Scelio apospastos 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 : 151-153

Scelio apospastos Yoder sp. n. Figures 341-346; Morphbank 71

Description.

Female body length: 3.18-4.08 mm (n=19). Form of sculpture of frons below anterior ocellus in female: fine dorsoventral striae with few to no reticulations. Distribution of sculpture of frons posterior to anterior ocellus in female: more or less uniform throughout. Color of pilosity of dorsomedial head in female: white or predominantly white; brown or predominantly brown. Form of anteclypeus between medial teeth in female: striplike, truncate. Form of lateral gena below eye in anterior view in female: evenly rounded towards mandible, not bulging laterally. Sculpture of anteclypeus: smooth throughout. Sculpture of pronotal nucha in female: present throughout. Color of pilosity on mesonotum in female: predominantly brown throughout; predominantly white on mesoscutum, predominantly brown on mesoscutellum. Sculpture of mesoscutellum in female: predominantly irregular rugulose to reticulate. Sculpture of oxter: present throughout; with prominent smooth patch. Pilosity of metapleuron overlapping or arising within posteroventral quadrant in female: 4 or more setae. Color of fore wing in female: evenly colored throughout. Color of pilosity on lateral T2-T5 in female: T2-T5 white to off-white. Fine pilosity of lateral T1 in female: absent. Distribution of pilosity on metasomal terga 3-5 in female: densely present in posterior half of T3-T4, anterior half more or less glabrous, T5 setose throughout. Form of setae on lateral T2-T5: predominantly thick throughout. Pilosity of anterolateral corner of dorsal T3 in female: sparsely setose to glabrous.

Diagnosis.

Scelio apospastos is most similar to Scelio modulus which shares the small, striplike anteclypeus (Figs 369, 375). It differs from Scelio modulus in the distribution (not reaching the anterior margin, Fig. 346) and amount (relatively large patches, Fig. 346) of pilosity on the lateral metasoma. It is also very similar to Scelio pilosilatus , but may be separated by the absence of the fine line of pilosity along lateral T1 and the thicker more prominent patch of setae in the posteroventral quadrant of the metapleuron.

Etymology.

The epithet is used as a noun in apposition derived from the Greek word for separated, in reference to setae of the lateral metasoma tergites which are separated from the anterior margins by a glabrous area.

Link to distribution map.

http://hol.osu.edu/map-large.html?id=244616

Material examined.

Holotype, female: ZIMBABWE: Harare (Salisbury), Chishawasha, XII-1980, pan trap, A. Watsham, OSUC 213044 (deposited in CNCI). Paratypes:(55 females) MALAWI: 1 female, OSUC 212749 (CNCI). SOUTH AFRICA: 10 females, OSUC 212876, 212916, 213196 (CNCI); OSUC 213323, 213358, 213371, 213424, 213433, 213475-213476 (SANC). SWAZILAND: 1 female, OSUC 254697 (CNCI). ZIMBABWE: 43 females, OSUC 211230-211231, 211235, 211252-211253, 212104, 212111, 212129, 212132, 212137, 212143-212145, 212153, 212156-212157, 212213, 212228, 212338-212340, 212578-212579, 212642-212644, 212646, 212670, 212900, 212903, 212907, 212909, 212912, 212928, 213042, 213046, 213203, 213230, 213254 (CNCI); OSUC 212232, 212649, 212665, 213229 (OSUC).

Comments.

Scelio apospastos is very similar to Scelio modulus . The color of the pilosity on the lateral metasoma is also generally diagnostic between the two, with most individuals of Scelio modulus having finer brown pilosity on lateral T4-5, whereas in Scelio apospastos the pilosity is always white.