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Key to N.Z. Species and Sub-species of Ophion
| 1. Ocelli small (Text-Fig. 3, Fig. 11), the posterior ocelli about their diameter or more from the eyes: width of malar space as great or greater than the basal width of mandibles | O. inutilis Smith | 2 |
| Ocelli large (Text-Fig. 3, Fig. 12), the posterior cell usually ¼ to ¾ their diameter from eyes: width of malar space not as great as width of mandibles at base | O. oculatus n.sp. | 7 |
| 2. Thorax entirely brown without black markings | 3 | |
| Thorax brown, marked sparsely or extensively with black | 4 | |
| 3. Entirely red-brown, with light stramineous costa, stigma, and veins | O. inutilis inutilis Smith | |
| Dark brown, with dark brown costa and dark testaceous stigma and veins | O. inutilis punctatus Cam. | |
| 4. Pronotum, metapleurae and propodeum entirely brown | 5 | |
| Pronotum, meopleura propodeum, metapleura entirely black | 6 | |
| 5. Mesonotum testaceous with stramineous vittati: basal fovea of propodeum, flagellum transverse costae extending from scutellum to base of hindwings; mesosuteus of sternum deeply infuscated: propodeum finely rugosely punctate: Posterior coxae glabrous | O. inutilis vittatus n. sub.sp. | |
| Mesonotum without stramineous vittati: basal fovea of propodeum and sternum black; propodeum more coarsely rugosely punctate; posterior coxae densely punctate | O. inutilis intermedius n.sub.sp. | |
| 6. Mesopleurae, metapleurae and propodeum black with brown markings: posterior coxae entirely brown | O. inutilis nigravarium n.sub sp. | |
| Mesopleurae, metapleurae and propodeum entirely black: posterior coxae basally black | O. inutilis distinctus n.sub sp. | |
| 7 Spiracles of 1st abdominal segment projecting strongly laterally, post petiolar area ⅔ as wide apically as long. Thorax rugosely punctate; stigma and costa light testaceous | O. oculatus rugosus n.sub.sp. | |
| Spiracle of 1st abdominal segment not projecting laterally: post petiolar area under ¾ the width at apex as long; with width at apex and base subequal: thorax not rugosely punctate stigma, and costa dark brown | O. oculatus oculatus n. sub.sp. |
Ophion inutilis Smith 1876.
Ophion inutilis inutilis Smith 1876.
Ophion inutilis Smith. Trans. Ent. Soc. Lond., 1876. p. 478.
Female. A ferrugineous species 7–11 mm. in length.
Face and clypeus finely punctate, cheeks and caput, minutely punctate: malar space wide sub-equal to width of mandibles at base: genal costa join hypostomal costa at a distance from base of mandibles about equal to molar space; mandibles only slightly narrower at apex than at base: teeth equal in length. Cheeks wide, slightly buccate, their width not quite width of eye in profile. posterior ocelli not
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quite their diameter from the eye, and about the same distance from each other, and about their diameter from occipital carina: pronotum, and pleurae very closely punctate, punctures small and in places contiguous: metapleurae not so densely punctate: propodeum rugosely punctate, evenly round dorsally, with usually a short, obsolete, transverse median carina near base. Abdomen short and apically moderately deep. Length of ovipositor about half the depth of abdomen at apex.
Male. Similar.
1 ♀ Manawatu, N. Island (Entom. Res. Stn. Coll.).
1 ♂ Wellington, January, 1924 (Dom. Mus.).
1 ♀ Whitanui, November, 1916 (Cawth. Inst. Coll.).
1 ♂ Paiaka (Ent. Res. Stn.)
1 ♀ Chatham Islands, January, 1924 (Cawth. Inst. Coll.).
Ophion inutilis punctatus Smith, 1878.
Ophion inutilis Smith, Trans. Ent Soc Lond, 1878, p. 2.
Ophion punctatus Cameron, Mem. Manch. Lit. Boc., 1898, p. 34.
Ophion insulicola Dalla Torre 1902, Catal. Hynenoptera, p. 192.
Ophion punctatus Morley, Rev Ichneum. B.M, Part I, 1912, p. 65.
Female. A dark-brown species with inner orbits widely, and mandibles fulvous; antennae dark brown throughout, darker towards apex. Legs yellowish brown, claws darker.
Face, clypeus and mandibles punctate. caput and cheeks nearly impunctate, nitidulous; internal orbits shallowly emargmate opposite internal base, parallel towards clypeus. Mandibles very slightly narrower at apex than at base, teeth equal in length, malar space wide, nearly equal width of mandibles at base: width of cheeks, usually slightly less than width of eye in profile; faintly buccate: genal costa meets the hypostomal at about ½ malar space, or nearer from base of mandibles ocelli relatively small, posterior ocelli about their diameter from eyes and a similar distance from each other, and up to twice their diameter from occipital carina: pronotum, and mesopleurae, evenly punctate, punctures on mesonotum somewhat smaller and closer together: scutellum more sparsely punctate: mesopleurae, convex, normally not quite so much so in the typical sub-species; distinctly punctate, but punctures more widely spaced than on mesopleurae posterior coxae minutely punctate: abdomen 1st tergite glabrous, ⅓ longer than 2nd, the latter subequal to 3rd tergite in length, hind and forewing venation similar to typical sub-species, nervulus usually oblique, and not interstitial with basal vein, which is gently curved before joining the medius: discocubitus and adjacent veins and cells as figured (Text-Fig. 3, Fig. 10): post nervulus broken by subdiscoideus about the middle: abscissula faintly bent, nearly three times the length of intercubitella. nervellus, slightly postfurcal, under abscissa perpendicular, and broken at lower 3rd. Length, 8–11 mm.
Male. Similar.
Material
2 ♀ Wellington. (Cawth Instit. Coll.).
2 ♀ ♀ Aniseed Valley, Nelson, December, 1923. (A. Philpott.) (Cawth. Inst. Coll.).
3 ♀ ♀ Broad Bay, Otago (G. Howes), November, 1916. (Auck. Mus.).
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Text-fig. 3—Fig 9—Ophion oculatus oculatus N. Sp Discocubital area of forewing. Fig 10—Ophion inutilis punctatus Cameron. Discocubital area of forewing. Fig. 11—Ophion inutilis inutilis Smith. Dorsal view of head showing relative size and position of ocelli Fig. 12—Ophion oculatus N.Sp Dorsal view of head showing relative size and position of ocelli.
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1 ♂ Dallington, Christchurch (E. S. Gourlay). (Cawthron Inst. Coll.).
1 ♂ Opoho, Dunedin, January, 1924 (G. Howes). (Auck. Mus Coll.)
1 ♀ Arthur's Pass, January, 1943 (E. S. Gourlay). (Cawth. Inst. Coll.)
1 ♀ Canterbury (Wakefield Coll. Cant. Mus.). Ohakune, November. 1919 (J. W. Campbell). (Auck. Mus.)
1 ♂ Cape Saunders, November, 1922. (Auck. Mus.)
Ophion inutilis vittatus, n.sub.sp.
A testaceous and strammeous sub-species; with distinct testaceous vittati on mesonotum. Hand with the inner orbits and mandibles and scape testaceous: flagellum deeply infuscated, black towards apex pronotum and two wide median stripes on anterior of mesonotum, joining at centre and posteriorly testaceous Tegulae, anterior border of mesopleurae, an obscure patch on posterior border stramineous. The mesosuteus of sternum, sclerite at base of forewing, the transverse costae extending from apex of scutellum to base of hindwing and the propodial fovea infuscated, the remaining parts of thorax, and legs testaceous; the anterior tarsi lightly infuscated. Venation and other characters similar to typical form. Length, 13 mm. Length forewing, 10 mm.
1 ♀ Mt. Ida, Febr. 1922 (Auck. Mus.). 1 ♀ Mt. Maungatua, Febr. 1924.
Ophion inutilis nigra-foveatus n.sub.sp.
A ferrugineous sub-species with inner orbits flavous, a black patch on frons and at base of mandibles: width of malar space about 1 ¼ times the width of mandibles at base: thorax ferrugineous, except for the following areas, which are black: posterior and dorsal margins of pronotum; mesopleural fovea, patch under forewing, anterior and ventral margins of metanotum, scutellar fovea, lateral excavations of scutellum and post-scutellum, basal fovea of propodeum, apex of propodeum, and sternum: abdomen is ferrugineous with the ventral area black, and clouded irregularly on tergites with black: tegulae flavous, costa and stigma testaceous.
1 ♂ (Holotype) Cleughearn, November, 1919 (Cawth. Inst).
Ophion inutilis intermedius n.sub.sp.
Male. Length, 10 mm.
A rugosely punctate brown sub-species, with the following parts of thorax black: at base of forewing: transverse carinae extending from apex of scutellum to base of hindwing: propodeal fovea: mesopleural fovea and continued under base of wings: an irregular spot on ventral area of mesopleurae, and the sternum.
1 ♂ (Holotype) Otago, October, 1923.
Ophion inutilis nigravarius n.sub.sp.
Male. Length, 11 mm.
Face flavous, frons and caput black: mesonotum with a short, median longitudinal band of black on anterior slope, remainder brown infuscated lightly, centrally and laterally: pronotum with a central infuscated stripe: scutellum and post-scutellum brown, lateral excavations black, mesopleurae black, with a wide longitudinal brown stripe. Metapleurae black, with the centre brown: propodeum
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black, with a large patch of brown on each side anteriorly: hind coxae entirely brown: scape and flagellum black-brown: sternum entirely black.
1 ♂ (Holotype) “The Hump”, Fabr. 1919. (Cant. Mus. Coll.)
Ophion inutilis distinctus n.sub.sp.
Male. Length, 11 mm.
This sub-species may be distinguished by the entirely black, mesopleurae, metapleurae and propodeum: mesonotum brown with a wide lateral stripe each side and a wide, short median longitudinal stripe on anterior slope: legs, stigma, costa and flagellum inner orbits and basal portion of vein of both fore and hindwings flavous.
1 ♂ Homer Tunnel, S.W. Otago, 21st Jan. 1946 (Coll. J. T. Salmon).
Ophion occulatus n.sp.
Ophion occulatus occulatus n.sub.sp.
Male and Female.
A dark brown median size species: characterised by the following combination of characters, malar space short, about equal to or shorter than ¾ the width of mandibles at base: cheeks, sub-buccate, a little less in width than width of eye in profile: ocelli relatively large, posterior pair about ½ or less their diameter from eye, and usually a little nearer to each other; and separated from the occipital carina by a space about equal to their diameter: pronotum, and mesopleurae, finely punctate; metapleurae punctate on upper half, impunctate ventrally, conspicuously convex: abdomen with 2nd tergite just under ⅗ the length of 1st tergite, and subequal with 3rd tergite: forewing with basal vein slightly sinuated, interstitial or sub-interstitial with nervulus, which is nearly vertical, seldom oblique: the discocubitus and adjacent veins see fig. (Text-Fig. 3, Fig. 9). Hindwing with abscissula, slightly bent and nearly four times the length of intercubitella (see Text-Fig. 1, fig. 8) Nervellus as figured (Text-Fig. 1, Fig. 8).
Length, 12–15 mm.
1 ♀ Auckland, December, 1911 (G. Howes). (Aust. Mus.)
2 ♀ Ohakune, December, 1919 (J W. Campbell) (D.S.I.R O)
1 specimen (damaged), Arthur's Pass, Fabr., 1920 (E. S. Gourlay). (D.S.I.R O. Coll.)
1 ♂ Auckland, December, 1911 (G. Howes). (Cawth. Inst.)
1 ♀ Jack's Pass, Hanmer, November, 1932 (S. Lindsay). (Cant. Mus.)
1 ♀ The Wilderness, January, 1946 (J. T. Salmon). (Dom. Mus.)
1 ♂ Waitaki, S. Canterbury, March, 1917. (Auck. Mus)
1 ♂ Woodhaugh, Dunedin, January, 1920 (G. Howes). (Auck. Mus.)
1 ♂ Alexandra, Otago, December, 1914 (Fenwick Coll.). (Dom. Mus.)
1 ♂ — Peal Forest, December, 1917 (S Lindsay). (Cant. Mus)
1 ♀ Leith, Dunedin, Fabr., 1920 (G. Howes). (Auck. Mus.)
Ophion oculatus rugosa n.sub.sp.
Female. Length, 15 mm.
Thorax rugosely punctate, the lateral carinae of scutellum, low and inconspicuous: scutellum rugosely punctate, not nitidulous and sparsely punctate as in typical sub-species. ♀ (Holotype) Arthur's Pass, West Coast, S. Island. Febr., 1940 (J. T. Salmon). (Dom. Mus.)