Scelio igland 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 : 58-62

Scelio igland Yoder sp. n. Figures 16, 127-132; Morphbank 36

Description.

Female body length: 3.20-4.74 mm (n=26). Male body length: 3.10-4.28 mm (n=22). 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; indicated by a row of cells. Notaulus in male: not delimited; delimited by row of cells. 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: sculptured throughout. 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 with white base. 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; predominantly golden to brown. Lateral profile of T6 in female: more or less horizontal. Sculpture of T6 in female: predominantly longitudinally striate to strigose; predominantly rugulose to reticulate. 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 Scelio ructo , with which this species shares relatively sparse pilosity of the head and mesonotum. Differing from Scelio ructo and all white subgroup species by the combination of the weakly impressed to absent notauli, the relatively evenly reticulate and not particularly thickened sculpture of the mesonotum, the sculptured mesopleuron, and the medially bent ventral villus.

Etymology.

The epithet is used as a noun in apposition derived from the Anglo-Saxon word for island.

Link to distribution map.

http://hol.osu.edu/map-large.html?id=244975

Material examined.

Holotype, female: MADAGASCAR: Toliara Auto. Prov., 8km NW Amboasary, gallery forest, MA-02-22-15, Berenty Private Reserve, 25°00.40'S, 46°18.20'E, 85m, 5. II– 15.II.2003, malaise trap, M. Irwin, F. Parker & R. Harin’Hala, CASENT 8106886 (deposited in CASC). Paratypes: MADAGASCAR: 283 females, 412 males, 1 unknown, CASENT 2042052, 2042059-2042060, 2042063-2042064, 2042066-2042067, 2042070-2042071, 2042073-2042074, 2042077, 2042079-2042085, 2042087-2042098, 2042100-2042103, 2042112-2042113, 2042158-2042159, 2042162, 2042170-2042171, 2042174, 2042178, 2042181, 2042186, 2042188, 2042193-2042195, 2042204-2042205, 2042209, 2042257, 2042272, 2042294, 2042299, 2043152, 2043154-2043155, 2043157-2043159, 2043166, 2043310-2043311, 2043319, 2043335-2043338, 2043375-2043376, 2043378, 2043380, 2043382-2043383, 2043387, 2043396-2043397, 2043423, 2043427, 2043429, 2043431, 2043459-2043461, 2043463, 2043465, 2043475, 2043570, 2043572, 2043575, 2043587, 2043618, 2043668-2043670, 2043672, 2043725, 2043929, 2118399, 2132016, 2132021, 2132029, 2132089-2132090, 2132098-2132099, 2132119, 2132135-2132136, 2132139, 2132144, 2132152, 2132157-2132159, 2132164, 2132170-2132171, 2132174-2132175, 2132179, 2132184, 2132188, 2132193, 2132198, 2132205, 2132214-2132215, 2132217, 2132232-2132233, 2132242, 2132262, 2132268-2132269, 2132289, 2132297, 2132300, 2132303-2132305, 2132314-2132315, 2132317, 2132327, 2132331, 2132340, 2132345, 2132354, 2132365, 2132373, 2132381, 2132396, 2132406, 2132412, 2132437-2132446, 2132533, 2132585, 2132590, 2132593-2132594, 2132599, 2132606, 2132631, 2132635, 2132643-2132644, 2132647-2132648, 2132652, 2132654, 2132661, 2132675, 2132692, 2132702, 2132709, 2132711, 2132745, 2132765-2132766, 2132772, 2132775-2132776, 2132790-2132791, 2132808-2132809, 2132822-2132825, 2132829, 2132846, 2132848, 2132863, 2132869, 2132892, 2132900, 2132902, 2132928, 2132935, 2132977, 2132993, 2133187, 2133199, 2133219, 2133222, 2133231, 2133233, 2133241, 2133247, 2133253, 2133256, 2133293, 2133320, 2133355, 2133373, 2133405, 2133434, 2133444, 2133454-2133456, 2133458, 2133460, 2133462-2133465, 2133494, 2133508, 2133510-2133511, 2133539-2133540, 2133543-2133544, 2133546, 2133548, 2133584, 2133596, 2133608, 2133626, 2133629, 2133640, 2133643, 2133652, 2133662, 2133670, 2133673, 2133771, 2133774, 2133776, 2133781-2133782, 2133791, 2133795-2133796, 2133799, 2133945, 2133988, 2134145, 2134194-2134195, 2134224, 2134241-2134242, 2134245, 2134250-2134251, 2134255-2134259, 2134261-2134262, 2134298, 2134344, 2134401, 2134407, 2134447, 2134460, 2134520, 2134526, 2134531-2134532, 2134547-2134548, 2134557-2134560, 2134562-2134563, 2134565-2134566, 2134568, 2134570, 2134581-2134582, 2134590, 2134600, 2134603, 2134607-2134608, 2134624, 2134634-2134635, 2134637-2134638, 2134642-2134643, 2134645-2134646, 2134651, 2134653, 2134657-2134658, 2134695, 2134699-2134705, 2134710-2134712, 2134725, 2134729, 2134740, 2134748, 2134752, 2134765, 2134773, 2134785, 2134789, 2134797-2134799, 2134818, 2134854, 2134861-2134864, 2134871, 2134880, 2135050-2135051, 2135054, 2135056-2135059, 2135061-2135063, 2135065-2135066, 2135142, 2135148, 2135922-2135923, 2135925, 2135927, 2135931, 2135934, 2136569, 2136588, 8097463, 8097467, 8097469, 8097485, 8097495, 8097499, 8106005, 8106010, 8106015, 8106052, 8106065, 8106117, 8106131-8106132, 8106177, 8106227, 8106306, 8106360, 8106380, 8106511, 8106517, 8106529, 8106542, 8106551, 8106582, 8106601, 8106604, 8106627, 8106681, 8106684, 8106687, 8106691, 8106693, 8106699, 8106705-8106706, 8106710, 8106716-8106717, 8106727, 8106751, 8106755, 8106773, 8106780-8106782, 8106789, 8106791-8106792, 8106804, 8106810, 8106812, 8106853, 8106866, 8106892, 8106976, 8106988, 8106992 (CASC); OSUC 212467, 212469, 212531, 212533, 212535-212536 (CNCI); CASENT 2042062, 2042065, 2042069, 2042076, 2042086, 2042099, 2042146-2042157, 2042160-2042161, 2042163-2042169, 2042172-2042173, 2042175-2042177, 2042179-2042180, 2042182-2042185, 2042187, 2042189, 2042191-2042192, 2042196-2042203, 2042206, 2042264, 2042278, 2042289, 2042295-2042296, 2042677, 2043081, 2043200, 2043202, 2043204, 2043253, 2043270, 2043275-2043279, 2043281, 2043320, 2043334, 2043428, 2043464, 2043486, 2043566, 2043573, 2043576, 2043626, 2043628, 2043666-2043667, 2043671, 2043673-2043678, 2132014, 2132221, 2132398, 2133084, 2133096, 2133110, 2133177, 2133186, 2133188, 2133191, 2133198, 2133200, 2133202, 2133237-2133240, 2133246, 2133255, 2133257-2133259, 2133309, 2133340, 2133356, 2133358, 2133360-2133362, 2133364-2133367, 2133378, 2133431, 2133445, 2133457, 2133459, 2133461, 2133493, 2133499, 2133507, 2133509, 2133512-2133513, 2133515, 2133542, 2133547, 2133551, 2133565, 2133586-2133587, 2133589, 2133595, 2133602, 2133627, 2133634, 2133654, 2133664, 2133666, 2133675, 2133678, 2133692-2133693, 2133696, 2133699, 2133704, 2133710, 2133713, 2133727-2133728, 2133745, 2133753, 2133760, 2133767, 2133805, 2133823, 2133828, 2133836, 2133840-2133841, 2133854, 2133858, 2133863, 2133865-2133866, 2133874-2133875, 2133950, 2133960, 2133968, 2133973, 2133979-2133980, 2133999-2134000, 2134017, 2134020, 2134032, 2134036-2134037, 2134040-2134041, 2134222-2134223, 2134252, 2134319, 2134368, 2134385, 2134446, 2134451-2134452, 2134458-2134459, 2134461, 2134525, 2134527, 2134538-2134543, 2134546, 2134549-2134551, 2134561, 2134564, 2134606, 2134644, 2134665, 2134706, 2134770, 2134837, 2134889, 2135978, 2136127, 2136421, 2136570, 2136572, 2136578, 2136581, 8106221, 8106262, 8106308, 8106311, 8106357, 8106507, 8106620, 8106642, 8106669, 8106704, 8106814, 8106849, 8106877, OSUC 211202 (OSUC); OSUC 210183-210184 (UCDC); OSUC 244080 (USNM). Other material: MADAGASCAR: 1 female, 1 male, OSUC 244188a, 244192b (MNHN). Other material: MADAGASCAR: 1 female, 1 male, OSUC 244188a, 244192b (MNHN).

Comments.

The pilosity of the mesonotum and dorsal pronotal shoulders is relatively sparse (Fig. 129) in comparison to other species in the white subgroup. Scelio igland is slightly variable in the size and nature of sculpture, particularly on the mesonotum. In larger individuals the course of the notauli is sometimes slightly impressed, but never to the extent seen in Scelio ructo (Fig. 138). The shape of the head is somewhat ovoid in lateral view in comparison to the slightly more wedge-shaped form seen in Scelio ructo . In the long series of available material there is almost no variation in the degree of sculpture on the mesopleural depression (Fig. 136) and the presence of sculpture on the pronotal nucha. Males have a somewhat more compact flagellum than typically seen in the howardi species group. In males patches of obliterated sculpture are more common than in males of Scelio howardi . Scelio igland is very commonly collected in Madagascar.

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