Scorpioteleia Ashmead, 1897

Quadros, Alex Leite & Brandão, Carlos Roberto F., 2017, Genera of Belytinae (Hymenoptera: Diapriidae) recorded in the Atlantic Dense Ombrophilous Forest from Paraíba to Santa Catarina, Brazil, Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia (São Paulo) 57 (6), pp. 57-91 : 67-68

Scorpioteleia Ashmead, 1897

( Figs. 4A, 4C , 10 , 22B )

Total of specimens found: 7 (3 females and 4 males) in four morphospecies.

Diagnosis: Mostly relatively medium sized (3-4 mm); brownish to black species with light coloured appendages; antenna 15-segmented in females, 14-seg- mented in males; head subtriangular in frontal view ( Fig. 10A ); mandibles slightly asymmetrical, left bidentate, right tridentate, crossing at tips; occipital carina incomplete, developed in its upper part; hypostomal bridge and hypostomal carina developed; clypeus slightly convex, lustrous, with truncate lower margin; labrum transverse, slightly emarginated in middle; fore tentorial pits deep; palpal formula 5-3; apical segment of maxillary palps slender, twice as long as penultimate segment; antennal shelf moderately prominent with shallow furrow between toruli. Mesosoma slender, higher than wide, narrower than head; pronotal shoulders angular ( Fig. 10C ); epomia well developed; mesoscutum convex; notauli complete, slightly diverging posteriorly ( Fig. 10C ); parapsidal impressions (situated laterally to the notaulus) usually in form of shallow declivities; scutellum convex, with large subquadrate fovea ( Fig. 10C ); posterior extremity of the notaulus directed to a point inside this fovea ( Fig. 10C ); propodeum subquadrate, convex, with plicae not protruded posteriorly ( Fig. 10C ); medial keel of propodeum simple ( Fig. 10C ); fore tibiae in male slightly widened in middle, with some modified setae ( Fig. 10E ). Radial cell of forewings completely closed, longer than marginal vein ( Figs. 4A, 4C ); parastigma longer than marginal vein ( Figs. 4A, 4C ). Petiole short to long, cylindrical, rugose or ribbed; gaster fusiform ( Figs. 10B, 10D ), the apical segments of female gaster extruded and resembling a scorpion’s tail ( Figs. 10B, 10F ); ovipositor thin and relatively small, with large gonoplacs (= third valvulae); male genitalia with fused volsellae and dentes.

Material examined: BRAZIL: Santa Catarina: São Bento do Sul, CEPA Rugendas , 26°19’25.6”S, 49°18’26.5”W, 13-16.x.2001, 15.x.2001, A.M. Penteado-Dias e eq. col., 2 ♂♂ ; São Francisco do Sul, CEPA Vila da Glória , 26°13’40.0”S, 48°40’49.1”W, 14-17.x.2001 (3), A.M. Penteado-Dias e eq. col., 1 ♀ ; São Paulo: Base Barra Grande, Parque Estadual de Intervales , 24°18’14.4”S, 48°21’50.4”W, 12.xii.2000, 13.xii.2000, M. T. Tavares e eq. col., 1 ♀ / 1 ♂ ; Ubatuba, Parque Estadual Serra do Mar , 23°21’43”S, 44°49’22”W, 21.i.2002, N.W. Perioto e eq. col., 1 ♀ ; Rio de Janeiro: Santa Maria Madalena, Parque Estadual do Desengano , 21°59’03.9”S, 41°57’08.4”W, 16-19.iv.2002, S. T. P. Amarante e eq. col., 1 ♂. A.L. Quadros det.

Remarks: Scorpioteleia Ashmead, 1897 was established for S. mirabilis Ashmead, 1897 , by monotypy. Scorpioteleia shares some character states with Cinetus such as the slightly posteriorly diverging notauli ( Figs. 9E , 10C ), large subquadrate scutellar fovea ( Figs. 9E , 10C ); oblique stigmal vein in relation to the postmarginal vein ( Figs. 4 A-D) and male genitalia with fused volsellae and dentes. The two genera can be easily distinguished, however, by the alar venation, because in Scorpioteleia the marginal vein is always clearly shorter than the radial cell and parastigma ( Figs. 4A, 4C ) ( Macek, 2006). In the past, both genera were confused with Miota , which occurs also in Atlantic Forest. Miota is clearly different due the presence of parallel notauli ( Fig. 11C ), straight stigmal vein ( Fig. 11D ) and male genitalia with free dentes (not fused to the volsellae). Hellén (1964) suggested the name Eumiota for the species remaining in Miota sensu Förster. Masner & Muesebeck (1968) synonymized Eumiota with Scorpioteleia . Nevertheless, Johnson (1992) did not follow Masner & Muesebech (1968) and listed, without any comment, four species of Scorpioteleia (three European and one Nearctic) and three European species of Eumiota ( Macek, 2006) . Macek (2006) recognized six species of Scorpioteleia and reviewed the five European species, providing an identification key.

Distribution: Six species are recognized in the Holarctic region (one Nearctic and five European) ( Macek, 2006). Approximately 50 Scorpioteleia species are estimated to occur in the Neotropical region (L. Masner, pers. comm., May 6, 2015). In the Atlantic Forest the seven specimens were recorded in the southern portion of the biome, from Santa Catarina to Rio de Janeiro ( Fig. 22B ).

Biology: Hosts of most species are unknown, but field and rearing observations suggest that Scorpioteleia species are associated with fungivorous Mycetophiloidea Nematoceran Diptera , which develop in soft sporocarps of Basidiomycetes ( Macek, 2006).

Figures

FIGURE 4: Forewing of six Belytinae spp. (Hymenoptera, Diapriidae) from the Biota project (2000-2002): (A) female forewing of Scorpioteleia collected in Parque Estadual Serra do Mar, SP; (B) female forewing of Cinetus collected in CEPA Rugendas, SC; (C) female forewing of Scorpioteleia collected in Parque Estadual de Intervales, SP; (D) female forewing of Cinetus collected in Parque Estadual de Intervales, SP; (E) female of Belyta collected in Estação Ecológica Pau Brasil, BA; (F) male forewing of Belyta collected in Reserva Biológica do Tinguá, RJ.

FIGURE 9: Cinetus sp. (Hymenoptera, Diapriidae, Belytinae), female collected in the Parque Estadual de Intervales, SP (Biota project 2000-2002): (A) head, frontal view; (B) habitus, lateral view; (C) propodeum, dorsal view; (D) mesosoma, lateral view; (E) mesosoma, dorsal view.

FIGURE 10: Scorpioteleia sp. (Hymenoptera, Diapriidae, Belytinae) from Parque Estadual de Intervales, SP (Biota project 2000-2002); (A) head of female, frontal view; (B) habitus of female, lateral view; (C) mesosoma of female, dorsal view; (D) metasoma of male, lateral view; (E) fore tibia of male (arrow indicates the modified setae); (F) metasoma of female, dorsal view.

FIGURE 11: Miota sp. (Hymenoptera, Diapriidae, Belytinae), male collected in the Parque Estadual da Pedra Azul, ES (collection of the Federal University of Espírito Santo); (A) head, frontal view; (B) habitus, lateral view; (C) mesosoma, dorsal view; (D) forewing.

FIGURE 22: Distribution of Belytinae genera (Hymenoptera, Diapriidae) in the Atlantic Forest collected by the Biota project (2000-2002): (A) Tropidopsilus, at a scale of 1:1000; (B) Scorpioteleia, at a scale of 1:300; (C) Cinetus, at a scale of 1:1000.