Dimophora Forster 1869
Creators: name: Seraina Klopfstein
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2016
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Ichneumonidae
Dimophora
Dimophora robusta

description: Genus Dimophora Förster 1869: 155
Dimophorus Thomson 1889: 1355 –1356 Oligotmema Cushman 1920: 280
Type species: Dimophora robusta Brischke 1880
Genus diagnosis
Within the Australian Cremastinae, Dimophora is easily identified by the presence of a large and well-defined, almost rhombic areolet; none of the other genera reported from the continent show any trace of the outer vein of the areolet (vein 3r-m). Dimophora species are rather stout, have no traces of thyrididae on the second tergite, no tooth on the hind femur, and the lower edges of the first tergite are parallel, separated by a visible portion of the first sternite for their entire length.
The areolet is also present in some New World cremastine genera: Xiphosomella, Creagrura and Polyconus differ from Dimophora by their well-developed thyrididae; Eiphosoma bears a tooth below the hind femur; and Ptilobaptus has the lateral sides of the first tergites extended ventrally, so that they touch ventrally and cover part of the first sternite. From the Old World, only two genera known from the Ethiopian region have an areolet: Eurygenys has a very small clypeus with a median tooth and the lateral part of the second tergite hanging down, even though it is separated from the dorsal part by a crease; and the curious Belesica is easily recognised by a flattened horn between the antennal bases and strongly bulging genae. Townes (1971) provided a key and additional characters to identify the cremastine genera known worldwide.
Comments
Eleven species were distinguished among the Australian material. A dichotomous key is given here to aid in their identification and diagnoses and descriptions of all species follow thereafter, in alphabetical order. The diagnoses include forewing length, number of flagellomeres and all characters mentioned in the key, while the descriptions cover a broader range of characters. If notable intraspecific variation was encountered, then this is reflected in the species sections, with values or states of the holotype given in brackets.
Key to the Australian species of Dimophora
1 Head between compound eye and antennal base with protrusion (Fig. 1). Area superomedia of propodeum usually wider than long or about as long as wide, sometimes up to 1.5 times longer than wide. Larger species, forewing length 4.4–7.1 mm ...................2
– Head between compound eye and antennal base unmodified, flat. Area superomedia of propodeum
almost always distinctly longer than wide. Smaller to larger species, forewing length 2.5–5.2 mm ...........3
2 Head and mesosoma black, at most with some orange or yellow areas along inner eye margin, on clypeus and on malar space (Fig. 3 a). Portion of ovipositor that protrudes from metasoma 0.8–1.3 times as long as hind tibia..................... Dimophora diabolica sp. n.
– Head and mesosoma predominantly orange, black only on back of head and whole mesoscutum (Fig. 5 a). Ovipositor 1.15–1.7 times as long as hind tibia......................... Dimophora kentmartini sp. n.
3 Mesoscutum orange or red. Back of head usually orange, but sometimes with black areas................4
– Mesoscutum black. Back of head always with at least some black areas, usually all dark.......................5
4 Antenna from base dark brown–ivory–black (Fig. 12 a). Metasoma and hind femur and tibia black or dark brown. Mesosoma dark orange. Ocelli not enlarged, hind ocelli separated from compound eye by more than 1.5 times their diameter (Fig. 12 c). [male unknown]........................ Dimophora turista sp. n.
– Antenna all black or dark brown. Metasoma with tergite 2 and usually also 3 orange or yellow, hind femur and tibia orange or brown (Fig. 9 a). Mesosoma orange. Ocelli enlarged, hind ocelli separated from compound eye at most by their diameter (Fig. 9 c). [female unknown] ................................ ................................... Dimophora ocellata sp. n.
5 Face black, at most with some orange along inner eye margins and light marks across malar space. Pronotum black............................................................6
– Face orange, yellow or brown, clearly lighter than dark back of head (in D. biquadra, the orange facial pattern is restricted to sides of lower half of face, reaching about halfway between clypeus and antennal sockets, Fig. 2 b). Pronotum orange, red or brown at least along anterior margin, clearly lighter than mesoscutum ....7
6 Metasoma with tergite 2 and often also most of tergites 1 and 3 red or orange, remainder black or dark brown (Fig. 8 a). Larger species, forewing length 4.3–5.8 mm. Antenna with more than 30 flagellomeres. Hind femur and tibia orange or brown................................... ........................... Dimophora nitens (Gravenhorst)
– Metasoma black or brown, usually with a light band basally on tergite 3 (Fig. 4 f). Smaller species, 2.7– 3.6 mm. Antenna with 30 or less flagellomeres. Hind femur and tibia often darkened............................. ....................... Dimophora evanialis (Gravenhorst)
7 Larger species, forewing length 4.6–5.2 mm. Metasoma orange, at most with some irregular brown markings mostly on laterotergites (Fig. 7 a). Mesosoma orange except for black mesoscutum and base of propodeum........... Dimophora migrosi sp. n.
– Smaller species, forewing length at most 4.2 mm. Metasoma usually with extended dark brown colouration, especially on tergites 1 to 3 (in males of D. lutulenta, only tergite 1 is mostly dark). Mesopleuron and propodeum usually with more extensive dark colouration.................................8
8 Very small species, forewing length 2.5–2.7 mm. Antenna with 23–24 flagellomeres. Mesoscutum very short, about 0.7–0.8 times as long as wide (Fig. 10 c).......................... Dimophora rhysi sp. n.
– Larger species, forewing length 2.8–4.2 mm. Antenna with at least 26 flagellomeres. Mesoscutum usually shorter than wide, but never as strongly shortened .......................................................................9
9 Mesosoma orange at least on pronotum, often propleuron, part of mesosternum and apex of propodeum (Fig. 6 a). Mesopleuron and areas of propodeum strongly coriaceous, with punctures often less conspicuous than the matt background sculpture........... .................................. Dimophora lutulenta sp. n.
– Mesosoma with orange colour less pronounced, usually only on pronotum, and a diffuse brown on parts of mesopleuron or propodeum. Mesopleuron and areas of propodeum not as strongly coriaceous, with punctures more conspicuous than background sculpture and at least with some shiny areas between the punctures.....................................................10
10 Face mostly orange (Fig. 11 b). Ovipositor shorter than hind tibia (0.7–0.8)......... Dimophora ruficollis sp. n.
– Face with orange colouration only on the sides of the lower face (Fig. 2 b). Ovipositor as long as or longer than hind tibia (1.0–1.3) ..................................... ................................. Dimophora biquadra sp. n.
description: Published as part of Seraina Klopfstein, 2016, Nine new species of Dimophora from Australia (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae): new insights on the distribution of a poorly known genus of parasitoid wasps, pp. 185-207 in Austral Entomology 55 on pages 86-87, DOI: 10.1111/aen.12166, http://zenodo.org/record/237781