Scelio nisa Kozlov

Yoder, Matthew, Polaszek, Andrew, Masner, Lubomir, Johnson, Norman & Valerio, Alejandro, 2009, Revision of Scelio pulchripennis - group species (Hymenoptera, Platygastroidea, Platygastridae), ZooKeys 20 (20), pp. 53-118 : 89-91

Scelio nisa Kozlov

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:015A5CE0-C6E8-4F35-AAFD-FDF5743B006C urn:lsid:biosci.ohio-state.edu:osuc_concepts:5284

Figs 67–72; Morphbank 21

Scelio nisa Kozlov, 1972: 648 (original description); Kozlov & Kononova, 1990: 220, 223 (description, keyed); Kononova, 1995: 73 (keyed); Kononova & Kozlov, 2008: 141, 166 (description, keyed).

Description. Female body length: 4.77 mm (n=1). Color of antenna in female: A1 brown to dark brown, A2–A3 yellow-brown, remaining brown to dark brown. Color of head in female: black. Color of mesosoma in female: dark brown to black. Color of coxae in female: brown to dark brown. Color of leg past coxa in female: brown to dark brown. Color of metasoma in female: black.

Sculpture of lower frons in female: transverse striae, obliterated and smooth throughout. Sculpture of ventrolateral frons in female: smooth, with only setigerous punctures. Form of malar sulcus in female: sulcus percurrent, slit, groove or carina extremely narrow but course well defined. Sculpture of upper frons of female: more or less obliterated, with sparse irregular reticulation and depression at setal bases. Sculpture of dorsal head between and posterior to lateral ocelli in female: coarse irregular transverse striae. Mandible of female: upper tooth typically developed, lower tooth very short but clearly present, truncate to pointed.

Transverse pronotal carina in female: well developed, linear or with extremely slight deviations, contiguous with mesoscutum or interrupted by a single subpolygonal cell, anterior shoulder relatively abruptly transitioned to anterior pronotum. Sculpture of medial mesoscutum in female: irregular flattened to obliterated longitudinal-reticulate sculpture. Sculpture of notaular course in female: obscured single row of coarse irregular foveae. Sculpture of lateral mesoscutum in female: absent, or with obliterated patch that covers at least 1/2 of area. Sculpture of mesoscutellum in female: irregularly longitudinally striate, sparsely to moderately reticulate, or predominantly irregular reticulate to rugulose, carinae slightly to strongly flattened, with or without slight longitudinal trend. Sculpture of lateral pronotum in female (excluding interstitial sculpture): with smooth to obliterated patch immediately below lateral epomial carina, otherwise reticulate with few to moderate longitudinal elements. Pronotal verricule in female: apparently absent. Pronotal setal patch posteroventral to end of lateral epomial carina in female: dense (around 5 to many) small patch of appressed to slightly semi-decumbent setae. Sculpture of mesopleural depression in female: obliterated flattened reticulations, with some longitudinal trend. Pilosity of anteroventral metapleuron in female: glabrous, or sparsely setose. Dorsal surface of hind tibia in female: typical distribution and moderate length, setae appressed to loosely appressed, more or less straight. Shape of hind femur in female: narrow, dorsal and ventral surfaces relatively symmetrical. Basal pigmented spot of fore wing in female: medially situated, not reaching fore or hind margin, posteriorly fused with apical pigmented area. Basal fascia of fore wing in female: broadly semi-circular, interrupted from posterior margin by extension of basal pigmented spot. Apical fascia of fore wing in female: absent, fore wing past marginal vein gradually lightening.

Sculpture of dorsal T 1 in female: longitudinally striate, with few to no transverse divisions or reticulations, interstices smooth or with very slight irregular microsculpture. Sculpture of dorsal T 2 in female: fine parallel to slightly reticulate striae with minutely colliculate to transverse sculpture within interstices. Sculpture of anterior T2

Figures 67–72 .60 Scelio nisa Kozlov (OSUC 235081). 67 Habitus, dorsal view 68 Habitus, lateral view 69 Mesosoma, dorsal view 70 Mesosoma, lateral view 7Ι Head, anterior view 72 Mesonotum, dorsal view. Scale bars in millimeters.

through anterior depression in female: percurrent. Sculpture of dorsal T 3 in female: fine parallel to irregular longitudinal striae, with reticulation absent to moderately present. Medial sculpture of T 4 in female: present. Medial sculpture of T 5 in female: obliterated to smooth. Sculpture of T2–T5 curved transition from dorsal to lateral terga in female: obliterated to smooth. Profile of female metasoma in lateral view: dorsal and ventral surfaces more or less evenly convex. Sculpture of lateral T2–T 6 in female: with some fine striae ventrally, particularly medially, dorsally smooth. Pilosity of laterotergites in female: glabrous, or apparently so.

Diagnosis. Easily diagnosed from all other species by its large size, black body, and predominantly obliterated or flattened sculpture.

Link to distribution map. [http://osuc.biosci.ohio-state.edu/HymOnline/maplarge.html?id=5284]

Material examined. Other material: MONGOLIA: 1 female, OSUC 235081 ( CNCI).

Comments. The holotype was observed early in this study and could not be examined later. Th e descriptions published by M.A. Kozlov and S.V. Kononova match well with the specimen in hand from Mongolia, and the species is very distinct from other members of the pulchripennis group. Th us, we feel reasonably confident that we have correctly interpreted this concept.