Oxyscelio crebritas Burks

Burks, Roger A., Masner, Lubomir, Johnson, Norman F. & Austin, Andrew D., 2013, Systematics of the parasitic wasp genus Oxyscelio Kieffer (Hymenoptera, Platygastridae s. l.), Part I: Indo-Malayan and Palearctic fauna, ZooKeys 292, pp. 1-263 : 84-89

Oxyscelio crebritas Burks sp. n. Figures 133-138Morphbank50

Description.

Female. Body length 3.25-5.6 mm (n=20).

Radicle color: darker than scape. Scape color: Yellowish. A4: broader than long. A5: broader than long. Antennal club: formed, segments compact.

Interantennal process: not elongate. Median longitudinal elevation in frontal depression: absent. Frontal depression: concave. Frontal depression sculpture: with 3-5 complete transverse carinae. Submedian carina: strong, formed by a sharp raised ca rina. Submedian carina medially: without peak. Concavity across dorsal part of frontal depression: absent. Depression extending ventrally from median ocellus: absent. Upper frons: not hood-like. Malar area near antennal foramen: without carina or expansion. Malar area at mouth corner: with radiating striae. Smooth strip along posterior side of malar sulcus: absent or not consistently broad. Middle genal carina: present. Direction of middle genal carina dorsally: parallel to eye margin. Major sculpture of gena anteriorly: umbilicate-foveate. Major sculpture of gena posteriorly: umbilicate-foveate; rugose. Microsculpture of gena anteroventrally: absent. Microsculpture of gena posteroventrally: absent. Median carina extending posteriorly from hyperoccipital carina: absent. Hyperoccipital carina: not indicated medially; indicated by rugae. Lateral connection between hyperoccipital and occipital carinae: absent. Area between vertex and occipital carina: umbilicate-foveate. Occipital carina medially: uniformly rounded. Lateral corners of occipital carina: not protruding.

Lateral pronotal area: without bulge projecting towards anterior pit. Epomial corner: strong. Netrion surface anteriorly: not inflexed. Mesoscutum anteriorly: steep; not steep. Mesoscutal median carina: present and complete. Longitudinal carina between median carina and notauli: absent; present. Major sculpture of medial mesoscutum anteriorly: umbilicate-foveate. Major sculpture of medial mesoscutum posteriorly: umbilicate-foveate; umbilicate-punctate. Microsculpture of medial mesoscutum anteriorly: granulate. Microsculpture of medial mesoscutum posteriorly: absent. Major sculpture of mesoscutellum: umbilicate-foveate; longitudinally rugose. Microsculpture of mesoscutellum medially: absent. Microsculpture of mesoscutellum laterally: absent. Mesoscutellar apex: convex or straight. Setae along anterior limit of femoral depression: arising from rows of foveae. Number of carinae crossing speculum above femoral depression: 2. Number of carinae crossing femoral depression: 3-5. Mesepimeral sulcus pits: more than 5. Metascutellum dorsally: concave. Metascutellar sculpture dorsally: smooth or with transverse carinae. Median carina of metascutellum: absent or branched. Metascutellar setae: absent. Metascutellar apex: convex or straight. Metapleuron above ventral metapleural area: crossed by carinae. Metasomal depression setae: absent. Lateral propodeal carinae anteromedially: strongly diverging; weakly diverging. Anterior areoles of metasomal depression: absent. Anterior longitudinal carinae in metasomal depression: absent. Lateral propodeal areas: separated medially. Postmarginal vein: present. Fore wing apex: reaching middle of T5; reaching apex of T5; reaching apex of T6; reaching beyond T6; reaching middle of T6.

T1 midlobe: with 5 longitudinal carinae. T1: without anterior bulge. T2: with straight longitudinal striae or rugae. T6: broader than long. Apical flange of T6: exposed apically. Metasomal apex: rounded. Major sculpture of T6: umbilicate-punctate; longitudinally striate or rugose. Microsculpture of T6: absent; granulate.

Male. Body length 2.95-4.75 mm (n=20). A5 tyloid: carina-like, not expanded. A11: broader than long; as long as broad. Median tooth of frontal depression: absent. Median lobe of T1: with 3 longitudinal carinae. Metasomal apex: with acuminate lateral corners.

Diagnosis.

Both sexes: Middle genal carina subparallel with eye margin. Hyperoccipital carina absent or indicated by rugae. Mesoscutellum strongly umbilicate-foveolate, without granulate sculpture. Metascutellum concave dorsally, smooth aside from some transverse carinae. Female: A5 broader than long. T1 midlobe with 5 longitudinal carinae or a slight anterior bulge. T6 rounded apically and not longer than broad. Mesopleuron, along ventral margin of femoral depression, with only a few setae, these arising from foveae. Male: T1 midlobe with 3 longitudinal carinae. T7 with short, sharp and protruding posterolateral corners.

Etymology.

Latin noun in apposition to the generic name, meaning “common.”

Link to distribution map.

[http://hol.osu.edu/map-full.html?id=275371]

Material examined.

Holotype, female: THAILAND: Sakon Nakhon Prov., nr. office, dry evergreen, T2494, Phu Phan National Park, 16°48.618'N, 103°53.476'E, 526m, 4.VI-10.VI.2007, malaise trap, W. Kongnara, OSUC 336709 (deposited in QSBG). Paratypes: (134 females, 187 males, 1 unknown) INDONESIA: 15 females, 51 males, OSUC 376615 (BMNH); OSUC 368960, 369082, 369182, 369196, 369221, 369251, 369281, 369288, 369297, 369300 (CNCI); OSUC 228687, 228706, 228741, 228743-228745, 247961, 251438, 257045, 257047-257048, 257057, 257087, 257426, 464003-464004 (MBBJ); OSUC 228690, 228717, 228725, 228734-228735, 241816, 247814, 247817, 247819, 247833, 248891, 257419, 453947-453948, 464002, 58663 (OSUC); OSUC 228693-228694, 228707, 228718-228719, 240917, 247835, 247940, 257033, 257049, 257078, 257086, 257088, 464001, ROMEnt Spec. No. 112243, ROMEnt Spec. No. 112247, ROMEnt Spec. No. 112248, ROMEnt Spec. No. 112260 (ROME); OSUC 448565-448566, 448591, 448593, 453946 (WINC). LAOS: 8 females, 5 males, OSUC 368865-368866, 368871, 368879, 368892-368893, 368895, 368900, 368902-368904, 368907, 464009 (CNCI). MALAYSIA: 24 females, 37 males, 1 unknown, OSUC 376584-376585, 376600-376601, 376665-376666 (BMNH); OSUC 369011, 369014-369016, 369018, 369020, 369023-369025, 369028, 369066, 369307-369314, 369316-369319, 369321-369322, 369326, 369328, 369330-369332, 463991, 463993, 463995 (CNCI); OSUC 376743, 376745 (MCZC); OSUC 398961, 453761, 453770, 453780, 453790-453792 (OSUC); OSUC 436908-436921 (WINC).NEPAL: 7 females, 2 males, OSUC 238924 (BMNH); OSUC 369139, 369149, 369166, 369169, 369172-369173, 369177-369178 (CNCI). SINGAPORE: 1 female, 1 male, OSUC 376758-376759 (MCZC). TAIWAN: 1 female, 10 males, OSUC 368775, 368777, 368784, 368787, 368795, 368802, 368808, 368812, 368828-368829, 368849 (CNCI). THAILAND: 78 females, 73 males, OSUC 320403, 335200, 352496, 361368, 361370 (BMNH); OSUC 368609, 368619, 368678, 368692, 368694, 368702, 368706, 368708-368711, 368716-368717, 368719, 368727-368728, 368734, 368738, 368755-368756, 368759-368760, 462829-462830, 464014, 464016-464017, 464031-464033, 464035, 464038-464039, 464041, 464043, 464053 (CNCI); OSUC 251434, 280509, 280517, 285203, 320394, 320414, 322096, 335169, 335199, 335202, 335217, 335632, 336088-336090, 336164, 336780, 352495, 352497-352498, 352500, 352517, 352520-352522, 352526-352527, 352911, 352914-352915, 361293-361295, 361348, 361353, 361360, 361367, 361928, 361937, 368522 (OSUC); OSUC 224373, 237455, 247623, 252042, 257383, 257387, 280499, 280514-280515, 285200, 285218, 309713, 317856, 317867, 317878, 317887-317890, 320392, 320395, 320409, 320415-320417, 322072, 322097, 322131, 335072, 335146-335148, 335213-335216, 335937, 335984-335985, 336023, 336120, 336124, 336126-336127, 336761, 336782, 352499, 352501, 352516, 352518-352519, 352525, 352528, 352913, 361214, 361217, 361277, 361332, 361335, 361344, 361347, 361359, 361371-361372, 361934, 361936, 361965, 368504, 368515 (QSBG); UCRC ENT 135263 (UCRC). VIETNAM: 8 males, OSUC 369102, 369104-369105, 369110, 369124-369125 (CNCI); OSUC 240935, 352920 (ROME).

Comments.

Oxyscelio crebritas is one of the most commonly collected species of Oxyscelio . It exhibits some partially geographically correlated variation across its broad range. This includes variation in strength and number of carinae along the gena, meta somal length, wing color, and strength of sculpture. While it is possible to separate most females into three main variants in Thailand, Vietnam, and Borneo based on T1 midlobe sculpture, genal sculpture, and wing color, many males could not be definitively assigned to any of these forms. Nearly identical specimens collected from other areas were also difficult to distinguish from these forms. It is therefore possible that Oxyscelio crebritas represents a complex of sibling species. Regional variants should be more closely studied to test this. For the purposes of this revision, they were combined into a single species to avoid presenting a large number of named species that could hardly be identified.