Scelio scomma 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 : 65-67

Scelio scomma Yoder sp. n. Figures 15, 27, 139-144; Morphbank 38

Description.

Female body length: 5.04-5.91 mm (n=16). Male body length: 4.66-5.42 mm (n=7). Color of pilosity of dorsal head in female: white. Occipital carina in female: percurrent. Color of pilosity of the frons below the anterior ocellus in female: predominantly white. Pilosity of eye in female: present. Medial keel on interantennal process: absent. Width of lower gena in lateral view: wide, posterior margin of lower half of gena parallel to posterior orbit. Genal carina: absent. Color of genal pilosity: white. Color of scape in female: brown to dark brown throughout. Surface of the pronotal nucha in female: predominantly sculptured. Color of pilosity of pronotal shoulder in female: white to light brown, lighter than that of mesoscutum. Sculpture of medial mesoscutum in female: predominantly angular reticulate to rugulose. Color of pilosity of mesoscutum in female: predominantly white to off-white. Notaulus in female: not delimited. Notaulus in male: not delimited. Form of axillular carina in female: small, not particularly expanded or projected from the lateral edge of the mesoscutellum. Pilosity of propodeal nucha: absent. Pilosity of netrion: absent. Surface of mesopleural depression in female: with small smooth patch ventrally. Form of ventral margin of villus in female: bent ventrally in posterior, obviously not straight throughout. Color of coxae in female: brown. Color of hind femur: dark brown throughout. Color of hind tibia: yellow at extreme base, otherwise light brown. Fore wing length in female: apex between anterior margin of T5 and 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: T3 predominantly reticulate, T4-T5 predominantly longitudinally striate to strigose. Color of pilosity on lateral T3-T5 in female: predominantly white. Lateral profile of T6 in female: more or less horizontal. Sculpture of T6 in female: predominantly longitudinally striate to strigose. Sculpture of lateral metasomal sternal bar in female: predominantly smooth to slightly irregularly rugose. Distribution of felt fields: 2 pairs present (S2, S3).

Diagnosis.

Similar to other white subgroup species, in particular to Scelio zolotarevskyi and larger individuals of Scelio howardi . Differing from the former by the curved ventral margin of the villus, and from the latter by its large size and predominantly white setae of the dorsal head and mesoscutum ( Scelio howardi usually with some golden setae present) together with the brown to dark brown scape ( Scelio howardi usually with at least the base of scape yellow) and the presence of a small smooth patch on the lower extent of the mesopleural depression (Fig. 142) ( Scelio howardi sculptured throughout).

Etymology.

The epithet is used as a noun in apposition derived from the Latin word for taunt, jeer, or jest.

Link to distribution map.

http://hol.osu.edu/map-large.html?id=244973

Material examined.

Holotype, female: MADAGASCAR: Toliara Auto. Prov., Andohahela N.P., parcel II, transitional forest, MA-02-20-52, Tsimelahy, 24°56.21'S, 46°37.60'E, 180m, 15. I– 28.I.2004, malaise trap, M. E. Irwin, F. Parker & R. Harin’Hala, CASENT 2133165 (deposited in CASC). Paratypes: MADAGASCAR: 16 females, 7 males, CASENT 2043612-2043614, 2043909, 2132679, 2132894, 2133068, 2133071, 2133073, 2133145, 2133153, 2133156, 2134231, 2134276, 2134890, 8106504, 8106513, 8106531, 8106840 (CASC); CASENT 2042253, 2043462, 2133142, 8106546 (OSUC).

Comments.

Scelio scomma is endemic to Madagascar where it is the largest species within the howardi-species group and large for species within the white subgroup. All the specimens are uniform in morphology. Scelio scomma is extremely similar to larger individuals of Scelio howardi and the two cannot be casually differentiated. The pilosity of the lateral portions T2 is particularly dense (Fig. 144). The small smooth patch on the lower mesopleural depression (Fig. 142) is constant for all individuals observed, and it is present in both males and females. Males can be confused with Scelio igland , but may be differentiated by their larger and more robust habitus, completely sculptured lateral metasoma (smooth or obliterated patches present in Scelio igland ), and the absence of notauli (indicated by a row of cells in Scelio igland ).