Scelio clypeatus 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 : 153-155

Scelio clypeatus Yoder sp. n. Figures 347-352; Morphbank 72

Description.

Female body length: 4.20-4.50 mm (n=8). 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: brown or predominantly brown. Form of anteclypeus between medial teeth in female: produced, concave medially, forming two broad lobes. 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 white on mesoscutum, predominantly brown on mesoscutellum. Sculpture of mesoscutellum in female: predominantly irregular rugulose to reticulate. Sculpture of oxter: 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: present, not reaching posterior margin. Distribution of pilosity on metasomal terga 3-5 in female: more or less uniformly present 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.

This species is nearly identical to Scelio quasiclypeatus which shares the presence of a projected clypeus (Fig. 381) and densely setose posteroventral quadrant of the metapleuron (Figs 350, 380). It differs from Scelio quasiclypeatus by the absence of sculpture on the anteclypeus (Figs 351, 352) and the broadly bilobed anterior margin of the anteclypeus (truncate in Scelio quasiclypeatus ). Scelio apospastos is also similar, though smaller and with the glabrous patch present along the anterior metasomal tergites T3-T5 (setose throughout in Scelio clypeatus ).

Etymology.

The epithet is used as a noun in apposition derived from the Latin word for shield, in reference to the relatively large clypeus.

Link to distribution map.

http://hol.osu.edu/map-large.html?id=244620

Material examined.

Holotype, female: GHANA: camp 15 / research camp, Bia National Park, 06°32'34"N, 03°03'06"W, 190m, 22. VI– 25.VI.2005, J. Gill & T. K. Philips, OSUC 213552 (deposited in OSUC). Paratypes: (9 females) GABON: 3 females, OSUC 212736, 212788, 212797 (CNCI). GHANA: 4 females, OSUC 213547, 213562, 213565, 213568 (OSUC). ZIMBABWE: 2 females, OSUC 211229, 211233 (CNCI).

Comments.

Scelio clypeatus and Scelio quasiclypeatus are very nearly identical, and specimens of both have been collected together. If additional intermediates are discovered they may need to be synonymized. The posterior margin of the mesopleuron (roughly the mesepimeron) is thicker and smoother than seen in most species of this group. Two individuals from Zimbabwe (OSUC 211229, 211233) are included here. They may represent an intermediate linking the two species, though their clypeus is more well developed and the glabrous patch on lateral T3-T5 is not evident.