Scelio bubulo 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 : 75-77

Scelio bubulo Yoder sp. n. Figures 163-168; Morphbank 42

Description.

Female body length: 4.24-4.87 mm (n=7). Color of pilosity of dorsal head in female: golden to brown. Occipital carina in female: percurrent. Color of pilosity of the frons below the anterior ocellus in female: predominantly golden to brown. Pilosity of eye in female: absent; present. Medial keel on interantennal process: absent. Width of lower gena in lateral view: narrowing dorsally, posterior margin of lower half of gena angled with respect to posterior orbit. Genal carina: present. Color of genal pilosity: brown. Color of scape in female: brown to dark brown throughout. Surface of the pronotal nucha in female: predominantly sculptured; predominantly smooth. Color of pilosity of pronotal shoulder in female: golden to dark brown, concolorous with that of mesoscutum. Sculpture of medial mesoscutum in female: predominantly angular reticulate to rugulose. Color of pilosity of mesoscutum in female: predominantly light brown to brown. Notaulus in female: not delimited. Form of axillular carina in female: lobelike in posterolateral corner. Pilosity of propodeal nucha: present. Pilosity of netrion: present. Surface of mesopleural depression in female: sculptured throughout. Form of ventral margin of villus in female: very slightly concave, almost straight. Color of coxae in female: brown. Color of hind femur: dark brown with white base. Color of hind tibia: white basally, dark brown apically. fore wing length in female: apex surpassing posterior margin of T6. Color of metasoma: entirely dark brown. Sculpture of laterotergites in female: predominantly smooth. Pilosity of laterotergites in female: absent. Sculpture of medial T1 in female: most prominent elements predominantly longitudinal. Sculpture of medial T2 in female: most prominent elements predominantly longitudinal. Pattern of sculpture on T3-T5 in female: predominantly longitudinally striate. Color of pilosity on lateral T3-T5 in female: predominantly golden to brown. Lateral profile of T6 in female: vertically sloped in posterior half. Sculpture of T6 in female: predominantly rugulose to reticulate. Sculpture of lateral metasomal sternal bar in female: minutely reticulate throughout. Distribution of felt fields: 2 pairs present (S2, S3).

Diagnosis.

Similar to other species of the brown subgroup that have the lateral node of the mesoscutellum developed into a flange or node. Differing from all these species by presence of setae on the netrion and the degree of development and form of the lateral node of the axillular carina which is large, round, lobelike vs. small, sharp and bladelike.

Etymology.

The epithet is used as a noun in apposition derived from the Latin word for hoot like an owl.

Link to distribution map.

http://hol.osu.edu/map-large.html?id=244978

Material examined.

Holotype, female: CAMEROON: Nkoemvom, 24.VIII.1983, malaise trap, D. Jackson, OSUC 213024 (deposited in BMNH). Paratypes: (6 females) GHANA: 1 female, OSUC 212504 (CNCI). GUINEA: 3 females, OSUC 213099, 213101 (CNCI); OSUC 213102 (OSUC). SIERRA LEONE: 1 female, OSUC 244054 (MZLU). UGANDA: 1 female, OSUC 212348 (CNCI).

Comments.

The presence of pilosity on the propodeal nucha and netrion may not be independent as both states are also found together in Scelio philippinensis , though the two species do not appear to be closely related. The frons between the eyes is notably narrow, as are the mandibles (Fig. 167). The fore wing in females appears to extend just past the apex of the metasoma.