Scelio modulus 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 : 159-161

Scelio modulus Yoder sp. n. Figures 333, 334, 365-370; Morphbank 75

Description.

Female body length: 3.02-3.97 mm (n=20). 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. Sculpture of ventrolateral corner of frons adjacent to malar sulcus in male: predominantly dorsoventral. Form of anteclypeus between medial teeth in female: striplike, truncate. Form of anteclypeus between medial teeth in males: striplike, truncate. 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: absent (smooth) in parts. Color of pilosity on mesonotum in female: predominantly brown throughout. 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: 1 seta; 2 setae; 3 setae. Color of fore wing in female: evenly colored throughout. Color of fore wing in male: completely without color except at extreme base. Color of pilosity on lateral T2-T5 in female: T2 and much of T3 white, T4-T5 brown or predominantly brown. Fine pilosity of lateral T1 in female: absent; present, not reaching posterior margin; present, extending to 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. Form of medial surface of S3-S5 in males: evenly rounded throughout.

Diagnosis.

Scelio modulus is distinguished from all other species of the walkeri-group by the combination of the narrow, more or less truncate anteclypeus with the primarily brown pilosity of the mesonotum.

Etymology.

The epithet is used as a noun in apposition derived from the Latin word for norm, model, or measure.

Link to distribution map.

http://hol.osu.edu/map-large.html?id=244621

Material examined.

Holotype, female: IVORY COAST: ~160km NW Abidjan, Lamto Research Station, 06°13'N, 05°02'W, XI-1988, malaise trap/yellow pan trap, J. S. Noyes, OSUC 142574 (deposited in BMNH). Paratypes: (193 females, 2 males) BENIN: 2 females, OSUC 211368, 212851 (CNCI). BOTSWANA: 1 female, OSUC 212452 (CNCI). CAMEROON: 5 females, OSUC 211224, 212116, 212118, 212124, 212258 (CNCI). CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: 2 females, OSUC 211837, 211839 (SAMC). GABON: 1 female, OSUC 212796 (CNCI). GHANA: 5 females, OSUC 213550, 213555-213556, 213558, 213567 (OSUC). GUINEA: 1 female, OSUC 213121 (CNCI). IVORYCOAST: 39 females, OSUC 211361, 212854, 212858, 212860, 213070, 213096 (CNCI); OSUC 142572-142573, 142575, 142577-142580, 142582-142585, 142587-142588, 142591-142592, 57142, 57144, 59112-59117, 59123-59124, 59126, 59128-59130, 64612, 64614, 64719, 64723 (OSUC). KENYA: 75 females, 2 males, OSUC 212950-212951, 214019-214020, 214022, 214026, 214039, 214044, 234607, 234612, 234616-234618, 234622-234624, 234627-234628, 234637, 234685-234686, 250918 (CNCI); OSUC 142672, 58973-58975, 58977, 59020-59021, 59024, 59026, 59029, 59031-59033, 59036-59037, 59041, 59045, 59047-59049, 59051-59052, 59056, 59060, 59062, 59064, 59067-59070, 59072-59075, 59079, 59081-59083, 59086, 59088-59089, 59092, 59094, 59099, 59101, 59103, 59106-59107, 59109, 70696, 70699, 70708-70709 (OSUC); OSUC 244081, 244086 (USNM). NIGERIA: 43 females, OSUC 202814 (AEIC); OSUC 211679, 212741-212742, 212802, 212807, 212822-212823, 212842, 212844-212845, 213139, 213141, 213176, 213178, 213182, 213184-213185, 213187-213188, 213191, 213263, 213267, 213269, 213272, 213274-213275, 250718, 250720-250721, 250723, 250726, 250728, 250773, 250792, 250987-250988, 250992, 250996, 250999, 251001-251002 (CNCI); OSUC 244206 (OSUC). SOUTH AFRICA: 6 females, OSUC 211206, 211208, 211211-211212, 212980 (CNCI); OSUC 254549 (MZLU). SWAZILAND: 1 female, OSUC 254542 (MZLU). ZIMBABWE: 12 females, OSUC 211249, 212202, 212216, 212575, 212638, 212816, 212826, 212832-212833, 212836, 212838, 212899 (CNCI).

Comments.

Like Scelio afer , Scelio modulus is widespread and polymorphic. As currently delimited this species includes several smaller series of tentatively included specimens. The core characters are the primarily brown pilosity of the mesonotum and the relatively small and more or less truncate anteclypeus. While variation occurs in characters of pilosity (see below), most specimens exhibit the following pattern: 1) mesonotum pilosity nearly all brown; 2) lateral metanotal pilosity white on T2-T3, then brown and slightly finer on T4-T5; 3) anterolateral T3 sparsely setose to glabrous; and 4) only 1-2 setae overlapping the posterolateral quadrant of the metapleuron. Several specimens with more or less white pilosity throughout the lateral metasoma are included because they are otherwise indistinguishable. Most specimens do not have prominent fine setae on lateral T2 although several small series have well-developed, completely setose lines as seen in Scelio pilosilatus . The sculpture of the mesoscutum is variable: most specimens are predominantly reticulate, and a minority exhibit stronger parallel longitudinal tendencies.