Scelio latro 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 : 86-88

Scelio latro Yoder sp. n. Figures 21, 26, 193-198; Morphbank 47

Description.

Female body length: 3.25-4.40 mm (n=9). Color of pilosity of dorsal head in female: golden to brown. Occipital carina in female: broadly obliterated to absent medially. Color of pilosity of the frons below the anterior ocellus in female: predominantly white. Pilosity of eye in female: absent. 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; predominantly smooth. Color of pilosity of pronotal shoulder in female: white to light brown, lighter than that of mesoscutum; golden to dark brown, concolorous with that of mesoscutum. Sculpture of medial mesoscutum in female: predominantly angular reticulate to rugulose. Color of pilosity of mesoscutum in female: predominantly light brown to brown. Notaulus in female: indicated by a row of cells. Form of axillular carina in female: small, not particularly expanded or projected from the lateral edge of the mesoscutellum. Pilosity of propo deal nucha: absent. Pilosity of netrion: absent. Surface of mesopleural depression in female: sculptured throughout. Form of ventral margin of villus in female: bent ventrally in posterior, obviously not straight throughout. Color of coxae in female: brown. Color of hind femur: dark brown throughout. 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 aciculate. Pilosity of laterotergites in female: absent. Sculpture of me dial 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: predominantly longitudinally striate. Color of pilosity on lateral T3-T5 in female: predominantly golden to brown. Lateral profile of T6 in female: vertically sloped in posterior half; more or less horizontal. Sculpture of T6 in female: predominantly longitudinally striate to strigose. Sculpture of lateral metasomal sternal bar in female: minutely reticulate throughout. Distribution of felt fields: 2 pairs present (S2, S3).

Diagnosis.

Most similar to Scelio mutio which shares a similarly shaped villus (Fig. 21), pilosity and sculpture of the mesoscutum (Fig. 195), and general habitus (Figs 193, 194). Scelio latro differs from Scelio mutio in the fine longitudinal sculpture of T6 (vs. transversely rugulose), the aciculate sculpture of the laterotergites (vs. smooth), the pilosity of the pronotal shoulder which is lighter than that of the mesoscutum (vs. concolorous), the light brown hind femur (vs. yellow), and, subtly, the incomplete occipital carina (vs. percurrent).

Etymology.

The epithet is used as a noun in apposition derived from the Latin word for bark or howl.

Link to distribution map.

http://hol.osu.edu/map-large.html?id=244982

Material examined.

Holotype, female: TANZANIA: Dar es Salaam Reg., Dar es Salaam, II-1985, flight intercept trap, J. Middleton, OSUC 250953 (deposited in CNCI). Paratypes: (8 females) MALAWI: 2 females, OSUC 212453, 212929 (CNCI). TANZANIA: 6 females, OSUC 212968, 212976, 250951, 250959, 250968 (CNCI); OSUC 212969 (OSUC).

Comments.

The differences between Scelio latro and Scelio mutio are subtle but consistent. The color of pilosity on the head and pronotal shoulders is intermediate between white and the brown which may lead to some confusion in the key if it is interpreted as white. Though subtle, the color of the pilosity of the frons is not white. The propodeal projections (Fig. 198) are somewhat rounded and blunt. The preapical margin of T6 is relatively broad and well developed. The longitudinal sculpture of the propodeum is generally angled outwards. The ventral margin of the villus curves upwards forming an acute angle just past the anterior origin. In other species its course extends below the ventral extent of the propodeal spiracle forming a right or obtuse angle.