1

Topic: Ophion revision

Hi Chris,

The following message comes from the SEWBReC facebook page:

The 'horse's head' on the forewings is indicative of Ophion sp and my ID was taken further by Jaswinder Boparai, on the UK Bees, Wasps & Ants Facebook Group, who suggested it was probably Ophion slaviceki.
This species doesn't appear on SEWBReCORD, and I found, after a bit of on-line searching, that Ophion slaviceki is a synonym of Ophion luteus. I have therefore entered this record on SEWBReCORD as Ophion luteus, but when I queried the preferred name with Jaswinder his reply was as follows -
"  There has been a revision of the Swedish (European) species of Ophioninae, where Ophion luteus is still a valid name, but for the species that flies earlier in the year and is much scarcer in Britain, so your LERC will have to update, as well as irecord, but on irecord someone can correct and verify your record and it can be added to the nocturnal recording scheme  "

I'm not sure where this revision is published, but can you raise the status of Ophion slaviceki from synonym to species?

Cheers,
Dave

Dave Slade
Senior IT & Records Officer,
15 Talbot Road, Talbot Green, Pontyclun, CF72 8AD
www.sewbrec.org.uk, www.sewbrecord.org.uk

2

Re: Ophion revision

DaveSlade wrote:

I'm not sure where this revision is published

Could this be it: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/in … e/view/749

"Review of the Swedish species of Ophion (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae: Ophioninae), with the description of 18 new species and an illustrated key to Swedish species"

Charlie Barnes
Information Officer
Greater Lincolnshire Nature Partnership

3

Re: Ophion revision

Hi Dave

This is one that Gavin Broad and I have down to be sorted fairly soon - when he gets time to work out the effects to the UK fauna. It just needs careful thought as to what we do with the split taxa etc.

Best wishes,
Chris R.

Chris Raper, Manager of the UK Species Inventory, Angela Marmont Centre for UK Biodiversity,
Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London, SW7 5BD.  (tel: 020 7942 5894)
also Tachinid Recording Scheme (http://tachinidae.org.uk/)