Scelio transtrum 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 : 119-122

Scelio transtrum Yoder sp. n. Figures 281-286; Morphbank 62

Description.

Female Body length: 3.88-4.68 mm (n=10). Male Body length: 4.45-4.65 mm (n=2). Color of scape in female: brown. Surface of dorsal head in female: with obliterated patches between lateral ocelli, otherwise with somewhat flattened sculpture. Occipital carina in female: percurrent; broadly obliterated medially. Profile of posterior margin of head in lateral view: produced posteriorly, head appearing wedge-shaped. Width of genal setae: narrow to moderately wide. Shape of medial anteclypeus in female: thicker, with rounded corners, extended forward on strongly projected clypeus. Surface of mandible base in female: smooth. Form of mesosoma in female: compact, with propodeal shelf short very strongly sloped and barely visible in dorsal view. Surface of pronotal nucha in female: with slight but prominent obliterated/smooth patch, otherwise sculptured throughout. Transverse pronotal carina in female: percurrent, not interrupted medially. Shape of mesoscutellum: transverse, broadly depressed posteromedially, posterolateral margins slightly elevated. Surface of propodeal nucha in female: with medial furrow, otherwise smooth; smooth throughout. Surface of propodeal shelf in female: with obliterated to smooth patches laterally; sculptured throughout. Color of metasoma in female: orange throughout. Sculpture of T6: finely longitudinally striae.

Diagnosis.

Scelio transtrum is most similar to Scelio ntchisii and, to a slightly lesser degree, Scelio somaliensis , all sharing the presence of the percurrent transverse pronotal carina and the compact form of the mesosoma with strongly sloped medial propodeal shelf. Scelio transtrum differs from those two species by the strongly projected clypeus/anteclypeus (strip like and not projecting in both others), the transverse mesoscutel lum that has slightly elevated posterolateral margins and medial depression (rounded, not particularly transverse, and otherwise unmodified in both others), and the orange metasoma (brown in both of the others). All but one individual (OSUC 213460 from South Africa) have obliterated or smoother patches on the anterolateral propodeal shelf. All other ipomeae-group species have the shelf sculptured throughout.

Etymology.

The epithet is used as a noun in apposition derived from the Latin word for crossbeam, in reference to the percurrent transverse pronotal carina.

Link to distribution map.

http://hol.osu.edu/map-large.html?id=244750

Material examined.

Holotype, female: YEMEN: #5046, Lahij (Lahj), VIII-2000, malaise trap, A. van Harten, OSUC 212935 (deposited in CNCI). Paratypes: (9 females, 2 males) KENYA: 2 females, CASENT 2042611 (CASC); OSUC 212505 (CNCI). SOUTHAFRICA: 1 female, OSUC 213460 (SANC). TANZANIA: 2 females, OSUC 212965, 212973 (CNCI). YEMEN: 4 females, 2 males, OSUC 212483, 212493, 212924, 212934, 212947 (CNCI); OSUC 212496 (OSUC).

Comments.

The occipital carina is generally present although it is obscured or absent for a short medial stretch in some. The gap is not as extensive as in Scelio aurantium . Two males are known and match the females well. The male has somewhat more robust sculpture which is particularly noticeable on the dorsal head and pronotal nucha. The male A5 is not as stalked basally and apically broad as in Scelio ipomeae .