Scelio retifrons Yoder

Yoder, Matthew J., Valerio, Alejandro A., Polaszek, Andrew, Noort, Simon van, Masner, Lubomir & Johnson, Norman F., 2014, Monograph of the Afrotropical species of Scelio Latreille (Hymenoptera, Platygastridae), egg parasitoids of acridid grasshoppers (Orthoptera, Acrididae), ZooKeys 380, pp. 1-188 : 168-170

Scelio retifrons Yoder sp. n. Figures 389-394; Morphbank 79

Description.

Female body length: 5.15 mm (n=1). Form of sculpture of frons below anterior ocellus in female: robustly reticulate. Distribution of sculpture of frons posterior to anterior ocellus in female: more or less uniform throughout. Color of pilosity of dorsomedial head in female: white or predominantly white. Form of anteclypeus between medial teeth in female: produced, truncate medially. Form of lateral gena below eye in anterior view in female: evenly rounded towards mandible, not bulging laterally. Sculpture of anteclypeus: smooth throughout. Sculpture of pronotal nucha in female: present throughout. Color of pilosity on mesonotum in female: predominantly white throughout. Sculpture of mesoscutellum in female: predominantly irregular rugulose to reticulate. Sculpture of oxter: present throughout. Pilosity of metapleuron overlapping or arising within posteroventral quadrant in female: 2 setae. Color of fore wing in female: evenly colored throughout. Color of pilosity on lateral T2-T5 in female: T2-T5 white to off-white. Fine pilosity of lateral T1 in female: present, not reaching posterior margin. Distribution of pilosity on metasomal terga 3-5 in female: more or less uniformly present throughout. Form of setae on lateral T2-T5: predominantly thick throughout. Pilosity of anterolateral corner of dorsal T3 in female: with patch of short appressed micropilosity.

Diagnosis.

Scelio retifrons is most similar to Scelio pilosilatus with which it share the dense pilosity of the lateral metasoma and the projecting anteclypeus (Fig. 393). It differs from Scelio pilosilatus and all other Afrotropical walkeri-group species by the reticulate sculpture of the frons (Fig. 393).

Etymology.

The epithet is used as a noun in apposition derived from the Latin words for net and front, in reference to the sculpture of the frons.

Link to distribution map.

http://hol.osu.edu/map-large.html?id=244624

Material examined.

Holotype, female: IVORY COAST: Lamto Research Station, 06°13'N, 05°02'W, 5.IV.1988, malaise trap, OSUC 213170 (deposited in CNCI).

Comments.

Scelio retifrons is presently known from only a single specimen. However, among Afrotropical walkeri-group species it is unique for its size (the only species> 5 mm long) and sculpture of the frons. The frons has strong dorsoventral elements, but there are also relatively well-developed reticulations among these elements. Similar reticulate sculpture of the frons is known in species from the Arabian peninsula. The T3 anterolateral setal patch (Fig. 394) is particularly well developed and the posteroventral quadrant of the metapleuron has only 2 setae (Fig. 392).