Scelio corion Nixon, 1958

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 : 73-76

Scelio corion Nixon

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:7500884A-B732-430C-BDD1-EAB910CC9D87 urn:lsid:biosci.ohio-state.edu:osuc_concepts:5207

Figs 31–36; Morphbank 15

Scelio corion Nixon, 1958: 305 , 316 (original description. keyed); Masner, 1965a: 92 (type information).

Description. Female body length: 2.60–3.32 mm (n=16). Male body length: 3.00 mm (n=1). Color of antenna in female: A1 brown to dark brown, tip of A2 and A3 slightly lighter (to yellow), remaining brown to dark brown. Color of head in female: black. Color of mesosoma in female: dark brown to black. Color of coxae in female: brown to dark brown. Color of leg past coxa in female: brown to dark brown. Color of metasoma in female: brown to dark brown.

Sculpture of lower frons in female: predominantly transverse to slightly arcuate striae. Sculpture of ventrolateral frons in female: minutely rugulose to obliterated, sculpture appearing slightly rough, without fine umbilicate sculpture. Form of malar sulcus in female: sulcus percurrent, slit, groove or carina extremely narrow but course well defined. Sculpture of upper frons of female: rugulose, with dorsoventral trend. Sculpture of dorsal head between and posterior to lateral ocelli in female: rugulose, obliterated in spots or not. Mandible of female: upper tooth slightly elongate, elongate-triangular, lower tooth absent to almost imperceptible, a slight extension of the inner-ventral margin, or 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: reticulate-rugulose in anterior 1/4–1/3, otherwise parallel-striate with no to very few reticulations, striae broadly separated, interstices with little to no sculpture. 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: longitudinally striate, with few to no reticulations. Sculpture of lateral pronotum in female (excluding interstitial sculpture): reticulate sculpture throughout (smooth patch below lateral

Figures 3Ι–36 .54 Scelio corion Nixon (OSUC 142617). 3Ι Habitus, dorsal view; 32 Habitus, lateral view; 33 Mesosoma, dorsal view; 34 Mesosoma, lateral view; 35 Head, anterior view; 36 Metasoma, dorsal view. Scale bars in millimeters.

epomial carina absent). Pronotal verricule in female: base more or less unmodified, with tightly clumped clump of short to moderately elongate setae. Pronotal setal patch posteroventral to end of lateral epomial carina in female: dense (around 5 to many) small patch of appressed to slightly semi-decumbent setae. Sculpture of mesopleural depression in female: predominantly longitudinally striate. Pilosity of anteroventral metapleuron in female: glabrous, or sparsely setose. Dorsal surface of hind tibia in female: typical distribution and moderate length, setae appressed to loosely appressed, more or less straight. Shape of 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, striplike (a band), divided only by hyaline course of M+Cu. Basal fascia of fore wing in female: subrectangular, striplike, percurrent from anterior to posterior margin. Apical fascia of fore wing in female: anterior margin with slightly lighter smaller patch, posterior margin even fainter (less contrasting), broadly divided medially by coloration that gradually fades to apex of fore wing.

Sculpture of dorsal T 1 in female: polygonal-reticulate, interstices more or less smooth, longitudinally striate, with few to no transverse divisions or reticulations, interstices smooth or with very slight irregular microsculpture. 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: interrupted with by a smooth strip, majority of sculpture not contiguous with that of posterior T2. 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: dorsal and ventral surfaces more or less evenly convex. Sculpture of lateral T2–T 6 in female: fine irregular longitudinal striae throughout. Pilosity of laterotergites in female: present on T1–T5, present on T1–T4, present on T1–T3.

Diagnosis. Most similar to S. turbidus which shares the combination of absence of metallic coloration, presence of smooth patches on the lateral mesoscutum, and a percurrent transverse pronotal carina. Differing from S. turbidus by the sculpture of the lower frons face (striate, not rugulose), the shape of the hind femur (relatively narrow, not bulging), and the regular parallel striae of the medial mesoscutum (reticulate or obliterated in S. turbidus ).

Link to distribution map. [http://osuc.biosci.ohio-state.edu/HymOnline/maplarge.html?id=5207]

Associations. Emerged from eggs of Acrididae ; ( Orthoptera ); emerged from eggs of Hieroglyphus daganensis Krauss ( Orthoptera : Acrididae , Hemiacridinae ); emerged from eggs of Kraussaria Uvarov ( Orthoptera : Acrididae , Cyrtacanthacridinae ); emerged from eggs of Orthoptera ; emerged from eggs of Sherifuria haningtoni Uvarov ( Orthoptera : Acrididae , Acridinae ); solitary egg parasitoid of Sherifuria haningtoni Uvarov.

Material examined. Lectotype female (present designation): MALI: [French Sudan] central flood plain of Niger River , I.1956 – III.1956, G. Popov, ex eggs of Sherifuria haningtoni Uvarov , OSUC 254515 (deposited in BMNH) . Other material (33 females, 5 males): BURKINA FASO: 1 female, OSUC 211444 ( CNCI). MALI: 16 females, 4 males, OSUC 254516–254525 , 254529–254533 ( BMNH) ; OSUC 211439–211443 ( CNCI). NIGER: 14 females, 1 male, OSUC 254526–254528 , 254534–254535 ( BMNH) ; OSUC 213710–213712 , 244208–244211 , 251068–251070 ( TAMU). NIGERIA: 2 females, OSUC 211584 ( CNCI) ; OSUC 142617 ( OSUC) .

Comments. The sculpture of the interstices within the parallel longitudinal striae of the mesoscutum varies somewhat, with few to moderate transverse elements present in some individuals.