Scelio tritus 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 : 173-175

Scelio tritus Yoder sp. n. Figures 5, 401-406; Morphbank 81

Description.

Female body length: 3.30-4.36 mm (n=19). Male body length: 3.20-4.15 mm (n=20). Form of sculpture of frons below anterior ocellus in female: fine dorsoventral striae with few to no reticulations. Distribution of sculpture of frons posterior to anterior ocellus in female: more or less uniform throughout; with at least some obliterated or reduced patches of sculpture posteriorly. Color of pilosity of dorsomedial head in female: white or predominantly white; brown or predominantly brown. Sculpture of ventrolateral corner of frons adjacent to malar sulcus in male: predominantly dorsoventral. Form of anteclypeus between medial teeth in female: striplike, broadly concave. Form of anteclypeus between medial teeth in males: produced, rounded to truncate medially. Form of lateral gena below eye in anterior view in female: evenly rounded towards mandible, not bulging laterally. Sculpture of anteclypeus: largely smooth, with few thick dorsoventral ridges. Sculpture of pronotal nucha in female: present throughout. Color of pilosity on mesonotum in female: predominantly white throughout; predominantly brown throughout; predominantly white on mesoscutum, predominantly brown on mesoscutellum. Sculpture of mesoscutellum in female: predominantly irregular rugulose to reticulate. Sculpture of oxter: with prominent smooth patch. Pilosity of metapleuron overlapping or arising within posteroventral quadrant in female: 2 setae; 3 setae; 4 or more setae. Color of fore wing in female: evenly colored throughout. Color of fore wing in male: more or less 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: absent. 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: sparsely setose to glabrous. Form of medial surface of S3-S5 in males: broadly concave, S3 posterior concavity extending into anterior half of sclerite.

Diagnosis.

This species is most similar to Scelio afer with which it shares the broadly concave anteclypeus (Fig. 405) and, in some specimens, the slightly obliterated sculpture of the dorsal head (as in Fig. 337). It differs from Scelio afer by the sculptured dorsal pronotal nucha (vs. clearly evident smooth patches), the concolorous pilosity of the dorsomedial head and mesonotum (mesoscutellar pilosity distinctly darker in Scelio afer ), and the absence of micropilosity on the anterolateral portion of T3.

Etymology.

The epithet is used as a adjective derived from the Latin word for familiar or commonplace, in reference to its relatively abundance within Madagascar.

Link to distribution map.

http://hol.osu.edu/map-large.html?id=244618

Associations.

Emerged from egg of Acrididae [ Orthoptera : Acrididae ]; emerged from ootheca of Heteracris zolotarevskyi Dirsh [ Orthoptera : Acrididae ]; emerged from leaf of Kalanchoe delagoensis Eckl. & Zeyh. [Rosales: Crassulaceae ].

Material examined.

Holotype, female: MADAGASCAR: Mahajanga Auto. Prov., 3.4km (93°) E Bekopaka, Vazimba Tomb, tropical dry forest, BLF4233, Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park, 19°08'31"S, 44°49'41"E, 50m, 6. XI– 10.XI.2001, malaise trap, Fisher, Griswold et al., CASENT 8106001 (deposited in CASC). Paratypes: MADAGASCAR: 47 females, 62 males, CASENT 2042629-2042634, 2042891, 2043301, 2043333, 2043344, 2043588, 2043590, 2043592, 2043953, 2043994, 2043996, 2132180, 2132216, 2132285, 2132310, 2132322, 2132343, 2132579, 2132634, 2132703, 2132764, 2132827, 2132851, 2132874, 2133074, 2133083, 2133125, 2133183, 2133192, 2133204, 2133370, 2133492, 2133495, 2133497-2133498, 2133505-2133506, 2133523, 2133532, 2133599, 2133601, 2133656, 2133660, 2133681, 2133707, 2133773, 2133783, 2133802, 2133859, 2133861, 2133955, 2133985, 2134007, 2134011, 2134035, 2134179, 2134236, 2134249, 2134353, 2134405, 2134587, 2134745, 2134778, 2134846, 8097474, 8106003, 8106062, 8106076, 8106176, 8106263, 8106332, 8106342, 8106508, 8106521, 8106532, 8106535, 8106545, 8106562, 8106568, 8106638, 8106734, 8106774, 8106818, 8106852, 8106896, OSUC 212014, OSUC 212017, OSUC 212025, OSUC 212028, OSUC 212036, OSUC 212037 (CASC); OSUC 212466, 212468, 212530, 212532, 234770 (CNCI); CASENT 2043586, 2133234, 2134010, 2134715, OSUC 142625, OSUC 211868, OSUC 60591 (OSUC); OSUC 213378 (SANC). Other material: MADAGASCAR: 7 females, 18 males, OSUC 244181a, 244181 b– 244184a, 244184 b– 244185, 244187-244188b, 244188 c– 244189c, 244191-244193a, 244193c, 261194, 261196-261198, 261381-261386 (MNHN).

Comments.

Scelio tritus is not known from mainland Africa and is only one of two walkeri-group species in Madagascar (see also Comments on Scelio afer ). Scelio tritus is very similar to the widespread Scelio afer , however, congruence in several subtle characters (see Diagnosis) can be used to separate the two. While a few specimens have similarly obliterated sculpture of the dorsal head as seen in Scelio afer , the majority do not. The color of pilosity on the dorsal head and mesonotum is more or less concolorous for a given specimen, but varies among individuals. This general pattern contrasts that of individuals of Scelio afer which always have the mesoscutellar pilosity darker than that of the mesoscutum. The pronotal nucha is relatively robustly sculptured as compared to other species in this group. The pilosity of the lateral metasoma tends to be less dense or absent towards the anterior and posterior of each tergite (Fig. 406). A small number of specimens (CASENT 2134007, 2134010, 2134011, and OSUC 142625, 213378) are notable for their dense, completely white and somewhat thicker pilosity. These otherwise fit well with the remaining material.

The five specimens from the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle with letters following the identifiers are mounted with other specimens on the same pins. They are excluded from the type series in order to try to avoid future confusions.