Scelio grunnio 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 : 83-86

Scelio grunnio Yoder sp. n. Figures 30, 187-192; Morphbank 46

Description.

Female body length: 4.69-5.16 mm (n=6). Male body length: 4.78 mm (n=1). 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: absent. Color of genal pilosity: brown. Color of scape in female: yellow in basal half, darkening to light brown in apical half. Surface of the pronotal nucha in female: predominantly sculptured. Color of pilosity of pronotal shoulder in female: golden to dark brown, concolorous with that of mesoscutum. Sculpture of medial mesoscutum in female: predominantly longitudinally strigose to rugulose. Color of pilosity of mesoscutum in female: predominantly light brown to brown. Notaulus in female: present as more or less uninterrupted channel in posterior 1/2 of mesoscutum. Form of axillular carina in female: small, not particularly expanded or projected from the lateral edge of the mesoscutellum; bladelike or carinate in posterolateral corner but not forming distinct lobe. Pilosity of propodeal nucha: absent. Pilosity of netrion: absent. Surface of mesopleural depression in female: sculptured throughout; 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 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: light reddish brown. Sculpture of laterotergites in female: predominantly smooth; predominantly aciculate. 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; 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; more or less horizontal. Sculpture of T6 in female: 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.

Most similar to Scelio susurro , Scelio cano , Scelio crepo , and Scelio tono which have the combination of brown pilosity on the pronotal shoulders, evenly distributed pilosity of the metasoma and the absence of a carina within the interantennal process. Differing from these species by the combination of the color pattern of the hind tibia (white with brown band at apex, or yellow throughout), color pattern of the scape (yellow at base and brown at apex), and sculpture of the mesoscutum (with longitudinal trend).

Etymology.

The epithet is used as a noun in apposition derived from the Latin word for grunt.

Link to distribution map.

http://hol.osu.edu/map-large.html?id=244986

Material examined.

Holotype, female: GUINEA: Lola Pref., rainforest, Mount Nimba, 07°41-42'N, 08°23'W, 514-740m, XII-1990-III-1991, flight intercept trap, L. Leblanc, OSUC 213098 (deposited in CNCI). Paratypes: (5 females, 1 male) DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO: 2 females, OSUC 212376-212377 (CNCI). GHANA: 2 females, 1 male, OSUC 214366-214367, 250741 (OSUC). GUINEA: 1 female, OSUC 213100 (CNCI).

Comments.

As presently delimited this species is relatively highly variable. The known material consists of three sets collected in different localities. Specimens within each set are morphologically variable, and there is noticeable variation between the sets as well. Each set may ultimately represent different species, but more specimens are needed to circumscribe the observed variation. There is a tendency among all individuals to have thicker, longitudinal carinae on the mesonotum and propodeum, usually with relatively uninterrupted interstices. In the largest specimens, however, there is more reticulation between the longitudinal elements. In all but the two specimens from the D.R.C. (OSUC 212376, 212377) the tibia is yellow with a short brown band at the apex. The two specimens from the D.R.C. appear somewhat translucent, and this may indicate modification of the natural color by collecting method. The sculpture of T6 may ultimately be of use in delimiting species, but there appears to be a transition from smaller individuals with thinner somewhat longitudinal carinae to larger individuals with thicker reticulations. The sculpture of the lateral portion of T1 also varies: in the two individuals from Ghana the lateral margin is smooth and with only a single longitudinal carina; additional rugulae are present in the other four individuals. The largest individual (OSUC 212377) is perhaps the best candidate for a separate species. In this specimen the mid tibia is nearly completely yellow (as compared to the brown to yellow pattern seen in other individuals), the sculpture of the metasoma is more robust than the other individuals, there is no glabrous patch on the ventral metasoma, and the mesoscutum and propodeum have more reticulations partially obscuring the longitudinal trend in sculpture seen in the other individuals. The sculpture of the frons in the two individuals from Ghana is more transverse than the more uniform reticulate sculpture seen in the other four.

While variation exists all six specimens may be firmly grouped by the characters listed in the diagnosis and others including the relatively large ocelli and eyes (resulting in a narrow frons), the similar sculpture pattern of the frons, the color pattern on the scape, the slightly developed axilluar carinae, and the ventromedially bent villus.