Scelio copelandi 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 : 28-30

Scelio copelandi Yoder sp. n. Figures 61-66; Morphbank 27

Description.

Female body length: 3.38-3.86 mm (n=21). Male body length: 3.28-3.89 mm (n=12). Shape of compound eye: not or only slightly bulging. Color pattern of pilosity below anterior ocellus in female: predominantly white throughout. Sculpture of frons in female: reticulate rugulose, rugae finer, with slight dorsoventral trend. Genal carina in female: absent. Width of gena in lateral view: weakly expanded, posterior margin parallel to posterior margin of eye. Density of genal setae: moderately to highly dense, setae conspicuous. Color of genal setae: white to off-white. Sculpture of base of mandible in female: minutely reticulate. Color of A1 in female: light to dark brown throughout, or with apex and base slightly lighter, often yellowish. Color of A3 in female: brown. Sculpture of dorsal pronotal nucha in female: predominantly to completely sculptured. Color of pilosity of pronotal shoulder in female: predominantly white to off-white. Sculpture along humeral margin of mesoscutum: well-defined throughout. Color of pilosity of mesonotum in female: predominantly light to dark brown. Transition from lateral to posterior margin of propodeum in dorsal view: forming distinct angle, corner of propodeum well defined. Shape of mesoscutum in lateral view: bulging in anterior third. Pilosity on metapleuron above hind coxa: glabrous or with few scattered setae. Form of fore wing submarginal vein in female: tubular throughout from base to costal margin. Fine pilosity of lateral T1 in female: absent. Width of metasoma: very wide, width of S3> 2 times medial length. Distribution of pilosity on T2-T5 in female: more or less evenly distributed throughout. Sculpture of T3 in female: longitudinally striate throughout. Overall sculpture of S3: with dense, fine longitudinal carinae. Sculpture of medial S3 in female: with broadly obliterated or with distinct smooth patch.

Diagnosis.

Most similar to Scelio aphares , which shares the absence of genal carina, the absence of a bulging eye, the bushy pilosity of the gena (for presence see Fig. 78), and the absence of brown setae on the frons near the ventral portion of the eye (for presence see Fig. 95). Differing by sculpture of the mesoscutum, with a longitudinal trend and slightly larger cells (Fig. 63), and sculpture of the face finer, with a slight dorsoventral trend (Fig. 65, compare with reticulate pattern in Scelio aphares , Fig. 35).

Etymology.

Named in reference to the collector, R. Copeland.

Link to distribution map.

http://hol.osu.edu/map-large.html?id=244950

Material examined.

Holotype, female: KENYA: Rift Valley Prov., Ol Pejeta Conservancy, 01°01.306'N, 36°54.818'E, 1779m, 12. III– 26.III.2006, malaise trap, R. Copeland, OSUC 234620 (deposited in NMKE). Paratypes: KENYA: 35 females, 12 males, OSUC 212847, 214017, 214023, 214025, 214027, 214029, 214031-214032, 214036-214037, 214041, 214045, 214062-214063, 214077-214078, 234605, 234608-234611, 234613, 234615, 234619, 234621, 234625-234626, 234629, 234640, 234683-234684, 234687, 234689, 250905-250906, 250909-250910, 250912, 250915, 250928, 250936, 250944 (CNCI); OSUC 59027, 59087, 59098, 59104 (OSUC); OSUC 244085 (USNM).

Comments.

Scelio copelandi is very similar to the polymorphic Scelio aphares , and the two may ultimately need to be synonymized. While the differences are very subtle, the consistently fine and somewhat dorsoventrally oriented sculpture of the frons is noticeably different from the more reticulate trending sculpture in Scelio aphares (Fig. 35). A slight pattern of obliteration posteromedially on T2, T3 and T4 is present in most individuals, and similar smooth patches are found laterally as well. The villus is somewhat characteristic (Fig. 64, vil), being narrower and slightly curved ventrally.