Scelio paranitens Yoder, 2009

Yoder, Matthew, Polaszek, Andrew, Masner, Lubomir, Johnson, Norman & Valerio, Alejandro, 2009, Revision of Scelio pulchripennis - group species (Hymenoptera, Platygastroidea, Platygastridae), ZooKeys 20 (20), pp. 53-118 : 94-96

Scelio paranitens Yoder , sp. n.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:25E69EF1-3799-421E-8C05-8D48AB487684 urn:lsid:biosci.ohio-state.edu:osuc_concepts:238057

Figs 5, 11, 79–84; Morphbank 23

Description. Female body length: 1.78–3.90 mm (n=21). Color of antenna in female: concolorous, brown to dark brown throughout. Color of head in female: metallic green to dark teal. Color of mesosoma in female: brown to near black except for yellow to light brown anterior pronotum and propleuron, with metallic green to dark teal sheen throughout. Color of coxae in female: yellow to light brown. Color of leg past coxa in female: yellow to light brown. Color of metasoma in female: brown at base (T1–T3), darkening to apex, T4–T6 with slight metallic blue-green sheen.

Sculpture of lower frons in female: predominantly transverse to slightly arcuate striae, or predominantly fine irregular rugulae. Sculpture of ventrolateral frons in female: smooth, with only setigerous punctures. Form of malar sulcus in female: sulcus percurrent, slit, groove or carina extremely narrow but course well defined, or not percurrent, with some sections variously obliterated. Sculpture of upper frons of female: fine rugulae to slightly transverse sculpture, above ocellus very smooth, with only setigerous punctures. Sculpture of dorsal head between and posterior to lateral ocelli in female: smooth, with only setigerous punctures. Mandible of female: upper tooth typically developed, lower tooth very short but clearly present, truncate to pointed.

Transverse pronotal carina in female: well developed, linear or with extremely slight deviations, contiguous with mesoscutum or interrupted by a single subpolygonal cell, anterior shoulder relatively abruptly transitioned to anterior pronotum. Sculpture of medial mesoscutum in female: very smooth, with only setigerous punctures. Sculpture of notaular course in female: more or less undifferentiated to slightly more robust and coarse relative to medial sculpture. Sculpture of lateral mesoscutum in female: absent, or with obliterated patch that covers at least 1/2 of area. Sculpture of mesoscutellum in female: predominantly smooth,with only scattered setigerous punctures. Sculpture of lateral pronotum in female (excluding interstitial sculpture): predominantly smooth, with slight reticulations along ventral and posterior margin. Pronotal verricule in female: small bump with 1–2 very short setae at center. Pronotal setal patch posteroventral to end of lateral epomial carina in female: very sparse (around 1–3), long, erect setae. Sculpture of mesopleural depression in female: surface smooth or with very faint coriaceous (obliterated) sheen, with minute foveae or grooves along posterior margin. Pilosity of anteroventral metapleuron in female: dense patch of semi-decumbent to erect setae. Dorsal surface of hind tibia in female: sparse, elongate, erect and slightly curved. Shape of

Figures 79–84 .62 Scelio paranitens sp. n. (OSUC 211472). 79 Habitus, dorsal view 80 Habitus, lateral view 8Ι Mesosoma, dorsal view 82 Mesosoma, lateral view 83 Head, anterior view 84 Fore wing, lateral view. Abbreviations: bf, basal fascia; af, apical fascia. Scale bars in millimeters.

hind femur in female: narrow, dorsal and ventral surfaces relatively symmetrical. Basal pigmented spot of fore wing in female: percurrent from submarginal vein to posterior margin, strip-like (a band), divided only by hyaline course of M+Cu. Basal fascia of fore wing in female: subrectangular, strip-like, percurrent from anterior to posterior margin. Apical fascia of fore wing in female: broad, hyaline, percurrent from anterior to posterior fore wing margin, apex of fore wing past fascia concolorous with distal patch.

Sculpture of dorsal T 1 in female: polygonal-reticulate, interstices more or less smooth. Sculpture of dorsal T 2 in female: fine parallel to slightly reticulate striae with minutely colliculate to transverse sculpture within interstices. Sculpture of anterior T2 through anterior depression in female: percurrent. Sculpture of dorsal T 3 in female: fine parallel to irregular longitudinal striae, with reticulation absent to moderately present. Medial sculpture of T 4 in female: obliterated to smooth. Medial sculpture of T 5 in female: obliterated to smooth. Sculpture of T2-T5 curved transition from dorsal to lateral terga in female: obliterated to smooth. Profile of female metasoma in lateral view: ventral surface more or less flat, dorsal surface weakly to strongly arched from T2-T6 highest point between T4–5, evenly curved to T6. Sculpture of lateral T2-T 6 in female: scattered variously obliterated faint fine irregular rugulae. Pilosity of laterotergites in female: present on T2.

Diagnosis. Most similar to S. nitens with which it shares the smooth mesoscutum and strong metallic coloration, differing by presence of the apical fore wing fascia and the sparse erect setae on the dorsal surface of the hind tibia.

Etymology. In reference to the high degree of similarity to S. nitens .

Link to distribution map. [http://osuc.biosci.ohio-state.edu/HymOnline/maplarge.html?id=238057]

Material examined. Holotype female: SOUTH AFRICA: KwaZulu-Natal Prov., Ngome State Forest , 14.IV–17.IV.1993, pan trap, J. Klimaszewski, OSUC 211496 (deposited in CNCI) . Paratypes: (52 females) BOTSWANA: 7 females, OSUC 211449 , 211493 , 211526 ( CNCI) ; OSUC 164237 , 164260 , 164262 ( OSUC) ; OSUC 207578 ( USNM) . KENYA: 7 females, CASENT 2042598–2042599, 2042601–2042602 ( CASC) ; OSUC 211497 , 211541–211542 ( CNCI) . SOUTH AFRICA: 34 females, OSUC 211293 , 211295 , 211452 , 211454 , 211461–211469 , 211472–211474 , 211476–211478 , 211481 , 211484–211485 , 211487 , 211491 , 211494 ( CNCI) ; OSUC 244169 ( MCZC) ; OSUC 142599 , 171684 , 171689 , 171691 , 234733 ( OSUC) ; OSUC 167019 , 174665 , 213486 ( SANC) . ZIMBABWE: 4 females, OSUC 211471 , 211479 , 211483 , 211492 ( CNCI) . Other material: SOUTH AFRICA: 1 female, OSUC 254458 ( BMNH).

Comments. The pilosity of the head (Fig. 83) shows a strong transition from white ventrally to brown dorsally. Th e specimens from Botswana may represent a new species but are presently included in S. paranitens . While this series is atypical for its slightly narrower metasoma, lighter color (more green), and somewhat more gracile habitus, there appear to be no other consistent differences between the Botswana specimens and the South African material.