Scelio erugatus 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 : 157-159

Scelio erugatus Yoder sp. n. Figures 359-364; Morphbank 74

Description.

Female body length: 4.26-4.35 mm (n=3). 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. Color of pilosity of dorsomedial head in female: brown or predominantly brown. Form of anteclypeus between medial teeth in female: striplike, broadly concave. Form of lateral gena below eye in anterior view in female: evenly rounded towards mandible, not bulging laterally. Sculpture of anteclypeus: smooth throughout. Sculpture of pronotal nucha in female: absent (smooth) in parts. Color of pilosity on mesonotum in female: predominantly brown throughout. Sculpture of mesoscutellum in female: predominantly longitudinally rugulose. Sculpture of oxter: with prominent smooth patch. Pilosity of metapleuron overlapping or arising within posteroventral quadrant in female: 4 or more setae. Color of fore wing in female: 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.

Diagnosis.

This species is most similar to Scelio tritus and Scelio afer which share the concave anteclypeus (Figs 339, 363, 405). It differs from Scelio tritus by the completely smooth pronotal nucha (sculptured in Scelio tritus ) and from Scelio afer by the absence of white micropilosity on the dorsal anterolateral corner of T3. Scelio erugatus is generally further distinguishable by the somewhat transverse pronotum and mesoscutum in combination with the somewhat scattered color pattern of pilosity of the mesoscutum (Fig. 361).

Etymology.

The epithet is used as an adjective derived from the Latin word for clear of wrinkles or smooth, in reference to the surface of the pronotal nucha.

Link to distribution map.

http://hol.osu.edu/map-large.html?id=244625

Material examined.

Holotype, female: NIGERIA: Oyo St., International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan, XI-1987, screen sweeping, J. S. Noyes, OSUC 213153 (deposited in BMNH). Paratypes: (2 females) GHANA: 1 female, OSUC 213566 (OSUC). NIGERIA: 1 female, OSUC 213151 (CNCI).

Comments.

The pilosity of the mesoscutum, from anterior to posterior, consists of off-white, light brown and brown setae, the pattern and variation somewhat more notable due to the thickness of the setae. The dorsal metasoma is particularly glabrous, with almost no micropilosity. The setae on the lateral meso- and metanotum are white, moderately dense, and slightly wavy. The pronotal nucha is almost completely devoid of sculpture.