angles. Wing membrane clear. Ramellus usually short, reaching 0.1–0.3 times the width of the discosubmarginal cell. Radius sinuous. Structure of mesopleuron shining or with distinct microsculptures between punctures, with weak, very regular punctation consisting of small punctures. Interstices between punctures about equal to their diameter, up to 2.0 times their diameter. Epicnemial carina, in antero-ventral view, with pleurosternal angles obviously anterior to sternal angles. Pleurosternal angles rounded, usually right angled, rarely obtuse or slightly acute. Sternal angles usually more distinct and the epicnemal carina between the sternal and pleurosternal angles more concave than in O. obscuratus (Fig. 50B) but the overlap is considerable. Scutellum without lateral carinae. Structure of propodeum similar to that of O. luteus. Posterior to anterior transverse carina mostly shining. Anterior transverse carina always present centrally anterior to area superomedia, but often also present laterally, though rarely strongly raised. Posterior transverse carina usually only present laterally, widely interrupted centrally (as in Fig. 10A). Central longitudinal carinae weak or absent. Sclerotised part of first sternite ending level to spiracle. Legs normal with hind femur about 6.0–7.0 times as long as wide. Hind trochantellus usually longer than in other species except O. luteus, O. slaviceki and O. obscuratus (as in Fig. 7F). Slightly shorter than wide in dorsal view. Inner spur of hind tibia long about 0.3–0.4 times as long as metatarsus.
Colour
Body usually more brownish than other species and with extensive whitish pattern on thorax (Fig. 11 A–B), similar to that of O. obscuratus. Mandibular teeth black. Ovipositor sheath testaceous.
DNA barcode
The DNA barcode sequences of 15 Swedish specimens of Ophion variegatus are available at the BOLD systems database (www.boldsystems.org, Specimen codes: STI-NJBC: 99, 101–103, 199–206, 210, 312, 316).
Ecology
Ophion variegatus occurs in a variety of different habitats ranging from semi-open forests to gardens and hedgerows. Host records from Mythimna impura (Hübner, 1808) (Brock 1982) probably refers to this species. Ophion variegatus is active from May to June in Southern Sweden and flies until the beginning of August in the Northern parts of Central Sweden.
Distribution in Sweden
Southern and Central Sweden
Remarks
This species has widely been regarded as the spring or early summer brood of Ophion obscuratus but has been shown to be univoltine, at least in Norhern Europe (Mark Shaw, NMS, pers. com.). Apart from the phenological differentiation it is also smaller on average with a lower number of flagellomeres and a small but consistent difference in the shape of the occipital carina at the junction with the hypostomal carina. The taxonomic history of this species is rather complex and accounted for in the Discussion: “The Ophion obscuratus aggregate”. To stabilize the name a neotype is designated (Fig. 50 A–D). The molecular analysis for the presumed aggregate around this species is weak and its potential genetic delimitation towards O. obscuratus and O. autumnalis Johansson sp. nov. therefore remain uncertain. Furthermore an additional potential species in the aggregate is indicated by the molecular analysis (STI-NJBC: 199, 316). A wider revision of the Western Palaearctic Ophion obscuratus s. lat., including molecular methods, is probably necessary to clearify the taxonomy of this problematic aggregate.
description: Published as part of Johansson, Niklas & Cederberg, Björn, 2019, Review of the Swedish species of Ophion (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae: Ophioninae), with the description of 18 new species and an illustrated key to Swedish species, pp. 1-136 in European Journal of Taxonomy 550 on pages 109-110, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2019.550, http://zenodo.org/record/3476402