Scelio zolotarevskyi Ferriere

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 : 69-73

Scelio zolotarevskyi Ferriere Figures 1, 14, 29, 151-156; Morphbank 40

Scelio zolotarevskyi Ferrière, 1930: 42 (original description); Ferrière 1952: 117 (diagnosis); Masner 1965: 96 (type information).

Scelio sudanensis Ferrière, 1952: 115 (original description), new synonymy; Nixon 1958: 314, 315 (keyed).

Scelio zolotarevskyi http://zoobank.org/2356D29C-854A-4F82-B421-7A318C77E47C

Scelio zolotarevskyi urn:lsid:biosci.ohio-state.edu:osuc_concepts:5340

Scelio cheops Nixon, 1958: 315 (original description) syn. n.; Masner 1965: 92 (type information)

Scelio zolotarevskyi http://zoobank.org/938667BC-30CC-45F3-A0B9-BD95D0E95E52

Scelio zolotarevskyi urn:lsid:biosci.ohio-state.edu:osuc_concepts:5195

Description.

Female body length: 3.53-5.53 mm (n=28). Male body length: 3.28 mm (n=1). Color of pilosity of dorsal head in female: white. Occipital carina in female: percurrent. Color of pilosity of the frons below the anterior ocellus in female: predominantly white. Pilosity of eye in female: absent; present. Medial keel on interantennal process: absent. Width of lower gena in lateral view: wide, posterior margin of lower half of gena parallel to posterior orbit. Genal carina: absent. Color of genal pilosity: white. Color of scape in female: yellow throughout. Surface of the pronotal nucha in female: predominantly sculptured. Color of pilosity of pronotal shoulder in female: white to light brown, lighter than that of mesoscutum. Sculpture of medial mesoscutum in female: predominantly angular reticulate to rugulose. Color of pilosity of mesoscutum in female: predominantly white to off–white. Notaulus in female: indicated by a row of cells. Notaulus in male: delimited by row of cells. Form of axillular carina in female: small, not particularly expanded or projected from the lateral edge of the mesoscutellum. Pilosity of propodeal nucha: absent. Pilosity of netrion: absent. Surface of mesopleural depression in female: sculptured throughout. Form of ventral margin of villus in female: straight. Color of coxae in female: brown. Color of hind femur: dark brown medially, otherwise honey yellow. Color of hind tibia: yellow throughout. Fore wing length in female: apex between anterior margin of T5 and posterior margin of T6. Color of metasoma: entirely dark brown. Sculpture of laterotergites in female: predominantly smooth. Pilosity of laterotergites in female: absent. Sculpture of medial T1 in female: most prominent elements predominantly longitudinal. Sculpture of medial T2 in female: most prominent elements predominantly longitudinal. Pattern of sculpture on T3-T5 in female: T3 predominantly reticulate, T4-T5 predominantly longitudinally striate to strigose. Color of pilosity on lateral T3-T5 in female: predominantly white. Lateral profile of T6 in female: more or less horizontal. Sculpture of T6 in female: predominantly longitudinally striate to strigose. Sculpture of lateral metasomal sternal bar in female: predominantly smooth to slightly irregularly rugose. Distribution of felt fields: 2 pairs present (S2, S3).

Diagnosis.

Most similar to Scelio howardi in its habitus, color and form of pilosity, and general sculpture, as well as to Scelio pipilo with which it shares the straight ventral margin of the villus (as in Fig. 8). Scelio zolotarevskyi may be distinguished from the former by the compact and parallel-sided villus (Figs 8, 155, compare with concave or bent lateral margin of villus, Fig. 124) and from the latter by its smaller size and color of the scape (never completely brown to dark brown scape).

Link to distribution map.

http://hol.osu.edu/map-large.html?id=5364

Associations.

Emerged from Acrididae [ Orthoptera : Acrididae ]; emerged from egg of Acrotylus Fieber [ Orthoptera : Acrididae ]; emerged from ootheca of Acrotylus patruelis (Herrich-Schaeffer) [ Orthoptera : Acrididae ]; emerged from ootheca of Cyrtacanthacris tatarica tatarica (Linnaeus) [ Orthoptera : Acrididae ]; emerged from egg of Eyprepocnemis plorans plorans (Charpentier) [ Orthoptera : Acrididae , as Euprepocnemis senegalensis Bolívar]; emerged from egg of Eyprepocnemis smaragdipes Bruner [ Orthoptera : Acrididae ]; emerged from ootheca of Eyprepocnemis smaragdipes Bruner [ Orthoptera : Acrididae ]; emerged from egg of Gastrimargus africanus (Saussure) [ Orthoptera : Acrididae ]; emerged from ootheca of Gastrimargus africanus (Saussure) [ Orthoptera : Acrididae ]; emerged from ootheca of Heteracris Walker [ Orthoptera : Acrididae ]; emerged from egg of Locusta Linnaeus [ Orthoptera : Acrididae ]; emerged from egg of Locusta cinerascens capito Saussure [ Orthoptera : Acrididae , as Locusta migratoria capito ]; emerged from ootheca of Locusta cinerascens capito Saussure [ Orthoptera : Acrididae , as Locusta migratoria capito ]; emerged from egg of Locusta cinerascens migratorioides (Reiche & Fairmaire) [ Orthoptera : Acrididae , as Locusta migratorioides ]; emerged from egg of Nomadacris Uvarov [ Orthoptera : Acrididae ]; emerged from ootheca of Nomadacris septemfasciata (Serville) [ Orthoptera : Acrididae ]; emerged from ootheca of Oedaleus virgula (Snellen van Vollenhoven) [ Orthoptera : Acrididae ].

Material examined.

Lectotype (present designation), female, Scelio zolotarevskyi : MADAGASCAR: Toliara Auto. Prov., Ejeda, 18.II.1928, Zolotarevsky, B.M. TYPE HYM. 9.535 (deposited in BMNH). Holotype, female, Scelio cheops : [MALI]: Central flood plain of Niger R[iver], i-iii.1956, G. Popov, ex acridid eggs CIE Coll 14777 A/502, ex Eupropocnemis senegalensis , B.M. TYPE HYM 9.537 (deposited in BMNH). Lectotype (present designation), female, Scelio sudanensis : MALI: Dogo, II-1950, Remaudière, OSUC 173946 (deposited in MNHN). Paralectotype, Scelio zolotarevskyi : MADAGASCAR: 1 male, BMNH(E)#790468 (BMNH). Other material: (541 females, 125 males, 9 unknowns) BENIN: 2 females, OSUC 211365, 212850 (CNCI). BOTSWANA: 15 females, 3 males, OSUC 160051, 160053 (EMEC); OSUC 164132, 164134, 164137, 164140, 164145, 164165-164166, 164171, 164189, 164193, 164200, 164215, 211689 (OSUC); OSUC 171353, 207550-207551 (USNM). ERITREA: 1 male, 1 unknown, BMNH(E)#790463 (BMNH); OSUC 210357 (MCSN). GHANA: 7 females, OSUC 176009, 213548, 213551, 213559-213561, 213564 (OSUC). KENYA: 9 females, 1 male, CASENT 2042600 (CASC); OSUC 212343, 212357-212358, 234631, 234648, 234678 (CNCI); OSUC 244091-244092, 248101 (USNM). MADAGASCAR: 443 females, 98 males, 1 unknown, CASENT 2042061, 2042068, 2042072, 2042075, 2042078, 2042672, 2043323, 2043417, 2043560, 2043631-2043632, 2133514, 2133516, 2134571, 2134709 (CASC); OSUC 254614, 259910-259998, 260001-260019, 260021-260062, 260263-260268, 261063-261193, 261195, 261199-261340, 261359-261380, 261387-261414, 261417-261462 (MNHN). MALI: 6 unknowns, BMNH(E)#790459-790461, 790464-790466 (BMNH). MOZAMBIQUE: 3 females, 3 males, OSUC 212371-212374, 212378 (CNCI); OSUC 244138 (USNM). NIGERIA: 1 female, 5 males, OSUC 212614, 212618-212621, 212623 (CNCI). RWANDA: 1 female, OSUC 182054 (RMCA). SOUTHAFRICA: 5 females, 2 males, OSUC 212451, 212872 (CNCI); OSUC 213399, 213468, 213487, 214383, 214385 (SANC). TANZANIA: 1 unknown, BMNH(E)#790462 (BMNH). UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: 8 females, OSUC 214052-214053, 214064, 214066-214068, 214071, 214079 (CNCI). YEMEN: 47 females, 12 males, OSUC 212479-212480, 212486-212487, 212489, 212939, 250671, 250676, 250683-250684, 250888, 250895-250896, 250898, 250900, 250937, 251031-251032, 251038, 251040-251043, 251045, 251048, 251050, 251053, 251055, 251057, 251060-251061, 251063, 251067, 254661, 254663, 254677, 254684, 254687, 254694, 254785, 254787, 254789-254792, 254795-254796, 254798-254799, 254804, 254807-254808, 254813-254814, 254819, 254821-254822, 254826, 254828 (CNCI).

Comments.

The specimens with the identifiers OSUC 244136 and 244139 (USNM) are paratypes of Scelio howardi but we believe actually are Scelio zolotarevskyi .

Nixon (1958) noted the similarities between Scelio zolotarevskyi and Scelio sudanensis but chose to maintain the latter as a valid species. Variation in this species is well documented by the hundreds of reared specimens (material at MNHN) now available. Based on this variation and review of the types (see images via http://hol.osu.edu/index.html?id=5364), we propose the current synonymy.

The flat ventral margin of the villus, and its general form are extremely constant, as are the colors of the scape and legs, and in combination with the particularly dense pilosity of the gena, one can instantly distinguish this species. Confusion is only possible with Scelio pipilo and Scelio ululo . Most African individuals of Scelio zolotarevskyi have the dorsomedial pilosity of the head and mesoscutum white, which is somewhat uncommon for Afrotropical Scelio . The trend to white contrasts with that observed in Scelio howardi in which the setae are nearly universally golden to light brown. Neither color pattern is unique, but may be found in either species. Many Asian specimens of Scelio zolotarevskyi have the setae of the dorsal head and mesonotum brown to golden brown. There is significant variation in the sculpture of T6 in females. Most individuals are predominantly longitudinally striate to strigose, with a tendency towards some reticulation posteriorly. A few of the largest individuals have completely reticulate rugulose sculpture, and a few of the smallest individuals are almost completely longitudinally sculptured.

In individuals with silver eyes there is often the appearance of very short setae between the ommatidia, though these perhaps do not extend above the surface of the eye. In individuals with black or mottled black and silver eyes these can not be discerned. Whether these are in fact setae or rather some refractory phenomenon should be tested with dissection and SEM. We consider Scelio zolotarevskyi to be polymorphic for these two states, and this was best observed in the long series of material from Yemen. The notauli in males are percurrent, though faintly so. This is useful in distinguishing them from the extremely similar males of Scelio howardi . See also comments for Scelio ululo .

Scelio zolotarevskyi is extremely widespread, being known throughout Africa and Asia. It has been reared from acridids of the subfamilies Eyprepocnemidinae , Cyrtacanthacridinae , and Oedipodinae , including the migratory locust ( Locusta migratoria ).