Scelio albatus 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 : 17-19

Scelio albatus Yoder sp. n. Figures 31-36; Morphbank 22

Description.

Female body length: 3.52-3.64 mm (n=2). Male body length: 3.40-4.48 mm (n=2). 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, sculpture finer, typically without dorsoventral trend. Genal carina in female: present. 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 white to off-white. 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: more or less flat. 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: moderately wide, width of S3 1.5-1.6 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: present throughout.

Diagnosis.

Similar to Scelio taylori which shares the presence of the well-developed genal carina (cf. Figs 102, 108, 114, gc). Differing from all individuals of Scelio taylori by the the completely white pilosity of the mesoscutum (and throughout body), the fine and relatively dense reticulations of the mesoscutum (cells larger, more robust in Scelio taylori , compare Figs 39 and 99) and, in most individuals, by the color of A1 (only rarely dark brown in Scelio taylori , and these individuals are distinctly larger and darker throughout).

Etymology.

The epithet is a Latin participle, meaning clothed in white, in reference to the pilosity of the mesoscutum.

Link to Distribution Map.

http://hol.osu.edu/map-large.html?id=244957

Material Examined.

Holotype, female: SOUTH AFRICA: KwaZulu-Natal Prov., Dukuduku forest Reserve, IV-1977, G. L. Prinsloo, OSUC 213338 (deposited in SANC). Paratypes: SOUTH AFRICA: 1 female, 2 males, OSUC 213393-213394, 213481 (SANC).

Comments.

Scelio albatus is clearly closely related to Scelio taylori and likely represents a geographically isolated extension of that species, being the only specimens of the larger clade from South Africa. Scelio taylori exhibits a fair amount of morphological variation, but is not noted for variability in the the color of pilosity on the mesoscutum. In general white pilosity on the mesoscutellum is rare for Afrotropical Scelio . The sculpture of the mesoscutum is more irregular and the course of the notauli is more visible than seen in Scelio taylori .