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Genus Australophion Morley 1912
Australophion Morley, Rev. Ich. B.M. Part I, 1912, p. 30.
Morley (1912) erected this genus for Smith's Ophion peregrinus described in 1876 from two males taken in Canterbury, South Island. Morley defined the genus as follows:—
“Mandibles vertical; clypeus apically truncate, hind coxae and metathorax not short: metapleurae tuberculiform, apophyses acute and emitting carinae to apex: scutellum often subpyramidal and not margined: nervellus centrally intercepted; ocelli small: discoidal vein geniculate and emitting elongate ramellus: radius of forewing both basally and apically straight, of hindwing basally curved: cubital cell with no comeous spots and but a small glabrous area: tarsal claws, very closely pectinate: body strongly nitidulous.
This genus, as previously pointed out, is very close to Ophion, differing in its greatly inflated scutellum, sub-alar tubercles and metapleurae. Morley considered it closely allied to Stenophthalmus Szepligeti, but differing in its shorter cheeks, exareolate metathorax, not usually short 2nd segment, but especially remarkable in the strongly convex metapleurae. Cushman (1947:440) correctly pointed out that this genus, despite the remarkable inflation of the metapleurae, scutellum and sub-alar tubercles, is hardly more than subgenerically distinct from Ophion.
I have about 40 specimens belonging to Australophion Morley. The majority comprising specimens on loan from the Auckland, Dominion and Canterbury Museums. These specimens have been variously determined as Ophion peregrinus, Ophion ferrugineus and Ophion inutilis. Morley, who had examined the types of peregrinus and ferrugineus in the British Museum, considered Smith's peregrinus 1876 to be the same as the one described two years later, in 1878, as ferrugineus by the same author.
It would appear from Smith's descriptions that his two species refer to a light and dark form respectively. In 1947 Cushman described another species A inflatus from a unique male taken at Egmont, N. Island, by R. J. Tillyard (Type U.S.N.M. No. 57603). Recently two males taken in Canterbury (type locality of Smith's Ophion peregrinus) were sent to Dr. Mueseback, of the U.S. Nat. Mus. for comparison with Cushman's type of A. inflatus. Through the courtesy of Dr. Mueseback, my request was handed to Dr. B. D. Burks, who is the Museum's specialist in the Ichneumonidae, and to whom I am very grateful for the following comparative comments:—
| peregrinus | inflatus |
|---|---|
| (1) Discoidella diverging from nervellus above its middle. | (1) Discoidella diverging from nervellus below its middle. |
| (2) Propodeal costulae and areola well-marked, distinct. | (2) Propodeal costulae and areola virtually wanting only vaguely indicated. |
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| (3) Spiracles of petiole slightly projecting laterally. | (3) Spiracles of petiole not projecting. |
| (4) Post-petiole almost rectangular, 1 1–3 times as long as wide. | (4) Post-petiole wider at apex than base, 1 ½ times as long as its maximum width, and almost twice as long as its minimum width. |
| (5) Legs entirely yellowish-tan with bases of femora slightly darkened. | (5) Coxae, trochanters and femora brown, tarsi yellow. |
| (6) Antennal scape and pedicel tan, flagellum very dark brown. | (6) Entire antennae entirely dark-brown (original description says it is black, but I would not call it black). |
| (7) Thorax and abdomen yellowish-tan, flagellum very dark brown. | (7) Thorax and abdomen dark brown with yellow markings. |
Dr. Burks expressed the opinion that the differences were not very great, and it may be that the two species would eventually be found to intergrade.
From the material available here I am able to confirm Dr. Burks' opinion, and have little hesitation in synonymising Cushman's A. inflatus with Smith's A. peregrinus. The evidence on which this synonymy is based is presented under the heading “Variability” of this species.
Australophion peregrinus (Smith)
Ophion peregrinus Smith, Trs. Ent. Soc. Lond. 1876, p. 487.
Ophion ferrugineus Smith, Trs. Ent. Soc. Lond. 1878, p. 2.
Ophion peregrinus Smith, Hutton, Cat. N.Z. Dipt., etc., p. 125, 1881.
Ophion ferrugineus Smith, Hutton, Cat. N.Z. Dipt. etc., p. 125, 1881.
Ophion maoricum D.T. 1902, Vol. 2, p. 573.
Australophion peregrinus (Smith) Morley, Rev. Uch. B.M. Part I, p. 30, 1912.
Australophion inflatus Cushman, Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus., Vol. 96, p. 440, 1947. (New Synon.)
Head ferrugineous, outer orbits widely inner orbits very narrowly flavous, the external flavous markings do not usually extend to dorsal margin of eyes. Mandibles except teeth are testaceous, flagellum of antennae brown to very dark brown; teeth mandibles and claws dark red brown; thorax ferrugineous except the sub-alar tubercles, tegulae, and large mark on the posterior-ventral corner of the mesopleurae, the posterior three-quarters of the metapleurae, scutellum and post-scutellum bright flavous; anterior legs lighter brown than posterior legs; abdomen infuscated, especially towards apex.
Face and clypeus minutely punctate, in some cases the clypeus is more sparsely punctate and the punctures are somewhat larger; mandibles very slightly narrowed towards apex, and punctate; malar space narrow, and malar suture distinct; teeth sub-equal or the lower tooth slightly narrower at base, and more acutely pointed, cheeks very finely and sparsely punctate, almost glabrous; moderately wide, nearly equal in width, to width of eye in profile; pronotum very minutely punctate (sparsely); mesonotum sparsely and minutely finely punctate; notaulices not deeply impressed posteriorly; scutellum without lateral carinae.
Male: A ferrugineous species with bright flavous markings on the head and except at the very base, punctate, and convex; mesopleurae punctate except for a raised area adjacent to the posterior border under base of forewing; the sub-alar tubercle inflated with punctures widely separated; the upper half of the mesopleurae is uneven, with two raised areas beneath the sub-alar tubercle; metapleurae, tuberculate and sparsely punctate; propodeum (Text-fig 1, Fig. 5) nor-
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mally with a transverse basal carina, two short longitudinal and parallel carinae enclosing the areola, and a posterior semicircular carina joining a lateral cristula on each side, and two lateral longitudinal carinae from base to cristulae and continuing to apex. The above description applies to those individuals in which the carinae described above are obsolete or entirely wanting. The surface of the propodeum is punctate, very rarely finely rugose; abdomen slender, not particularly elongated, spiracles of petiole may be either slightly projecting laterally or not; postpetiole varies in shape, sometimes rectangular or somewhat wider at apex.
Forewing (Text-Fig. 1, Fig. 6): 1st abscissa of radius straight and not thickened; intercubitus a little shorter than 2nd abscissa of cubitus, the 2nd recurrent vein three-quarters as long again as the 2nd abscissa of cubitus; discocubitus with distal arm subequal with proximal arm, the former evenly curved, the latter straight; at the junction of the two arms which is angular, a distinct and usually long ramulus projects towards the base of the basal vein, nervulus not interstitial with basal.
Hindwings (Text-fig 1, Fig. 6): Abscissula, evenly curved at base, about three times as long as intercubitella; nervellus postfurcal, upper arm perpendicular, broken at, or about the middle.
Material.
20 females and 36 males were examined, from Otago, Canterbury, Nelson, Wellington and Auckland. The species appear to be generally distributed throughout both the North and the South Islands of New Zealand. It may be somewhat more plentiful in the South Island.