Neuroscelio doddi Galloway, Austin & Masner

Valerio, Alejandro A., Masner, Lubomír, Austin, Andrew D. & Johnson, Norman F., 2009, The genus Neuroscelio Dodd (Hymenoptera: Platygastridae s. l.) reviewed: new species, distributional update, and discussion of relationships, Zootaxa 2306, pp. 29-43 : 31-32

Neuroscelio doddi Galloway, Austin & Masner

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:95E5166B-D66A-4F1C-8D3E-DFDD3372FB35 urn:lsid:biosci.ohio-state.edu:osuc_concepts:4938

Figs. 1, 3, 5, 7–12, 26–29; Morphbank7

Neuroscelio doddi Galloway, Austin & Masner, 1992: 533 , 537 (original description, female, keyed).

Description of male. Body length: 2.26–2.44 mm.

Head massive, relatively wider than in female (length: 0.36–0.44 mm; width: 0.80–0.86 mm; height: 0.60–0.63 mm); antennal scrobe very well impressed, short with transversely costate sculpture; antenna short, of 12 segments, not clavate, A6–A11 subquadrate, A12 more elongate; frons setose, lower half with dense,

7. http://www.morphbank.net/?id=465312 weak, rugulose sculpture, otherwise covered with dense colliculate sculpture as well as clypeus and lower gena, areas next to compound eyes mixed with rugulose sculpture; mandible very wide, with 3 wide teeth, very setose at basal half; clypeus wider, longer, more concave than in female, with conspicuous punctation; gena and occiput smooth, enlarged, gena wider (1.50–1.80 mm) than height of eye (0.24–0.33 mm).

Metapleuron with less transversely lineate sculpture than in female, smooth areas clearly evident.

Metasoma longer (0.94–1.13 mm) than wide (0.68–0.71 mm); T1 wider (0.51–0.57 mm) than long (0.30– 0.35 mm); T2 wider (0.68–0.71 mm) than long (0.46–0.48 mm); most of T1 with longitudinal costate sculpture, fewer and more interrupted than in female; T2 with most of median area smooth, this area increasing in width posteriorly, otherwise with fine longitudinal costae, sculpture less clearly defined than in female, more sinuate, almost rugulose.

Material examined. AUSTRALIA: New South Wales, Styx River State Forest, 2.3 km SE Brushwood Road, 29 km SE Wollomombi, 960 m, 19.I–2.II.1994, K. MacGregor, rainforest, flight intercept trap, female ( OSUC 147241); West End Thru Road, 24 km SE Wollomombi, 980 m, 15.XII.1993 – 2.I.1994, 3 females ( OSUC 147243–147245); Cedar Pit Flora Reserve, 42 km SE Wollomombi, 935 m, 2.I.1994, female ( OSUC 147242) ( CNCI).

Queensland, Brisbane Forest Park off Mt. Nebo Road, 27º24.05'S 152º48.11'E, 13–19.XII.2002, Eucalyptus forest, Malaise trap, J. George, J. Munro, A. Owen, female, male ( OSUC 147260, 147261); Queensland, Mt. Glorious, 27º19'54"S 152º45'29"E, 5–12.XII.1998, N. Power, Malaise trap, female, male ( OSUC 147240, 147259); 8.XI.1998, female ( OSUC 147238); 30.XII.1998, female ( OSUC 147239); 7– 13.II.1998, 7 females ( OSUC 147251–147255, 147257, 147258); 29.XI–5.XII.1997, T. Hiller, female ( OSUC 147246); 24–30.XI.1997, T. Hiller, 4 females ( OSUC 147247–147250) ( CNCI). Kirrama Range, Douglas Creek Road, 800 m, 15.XII.1986 – 11.I.1987, Monteith, Thompson & Hamlet, flight intercept trap, female ( ANIC Database 32 020714) ( ANIC).

South Australia, Urrbrae, Waite Campus Arboretum, 34º58'05"S, 138º37'52"E, 22.XII.1994 – 4.I.1995, J. Jennings, 2 females (OSUC 263647, 263648) (WINC).

Link to Distribution Map.8

Comments. The two specimens from southeast Queensland are the first males of Neuroscelio to be discovered (Deposited at CNCI). They differ strikingly from the female in the setation and sculpture of the face, the enormous mandibles, and the enlarged head. These features may be specific to N. doddi and not characteristic for males of other species of the genus. Additionally, we report two specimens from South Australia, and several specimens from New South Wales, which extend considerably the distribution of Neuroscelio in Australia. Further, the South Australian specimens indicate that the genus also inhabits seasonally dry Mediterranean habitats compared with the wetter habitats of eastern Australia from where most specimens are recorded.

Neuroscelio doddi is the only species represented by any significant number of specimens. Among these, we observed differences in the extent of the longitudinal costae on T2 and the size of the posteromedial smooth area. The specimens from New South Wales have the longitudinal costae appreciably longer medially than other specimens, so that the smooth field is rather small in area. Additionally, the Styx River specimens have the submedian carinae on T1 higher and more clearly differentiated from the flanking longitudinal costae.

With respect to metasomal morphology, the males (as do females) possess a set of very long setae on the cerci (Fig. 29 vs. Fig. 28), which also occur in N. orientalis n. sp., even though the latter species shows a very different morphology compared with the Australian taxa (i.e. antenna and mandibles) (Fig. 30).

8. http://hol.osu.edu/map-large.html?id=4938