Ophionea Klug 1821
Creators: name: Sudhakar Anagha, V. S.
name: Sabu, Thomas K.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Carabidae
Ophionea

description: Genus Ophionea Klug, 1821
Ophionea Klug, 1821: 298; Schmidt-Göbel, 1846: 20; Chaudoir, 1848: 31, 43; Lacordaire, 1854: 73; Bedel, 1910: 72; Maindron, 1910: 34; Sloane, 1917: 415; id. 1923: 30; Andrewes, 1919: 475; id. 1926: 353; id. 1930: 240; Csiki, 1932: 1534; Liebke, 1938: 79; Blackwelder, 1944: 65; Habu, 1967: 30; Saha et al., 1992: 48; Lorenz, 1998: 417; Baehr, 2005: 180; Lorenz, 2005: 441; Baehr, 2006: 71; Park et al., 2006: 98; Terada & Wu, 2014: 16; Löbl & Löbl, 2017: 634; Raj & Thomas, 2019: 5.
=Ophionaea Eschscholtz, 1829: 5.
= Casnoidea Laporte, 1834: 40; Csiki, 1932: 1534; Jedlička, 1963: 498; Darlington, 1968: 207; Baehr, 1996: 1044; Lorenz, 1998: 417.
Revised key to species of the genus Ophionea Klug, 1821 (Modified from Baehr, 1996).
1. Entire surface blackish-blue color; elytra intervals 1, 3, 5 and 7 with a row of setiferous punctures........................................................................................ Ophionea foersteri Bouchard, 1903
- Entire surface not completely blackish-blue color; at most elytral intervals 3 and 5 with a row of setiferous punctures.. 2
2(1). Prothorax blackish; distinct white elytral spots absent or very indistinct white spots present....................... 3
- Prothorax reddish; whitish elytral spots distinct.......................................................... 4
3(2). Prothorax shorter, ratio l/w <1.75, middle of the apex distinctly and coarsely punctate; elytral apex distinctly and broadly reddish color with white spots behind the posterior margin of dark fascia............. Ophionea brandti (Baehr, 1996)
- Prothorax longer, ratio l/w>1.80, middle of the apex indistinctly or not coarsely punctate; elytral apex not reddish or narrowly and indistinctly reddish, without any traces of white spots................ Ophionea gestroi Maindron, 1910
4(2). Base of elytra with a dark fascia..................................................................... 5
- Base of elytra reddish without dark fascia............................................................. 14
5(4). Prothorax without lateral setae; elytra with 2 pairs of whitish spots in anterior third and near apex, dark basal fascia interrupted in middle............................................ Ophionea indica (Thunberg, 1784) (Fig. 3E)
- Prothorax with one pair of lateral setae; elytra with a pair of large whitish spots only near apex, dark basal fascia not interrupted in middle............................................................................... 6
6(5). Orbit markedly convex.................................................... Ophionea thouzeti Laporte, 1867
- Orbit less convex or almost regularly oblique............................................................ 7
7(6). Surface of elytra not microreticulate, glossy, setiferous punctures present on intervals 3 and 5........................................................................................... Ophionea australica (Baehr, 1996)
- Surface of elytra distinctly microreticulate, setiferous punctures variable...................................... 8
8(7). Surface of elytra barely pilose....................................................................... 9
- Surface of elytra distinctly pilose.................................................................... 10
9(8). Whitish spots on elytral apex long, more than half the length of the posterior elytral fascia. Ophionea hoashii Habu, 1962
- Whitish spot on elytral apex small............................................. Ophionea ishiii (Habu, 1961)
10(8). Elytra with setiferous punctures on interval 3 only....................................................... 11
- Elytra with setiferous punctures on intervals 3 and 5..................................................... 12
11(10). Orbits almost regularly oblique; elytra less coarsely punctate and very fine behind middle.............................................................................. Ophionea interstitialis Schmidt-Göbel, 1846 (Fig. 3B)
- Orbits faintly although distinctly convex; elytra coarsely punctate even near apex.... Ophionea celebensis (Baehr, 1996)
12(10). Head with distinct microreticulation; elytra with depression in anterior third, whitish elytral spots large and very elongate........................................................................ Ophionea storeyi (Baehr, 1996)
- Head without distinct microreticulation; elytra without depression in anterior third, whitish elytral spots small and short. ............................................................................................... 13
13(12). Head short, markedly rhomboidal, without traces of microreticulation, eyes large and less protruded laterally, orbit almost regularly oblique; whitish elytral spots smaller, apex of elytra obliquely truncated, outer apical angle distinctly angulate.............................................................. Ophionea ceylonica (Baehr, 1996) (Fig. 3D)
- Head long, more egg-shaped, with traces of microreticulation, eyes small and more protruded laterally, orbit distinctly convex; whitish elytral spots large, apex of elytra almost completely rounded, outer apical angle not angulate................................................................................ Ophionea leytensis (Baehr, 1996)
14(4). Prothorax coarsely punctate, a row of lateral setae present; only 1 large whitish spot in posterior half of elytra............................................................................. Ophionea puncticollis Sloane, 1923
- Prothorax not coarsely punctate, without lateral setae or with only 1 seta; 2 whitish spots in anterior third near apex of elytra.......................................................................................... 15
15(14). Dark parts of upper surface with bluish reflection....................................................... 16
- Dark parts of upper surface black.................................................................... 19
16(15). Elytral fascia large, whitish spots on elytra small, striation on elytra fine......... Ophionea micronota Andrewes, 1937
- Elytral fascia small, whitish spots on elytra large, striation on elytra distinct.................................. 17
17(16). Head longer, posteriorly slightly convex; elytra with anterior whitish spots outside the dark fascia, posterior spots completely included in fascia................................................................................. 18
- Head shorter, posteriorly rather straight; elytra with both anterior and posterior whitish spots at least partly included in dark fascia.................................................................. Ophionea bakeri (Dupuis, 1913)
18(17). Bluish reflection on elytral dark fascia conspicuous, interval 3 with 5–6 setiferous punctures........................................................................... Ophionea bhamoensis bhamoensis Bates, 1892 (Fig. 3F)
- Bluish reflection on elytral dark fascia slightly fainter, interval 3 with 4 setiferous punctures............................................................................ Ophionea bhamoensis taiwanensis Terada & Wu, 2014
19(15). Posterior part of head relatively short; prothorax without distinct transverse strioles; elytra with indistinct microreticulation, surface highly glossy; both whitish elytral spots large and elongate, anterior spot completely outside of dark fascia, posterior spot clearly surpassing posterior margin of the fascia............................ Ophionea insignis (Baehr, 1997)
- Posterior part of head longer; prothorax with distinct transverse strioles; elytra with distinct microreticulation, surface dull; either both white elytral spots small and circular, or only posterior spot large, in latter case both spots completely included within dark elytral fascia........................................................................... 20
20(19). Prothorax with a pair of lateral setae................................................................. 21
- Prothorax without lateral setae...................................................................... 22
21(20). Prothorax short and broad; whitish spots on elytra larger and broader, anterior edge of the transverse fascia entire and posterior edge extended beyond posterior spot towards the suture, interval 3 with c.5 setiferous punctures........................................................................... Ophionea malickyi (Baehr, 1996) (Fig. 2H)
- Prothorax long and narrow; whitish spots on elytra smaller and narrower, transverse fascia on elytra forming ‘V-shape’ at anterior edge towards the suture, posterior edge of the fascia entire, remains at the level of posterior spot, interval 3 with 4 setiferous punctures................................................... Ophionea vvrei sp. nov. (Figs 2A–C)
22(20). Posterior part of head slightly longer; prothorax longer, about 2 ¼ x as long as wide; elytral striae coarsely punctate only in basal half............................... Ophionea nigrofasciata nigrofasciata Schmidt-Göbel, 1846 (Fig. 3A)
- Posterior part of head slightly shorter; prothorax shorter, only twice as long as wide; elytral striae coarsely punctate even in apical half............................................... Ophionea nigrofasciata fortestriata Baehr, 2003
description: Published as part of Sudhakar Anagha, V. S. & Sabu, Thomas K., 2024, Additions to the taxonomy of the genus Ophionea Klug, 1821 (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Lebiinae) and a new species from India, pp. 523-536 in Zootaxa 5437 (4) on pages 524-525, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5437.4.5, http://zenodo.org/record/10985493