Scelio parkeri 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 : 133-135

Scelio parkeri Yoder sp. n. Figures 11, 305-310; Morphbank 66

Description.

Female body length: 1.78-5.41 mm (n=19). Male body length: 3.76-4.73 mm (n=20). Sculpture of posterior vertex: weakly reticulate. Sculpture of frons in female: reticulate in upper half. Arcuate carinae of lower frons: “closed”, arcuate carinae terminating at ventrolateral corner of anteclypeus. Form of RSS on A5 in male: node like and somewhat pointed. Sculpture of medial mesonotum: longitudinally striate in posterior half, otherwise reticulate. Surface of propodeal shelf in females: uniformly reticulate throughout. Surface of meso- and metapleural depressions: with prominent glabrous and smooth patch. Fore wing length: shorter than apex of metasoma.

Diagnosis.

Scelio parkeri is most similar to Scelio harinhalai which shares the smooth patches on the meso- and metapleural depressions. It differs from Scelio harinhalai by the “closed” arcuate sculpture of the frons, with arcs terminating near base of mandible, not along the malar sulcus. The ventralmost extension of the arcuate sculpture is never confused with reticulations in Scelio parkeri as it is in Scelio harinhalai . Males are unique among irwini-group species for the nodelike RSS (carinate in all other irwini-group species).

Etymology.

The epithet is used as a genitive noun derived from the name of Frank Parker, one of the three collectors who together amassed hundreds of specimens of the irwini-group.

Link to distribution map.

http://hol.osu.edu/map-large.html?id=244776

Material examined.

Holotype, female: MADAGASCAR: Toliara Auto. Prov., nr. research station, parcel I, dry deciduous forest, MA-02-14A-04, Bezaha Mahafaly Special Reserve, 23°41.19'S, 44°35.46'E, 165m, 28. XI– 4.XII.2001, malaise trap, Harin’Hala, CASENT 2042035 (deposited in CASC). Paratypes: MADAGASCAR: 164 females, 317 males, CASENT 2042034, 2042036-2042037, 2042054, 2042109-2042110, 2042119, 2042292, 2042673, 2042675, 2042981, 2043079, 2043084, 2043090-2043091, 2043095-2043096, 2043099, 2043269, 2043305, 2043312, 2043343, 2043377, 2043402, 2043406, 2043413, 2043416, 2043430, 2043454, 2043619-2043623, 2043625, 2043633, 2043915, 2043917-2043919, 2132002, 2132013, 2132115-2132116, 2132127, 2132129, 2132195-2132196, 2132219, 2132225, 2132227, 2132238, 2132245, 2132257-2132259, 2132270, 2132278, 2132280, 2132296, 2132318, 2132321, 2132323, 2132325, 2132334, 2132341, 2132378, 2132382, 2132450, 2132587, 2132651, 2132672, 2132674, 2132680, 2132686, 2132806, 2132883-2132884, 2132887, 2132912-2132913, 2132918, 2132936, 2132959, 2132969, 2133070, 2133076-2133078, 2133088, 2133118, 2133140, 2133148, 2133150-2133152, 2133158-2133159, 2133162-2133164, 2133166, 2133169-2133173, 2133175, 2133178, 2133181-2133182, 2133235, 2133274, 2133287, 2133299, 2133307, 2133317, 2133322, 2133325, 2133327-2133328, 2133333-2133334, 2133336, 2133339, 2133351-2133354, 2133391, 2133429, 2133531, 2133541, 2133579, 2133592, 2133609, 2133613-2133614, 2133631, 2133633, 2133647, 2133655, 2133665, 2133667, 2133680, 2133682, 2133684, 2133694, 2133701, 2133703, 2133706, 2133709, 2133719, 2133725, 2133732, 2133737-2133738, 2133748, 2133759, 2133761, 2133790, 2133824, 2133827, 2133832, 2133839, 2133848, 2133943, 2133952, 2133954, 2133961, 2133963, 2133965, 2133970, 2133975-2133977, 2133984, 2134135, 2134180, 2134273, 2134314, 2134317, 2134325, 2134327-2134328, 2134342, 2134354, 2134374, 2134392, 2134602, 2134605, 2134659-2134660, 2134766, 2134784, 2134873, 2135060, 2135913, 2135915, 2135928, 2135980, 2136128, 8097462, 8097466, 8097470, 8097472, 8097488, 8097496, 8097498, 8106048, 8106050, 8106054, 8106056, 8106058-8106059, 8106061, 8106069-8106070, 8106074, 8106079-8106080, 8106099, 8106102, 8106104-8106105, 8106111, 8106113, 8106123, 8106214, 8106217, 8106222, 8106226, 8106237, 8106243, 8106254, 8106258-8106259, 8106261, 8106266-8106267, 8106273, 8106281, 8106290, 8106294-8106295, 8106297, 8106299, 8106318, 8106320, 8106324, 8106328, 8106340, 8106343, 8106350, 8106354, 8106356, 8106358, 8106375, 8106501-8106503, 8106520, 8106526, 8106528, 8106530, 8106548-8106550, 8106552, 8106555, 8106558, 8106570, 8106584, 8106586, 8106589-8106590, 8106600, 8106605, 8106610, 8106625, 8106628, 8106636-8106637, 8106644, 8106648-8106649, 8106651-8106652, 8106671-8106672, 8106680, 8106685, 8106692, 8106701, 8106718, 8106728, 8106743, 8106754, 8106758, 8106761, 8106765, 8106769, 8106783, 8106786, 8106796, 8106806, 8106827, 8106833, 8106835, 8106844, 8106864, 8106873, 8106883, 8106893 (CASC); CASENT 2042129, 2042276, 2043070, 2043250, 2043908, 2043910, 2043912, 2043920, 2043923-2043925, 2132004, 2132097, 2132128, 2132147, 2132155, 2132199, 2132231, 2132248, 2132253-2132254, 2132263, 2132272, 2132286, 2132299, 2132352, 2132387, 2132436, 2132577, 2132581-2132582, 2132592, 2132595-2132596, 2132598, 2132609, 2132615, 2132622, 2132632, 2132646, 2132650, 2132664, 2132676, 2132684, 2132688, 2132693, 2132706-2132707, 2132868, 2132915, 2132922, 2132924, 2132926, 2132934, 2132939, 2132955-2132956, 2132960, 2132974, 2132978, 2132982, 2132994, 2133092, 2133103, 2133107-2133109, 2133123-2133124, 2133141, 2133143-2133144, 2133146-2133147, 2133154-2133155, 2133157, 2133174, 2133176, 2133179, 2133315-2133316, 2133319, 2133371, 2133451, 2133504, 2133526, 2133554, 2133562, 2133566, 2133580-2133582, 2133590, 2133603, 2133605-2133606, 2133618, 2133620, 2133645, 2133668, 2133702, 2133716, 2133720, 2133741, 2133755, 2133765, 2133769, 2133785, 2133800, 2133803, 2133829, 2133964, 2133983, 2133990-2133991, 2133995-2133997, 2134023, 2134033, 2134215, 2134217, 2134320, 2134332, 2134334, 2134337, 2134345, 2134351, 2134356, 2134369, 2134375-2134376, 2134386, 2134601, 2134652, 2134800, 2135917, 8106071, 8106073, 8106093, 8106109, 8106114, 8106121, 8106175, 8106240, 8106300-8106301, 8106304, 8106396, 8106450, 8106452-8106453, 8106597, 8106602, 8106703, 8106711, 8106713, 8106722, 8106725, 8106756, 8106871, 8106891, 8106973-8106974, 8106978-8106979 (OSUC).

Comments.

Individuals of Scelio parkeri are generally larger than those of Scelio harinhalai , and the smooth patch on the meso- and metapleuron is generally larger and more prominent. The mesonotum, particularly the mesoscutellum, tends to have slightly more longitudinally striate strigose and also often somewhat finer sculpture than seen in the other species.